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.

One of my least favorite Broadway tour stops in the Bay. I have been here about 5 times now and I…read moredo not know why I keep coming back expecting a better experience. For many reasons: 1. Parking is non-existent. Very expensive garages nearby and difficult to find street parking. It is downtown San Jose after all. However, I noticed that for very popular shows, like Disney musicals, expect the parking prices in the private garages to double or even triple. It's as if they know there will be a lot of people desperate for parking. The caltrain station is nearby so that can be an option instead, but I wish it was BART-friendly like the Orpheum theater in SF. 2. The sound system. Like many reviewers are saying, it is a little off and hard to hear if you are seated in the middle, away from speakers. 3. The seating design. There is no middle aisle so if you are seated in the middle, you have to go through so many people to get to your seat, which is a concern for me if there was a fire emergency. If you are in the aisle, expect to stand up and have to let everyone through. Also, the stage curves inward, so your view on the side is not the best, you miss a section of the stage, but I will still choose aisle for safety reasons. 4. The hallways are tight, there is so much going on during intermission that there is so much traffic. The line for food, the line to the bathroom, the line for drinks. All in that tight hallway in the first floor. I do not feel this way with other Bay area theaters like Curran where hallways are wider. Going from one end to the other is a nightmare. You are better off not buying anything and staying in your seat. 5. The theater etiquette is poor. The ushers do not care if you are texting on your phone or your child is screaming. I watch at least 2 shows a month all over the Bay area, and I have never been to a theater where so many people are taking pictures, texting, whispering to each other throughout the show, etc. Going back to the no center aisle issue, the ushers cannot do anything to the people all the way in the middle. But even when I was seated on the side, ushers just do not pay attention and people do whatever they want.

If you ever have the chance to have your child participate with CSPA, do it! We were lucky enough…read moreto catch up with the winter production of The Little Mermaid, and my daughter loved the experience of singing and dancing on stage! She had a great experience being a part of the younger cast. All the cast members were great and the costumes, set and lighting were nicely done! Of course we love the music too! It was a broadway adaptation of the show. My family loved the show and came from Sacramento and Gilroy to see it. Seniors and babies were in the crowd so it truly is a family show. The tickets are a great value for the quality of the show and live entertainment, comparable to what you would pay at the movies now. The expressions on my niece and nephews faces were priceless! Their parents said their couldn't stop talking about the show so it's such a nice way to introduce children to performing arts and theater because the cast are their generation! Not all schools offer this so it is such a wonderful experience to share with my family. The parents help and volunteer so it also builds community. I was appreciative of the parents who answered my questions. The director is amazing bringing it all together while staying calm and collected. They have so much talent! There are cast members that have been participants for several years and help the younger kiddos, and they are awesome performers and put their own choreography together. Follow them on social media so you know what shows are coming up. They have their shows at the Milpitas community center so parking is easy. Seating is first come, first serve so plan to arrive early. Enjoy the show and support community youth theater! I hope you leave with new show tunes stuck in your head!

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.

California Theater is a gorgeous old historical theater with distinguishing beauty and exquisite…read moredetails. It's the type of place you go to where you spend just as much time ogling over the venue as you do the show itself! I went there for a film festival and loved it. The location is also pure perfection because it is within the same block as several restaurants and bars for those who want to grab a bite or drink before or after their show. The only (small) downside is finding parking. We parked in an outdoor lot 2 blocks away for $20. It is about the average rate for the area but still seems steep to me for a 2 hour show. *breathe* Trying to not sweat the small stuff, so I say pay for the steep parking and enjoy the gorgeous theater and watch a nice show! It will be worth the experience.

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!

There's so much talent here. I love the dynamics of each and everyone here . There's some great…read morewonderful plays here . I saw the nutcracker here and it brought smiles to my face.

Needing to really improve her ballet technique, my daughter attended SJDT's summer open classes and…read moreanother ballet academy's summer camp prior to her senior year in high school. She then accepted Miss Linda's invitation to join SJDT for her entire senior year. That was absolutely the right decision! My daughter's ballet skills improved to the point where she won an award for ballet at a multi-genre dance convention and was accepted into multiple college dance major programs! My wife and I are grateful to amazing instructors Miss Sian, Mister David, Miss Mariana and, of course, Artistic Director Linda Hurkmans for helping our daughter succeed in her dance goals. My family and I highly recommend San José Dance Theatre!

What an amazing place for the children to learn, be creative, gain confidence and have fun. The…read moreperformances the students put out is very good. My son did a couple of camps and enjoyed it. He played various roles as well as learn behind the scene backstage work. Come see a show!

A place where talent is identified and given center stage. NOT a place where kids are "coached" to…read moresing, dance and act. I have enrolled my child a couple of times. And he was NOT "taught" anything. He's a naturally good singer, so he sang well. They did NOT provide any voice training. I was hoping they would coach him on movement and dance basics but they did NOT. In summer camp, kids with smaller parts just sit around, there is no coaching to fill their time. They just "play games". In short, it's a lot like everything else. They provide a platform. If the child is naturally talented, motivated and lands a good part it's great. For the rest, it's an activity to check off.

Ms Larisa plays piano pieces so beautifully, she has magic power to make even very simple pieces…read moredifferent and very touching (not to say the hard ones)! When she teaches students, she pays attention to every detail, your finger position, dynamics, touch, soundness, elbow position, body motion, pedal, ... she balances between techniques/skills and piece learning. She also holds periodical recitals and technical tests to track students progress. My daughter has been with Ms Larisa for three years, she has made huge progress! Really grateful for having such a great teacher!

I've been with Larisa for 10+ years and I can confidently say that she is a really great piano…read moreteacher as well as person. I feel that she genuinely cares for not only my music education but also my wellbeing. She has prepared me really well for all performances and competitions. Larisa will definitely help your kids to achieve whatever musical goals you have in mind.

My family and I frequently visit this theatre for all different plays and school events. We love…read morethe energy of the staff and how the plays are organized. The enthusiasm is just mind blowing. Very clean and well maintained theatre for the young students and parents to enjoy . A big shout out to all the staff and sponsors for this theater in San jose .

Had both of my kids participate in season 58, and both my husband and I could not be happier with…read morethe community and experience that our children had. I cannot stop singing praises for CMT.

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.