The Sound of Music (Broadway San Jose) --…read more We saw this yesterday and it was beautiful. The sets were absolutely stunning -- genuinely took my breath away a few times -- and the singing was extraordinary. So much talent on that stage. If you know the movie by heart (I do), there are a few differences. A couple of songs that aren't in the film, and "I Have Confidence" doesn't appear at all. There are some small changes to the story too, but nothing that took away from the show -- a few of the twists I actually liked better this way. One tip: take an Uber or Lyft. Getting into the parking garage took forever because there's only one lane in, and someone at the front couldn't work the machine and held everyone up for about fifteen minutes. Not the theater's fault, but worth knowing. Wonderful show. We'll be back.

Pros: Getting there is pretty easy. There's quite a few hotels closeby for walking distance. The…read morestaff is super friendly. Felt safe. Seats were comfy and spacious enough that we didn't feel packed like sardines. Cons: not ADA friendly at all. If you're ok sitting far away from the stage, there's a couple limited seats way in the back but make sure you sort that out well before a show. It's not something I ever had to worry about before, and it wasn't a problem when I bought the tickets months ago. I had seats in the center of the 4th row and there's no way down other than stairs. The ADA spaces were all sold out and the only thing they could offer was a refund which, no...we'd been looking forward to this for months. So my friend had to hobble down quite a few stairs wearing a boot since she broke her leg a couple weeks ago. The other con, and to be fair I don't know if this is the venue's fault or the artist's, is that the whole time, the tickets said the show started at 7pm. I read every email from Ticketmaster to make sure we didn't bring the wrong kind of bag, what time the doors opened, all that. I planned the drive to the venue based on that. I had VIP Q&A tickets for the artist, which in the past, he'd usually done after the show. Tell me why we sat down for dinner across the street at 525 pm, I checked my emails while waiting for the food, only to see another email that Ticketmaster sent at 9am that the doors to opened to VIP at 515 pm, with the Q&A starting at 530pm. WHAT KIND OF PLANNING DOES THAT ALLOW?? And we weren't the only ones who had this problem. By the time we cancelled our food and paid for what we already had, it was 537pm and I zoomed my friend across the street, trying to find the wheelchair ramps, then having to hobble down all the stairs because this place was built in the 70's and didn't give af about ADA, we missed more than half the Q&A. So that was annoying.

So lucky to have one of the few indie theaters in the Bay Area, in San Jose…read more 3Below has excellent indie film curation. The customer service is superb. And the snack bar has reasonably priced goodies! The cherry on top? FREE VALIDATED PARKING FOR UP TO 3HRS!! I'll be seeing 3Below soon, again!

Full disclosure, my friend put this place on my radar. I am a bit of a setting snob, and by this I…read moremean: give me leather seats, give me reclining chairs, and if my seat warmer isn't working, I'm going to be upset. But that's merely because life is uncomfortable and I am intentional about finding cozy pockets of joy. This theater is not updated with the fancy seats, but what it lacks in that it more than makes up in charm, service, and community cultivation. Visiting 3Below reminded me that venturing out of that corporate capitalist bubble of perceived coziness would put me in a vibrant hub of social awareness. This is where you go to see the Documentaries IG mentions, but no theaters seem to have times for. This is where you can catch live performances on the same stage that you'll watch a thought provoking film. And, as the manager/owner of the fiercest security dog I've encountered mentioned, THIS is where you could learn to tap dance. Now, I'm hoping this could be a location for some line dancing in the near future, because I think Sofa Streetfair could be the place for some of this, and 3Below seems the perfect hub for practicing. But, what a cute location, and I'm told it's locally owned, too. I didn't actually fact check that, so my apologies if I'm spreading misinformation here. I'm just doing my best to sell you on falling in love with this alternative theater as much as my friend has...I'm converted and I'll definitely be back.

It looked like it got a 4.6 star review but they say doors open at 6:30 and it didn't. I thought I…read morewas in the back of the place so I walk to market street to find the front but it turns out I was at the right place. It is at first street. I didn't think I showed up early but then someone told me they changed the time and they'll let everyone in at 7 pm. I waited and we didn't get in until 7:15. I don't know; maybe I'm strict with time but it threw me off. We had plenty of time to get to our seats so we got beer for one of us. I was expected an open space to get to my seat because I had a cane. They blocked the open space so I had to scoot in to the aisle to get to my seats. I guess the show was packed and they had to add seats. Seats were not bad but not comfortable. I did have good seats so I can see the people performing.

Gorgeous theatre, nicely preserved, and a great place to see some theatre, music, opera, et al. I…read morevisited one night to see an opera, and really had a great time. Sure, it was nice that the opera was NOT nine hours long, but that's me. Your mileage may vary. The outside of the building blends in so well to its surroundings, you may not notice it at first. But, the California Theatre is easy to find, and perfect to walk to from parking or a restaurant. Even in the entrance way before you walk in (where there's the Box Office for will-call or day-of tickets), you see the elegance and grandeur that awaits. Still, there's nothing stuff about it at all. Every staff member or volunteer I encountered was helpful, friendly, and welcoming. There happened to be live music in the Lobby before and after the performance. Refreshments are found on each floor. We had Orchestra Seats. The opera looked and sounded crisp. The singing, the set, the orchestra, the costumes all radiated excitement and serious fun. This particular opera, by Bela Bartok, is rarely done and having some familiarity with the composer, I was excited to check it out. Very much enjoyed the opera, and the venue. If you are an SJSU student, ask about tickets and/or big discounts available at the Box Office.

We came here for Viva CalleSJ this past Sunday. It's a lovely plaza with plenty of outdoor space…read moreand a large parking lot which was used for vendor booths during the recent event I attended. We enjoyed our time here, entertained by cultural dance performances (mexican folk dance), live music including spanish reggae tunes and mariachi, fun pro wrestling matches, and more. Food and drink vendors were available on site, selling mexican cuisine, korean fried chicken, and kona ice (flavored shaved ice). We were able to grab a variety of items for lunch including iced tea and coffee beverages from Travelin' Tom's Coffee of Mountain View, a yummy quesadilla from El Viejon, and a tasty sandwich from Chick N Bros food truck. If there's anything I think could make this place better, it's grass. But I understand, not every park or plaza can offer this. It's a beautiful venue nonetheless, for community events and the arts.

I've seen two plays well events, at the Mexican heritage theater maybe four years ago I saw San…read moreJose Taiko play for their 50th year anniversary! No acoustic sound needed in that great auditorium especially with Japanese Taiko ("drum" in Japanese) involved! For that show, we were actually sitting in the front middle row, and it really felt as if during the swing performance they were going to swing into our laps! A couple of the numbers I actually jumped back in my seat it seemed like they got too close! But amazing performance by San Jose Taiko!! This particular evening, I saw a friend performing in "shaking the mess out of misery! "They had great acoustics in this particular performance, but not too much singing in the actual show itself so more of a play and a great story for young women to see how things were different from the 1940s or 50s until now! I love how this particular play had the proper lingo and accents of the era and that southern hospitality sound!! I had to look up a couple of the words, but the play, and the overall meaning itself was great!! As we left at the performance, and actually started raining and they're beautiful open area outside/the front of the Mexican heritage. Plaza glistened and gleamed with lights! It looked very pretty and I really enjoyed the theater! Hee

Although I can't speak for the plays and musicals, I love Broadway San Jose's film concerts! So…read morefar, I've seen the film concert productions for Across the Spiderverse Spiderverse and Avatar: The Last Airbender. They were both FANTASTIC. The audience is always very enthusiastic, cheering on their favorite characters and scenes. The orchestras are also very passionate about the films as well, earning their standing ovation at the end of the show. My favorite seats are in the orchestra section. Only issue would be parking, but there's a garage about a 5-min walk from the venue that I usually go to. I'll definitely be back again!

Show: MJ The Musical Venue: San Jose Center for the…read morePerforming Arts, a.k.a. Broadway San Jose 08/02/25 Matinee Performance 2pm Breakdown: The Musical (SPOILER ALERT?) The choreography, imagery, mutimedia, lighting, sound, costumes & visual effects were wonderful. The performance did not start exactly on time. Many of Michael & the Jackson 5's hits are featured, but due to show length, the songs are shortened. The songs are stitched together with a narrative, and there were a few parts of this that were a little draggy. I almost would've preferred just the full-lenth music selections alone. The play--while upbeat & exciting overall-- portrays Michael as somewhat a victim: A victim of his global success, victim of his handlers who were profit-motivated, and victim especially of his father Joe Jackson who is cast pretty much in the villain role. There is a brief 15-20 minute intermission in the approximate 2 1/2 hr. show. The Venue First time visit for me and the Center did a fine job. The workers--ticketing folks, ushers, merchandise folks--who I interacted with were great. The matinee show was packed to it's 2,600+ seat capacity. And of course with that many patrons, you're unfortunately going to see a handful of clueless one's with no theather ettiquette. Such as, but certainly not limited to, arriving on time, not silencing their mobile devices, holding conversations and blocking entrances & exits to the theater (pre & post show + intermissions), getting up multiple times during the performance, etc. Can't blame the venue or performers for this of course. Add the usual cluster mess when a good portion of 2,600 patrons need to all use the restroom during intermission. But the latter is pretty much standard procedure at most performances such as this. Ticketing & Parking Tips Smart theater enthusiasts would be very wise to look into 2 very favorable ticketing options offered by this venue: Digital Lottery & Rush Tickets. For digital lottery, download Broadway San Jose's mobile app to start. From there, you can enter a day-before lottery to score a pair of tickets at greatly reduced rates (they were $35ea for this musical). The digital lottery option is typically only for evening performances though. For the Rush ticketing option that I used, covering both matinee & evening performances, show up at the box office day of show 2 hrs. before the scheduled start time. When I got there around 11:45am, there were less than 5 people in line and I was able to score a single Orchestra ticket for $40 (inclusive of fees). Same ticket that Ticketmaster was trying to sell on their site for $445! lol. Parking can be a little bit of a challenge here. The closest major garage that most patrons seem to gravitate to is the Ernst & Young or "303 Garage" @ 303 S. Almaden Blvd. It's maybe 150-200 yds. to the main entrance of the theater. It's got some accessibility quirks, and is a $20 flat rate as of this review. This will typically cover you for several hrs. time for the show + exiting. In my case, the rate covered me 7 hrs. from 12pm to 7pm. I puchased this pass thru mobile parking app SpotHero, which charges a small processing fee, but tends to allow for an easier entrance & exit process. You can also pay directly at the garage. Driving in San Jose is akin to driving in Los Angeles for those familiar. So, be prepared for congestion, rude drivers and the frustration overload + ugliness that typically accompanies this. Not the theater's fault again, but just a word to the wise. Also, San Jose is usually known as a great restaurant destination, but there didn't seem to be a plethora of these options within comfortable walking distance to the theater sadly. Conclusion If you missed the relatively short run of MJ The Musical here in San Jose, don't worry. As it's returing in early 2026 to both San Francisco & Sacramento. Check it, it's a winner!

Had a wonderful experience at the Hammer Theater! It's accessible via public transport or close to…read moreso many parking garages and food spots as well. I went here for a kpop concert - SF9. The organization was well done with trained volunteers and staff, which made it an easy seamless experience for the attendees. It's a great venue that has 3 levels from close to the stage, middle section, and a balcony. Would come here again!

Went here for Candlelight: The Best of Joe Hisaishi and had a great time. Parking was convenient as…read moreyou can park at ParkSJ: Second and San Carlos Street Garage which was right next to the venue. The venue itself is a bit dated but gave a nice cozy vibe. Ushers are welcoming, helpful, and will guide you to your section and seat. There's a coat check available as well as a an area to purchase concessions. The seats in the theatre are old but decently comfortable; you're a little close to your neighbor but it's not a dealbreaker. It was a lovely evening and one worth checking out, perfect for a date night.

This a beautiful, quaint but exciting event. The acrobats…read moreand horses put on spectacular show. Elaborate costumes and lighting. Every seat gives you a fantastic view and since tent is smaller than most show of this kind it feels more intimate. They had a snack bar with all your circus favorites, posters for picture taking and a area of soveniers. I totally recommend this show, for the price it's worth a night out with the family.

This show was OK. Nothing truly spectacular. I saw it at the Sonoma fairgrounds with my boyfriend…read moreand we paid for the general bleacher seats which were totally fine because the ones that are $20 more are not even 4 feet away from the ones we sat at and it's pretty much the same view. You had to pay admission to the fair first and then buy the tickets for the show. We couldn't bring any food that we purchased at the fair into the tent for the show. To me that was ridiculous because the circus was a part of the fair.

I grew up attending the theater and I consider myself very lucky. Community Little Theater in…read moreAuburn, Maine is still around today. I had two brothers who both performed in the theater and one of them is still teaching theater arts now. I usually attend the Broadway musicals at the San Jose Performing Arts Center a couple of times every year and I go alone. John is not a fan of musicals. But he agreed to go to a play last year in SF with me and he enjoyed it. So, when we saw the synopsis of "Running After Shadows," we decided to check it out. The second I walked inside, City Lights Theater reminded me of those wonderful memories I had as a teenager at Community Little Theater. City Lights is smaller than I'm used to but I loved its compact, intimate space. Every seat seems to be a good one and comfortable as well! I loved that the manager spoke to the audience before the show and that they pick a non-profit to donate to that matches with the theme of the play. They also have a little get together after every performance. They have refreshments and you have the chance to talk to the actors. We didn't stay afterwards but maybe next time. John surprised me by wanting to get tickets for the next show. Maybe I can get him to try musicals one day...

It's All an Act…read more Foreword: So, it turns out I kind of like plays. I mean, I recall enjoying watching theater friends perform at school and college back in the day, but I've never actually gone out to see a real live play with professional actors. Anyway, if you're on the fence about coming to see one, then you should definitely do it once. And if you really dig it, do it twice. :) OK, onto the review... The City Lights Theater Company has been supporting local actors and theater makers for forty-five years (ca. 1982) now, and have been in this space since 1991--despite a looming threat from developers... The Good: *Very small intimate venue of ±100 seat theater. There is no bad seat in the house, as even in the back row you still feel like you're practically front row. *Tickets are fairly inexpensive at ±$50-80/ea with season passes available. There's also afternoon matinee shows available for us old farts. *Staff was very friendly *They have a small snack bar and even serve wine *A chance to interact with the performers at the end of the show. *We watched "Running After Shadows" by Vincent Terrell Durham and it was excellent. Great story telling, fantastic acting, and it takes the crowd on a wild range of emotions. The Meh: *Street Parking only but it's free on the weekends. The Ugly: *They must start cutting onions in there at some point, cuz I swear my eyes started watering for no reason. That's right. No reason whatsoever. Conclusion: Intimate venue with great storytelling means a great time out by all. Good spot for a date nite or afternoon (see aforementioned "old farts" mention above).

Great regional theater. Good variety of plays…read more Good acting. I am always impressed with the staging.

Good people. Friendly atmosphere. Easy parking. Professional grade productions. Talented acting,…read moresinging, musical accompaniment. Affordable. Been there several times, for years.

This is the second time we have hired Mariachi Tapatio, once for my wedding 9 years ago and now a…read morefew weeks ago for my in-laws anniversary. Both times they have been amazing, putting on a performance that caught everyone's attention and we have been getting compliments since.

After lots of asking around for a mariachi referral (with no luck) for my momma's 94th birthday…read morecelebration, I started searching online. I was VERY fortunate to find Mariachi Tapatio! I was very excited to book them with Felipe G. It was the best surprise for her, and we were not disappointed!! Mariachi Tapatio is truly amazing!! Right when they walked in they brought in so much energy it gave you goose bumps!! They made my momma's birthday extra special and created memories our family will never forget. Many of my family guests kept asking where I found them? They are Professional, Accommodating, friendly, and absolutely Amazing! I would hire them back without a doubt.