A grand old building with " this is a college campus" parking. They have prepaid parking for the closest "church street" lot but don't get into that long slow lane, if you aren't prepaid. We were directed to the Nolte lot which was wasn't far away and a tunnel walk to the Northrup (which was nice as it was cold.) At the theater itself, they had plenty of people to help direct and the seats were comfortable and the view was just fine. read more

North Auditorium - twin Cities ballet Nutcracker In 1989, I saw my first performance of The Nutcracker at the North Auditorium. Thirty-six years later, I brought my son back -- he's about the same age I was then -- hoping to share the magic of Christmas and the magic of The Nutcracker with him. When I called to purchase tickets, I specifically asked whether this was a classical version of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and I was told that it was. Because of that assurance, you can imagine my disappointment when it became clear that this was not a classical interpretation at all. The director took extensive liberties with this 133-year-old masterpiece to make it more "Minnesota." There was a wooden flute meant to imitate a loon, complete with a loon dance. There were Viking elements, a bird dance I couldn't make sense of, and a riverboat scene with fish. Were some of these moments cute? Yes. Were they Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker? No. If I had seen the riverboat dance with the little fish at a student dance recital, I would have smiled and thought it was charming. But when you are expecting the timeless classical Nutcracker -- first produced in 1892 and beloved for its enduring magic -- this reimagining is deeply underwhelming. To be fair, there were positives. I appreciated the relaxed sensory-friendly performance, especially as I have an autistic son. It was wonderful to see so many young children there with their families, and the little girls dressed in their ballerina-inspired outfits were absolutely adorable. The student performers did well, and this was clearly a meaningful experience for them. That said, I only counted about four principal dancers who felt at a professional level. The two principal dancers in Act II who performed the solos and duets were very good, and for a brief moment, I was truly captivated by their dancing. The set design, however, was lackluster -- it felt cheaply made and lacked the Christmas magic this piece deserves. Perhaps the production was working within a very limited budget. I did receive discounted tickets, and I'm grateful for that. Had I paid full price, I would have been very upset. This performance was not worth full price. I love theater. I love dance. I always wished I could have been a dancer myself and took classes when I was younger. I have friends who are professional dancers, now retired, so I understand what the arts can be -- the breathtaking, awe-inspiring, make-you-cry-and-you-don't-know-why magic of live performance. That is what I hoped my son would experience. He didn't. I didn't either. When it was over, I asked him what he thought. He shrugged and said, "Good." And that really sums it up. It was good -- but it wasn't great. It wasn't extraordinary. And it wasn't Christmas magic. If you have a friend or family member in the performance, I understand wanting to attend. But if you're expecting the classic Nutcracker and the kind of Christmas magic this piece is known for, you won't find it here read more

Northrop - Northrop auditorium Twin Cities, ballet Nutcracker - Performing Arts Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Beautiful venue! The acoustics are stunning and the ushers were attentive. We attended a Christmas concert here and I would recommend it for the holiday season. read more

Northrop - Vocalessence Welcome Christmas - Performing Arts Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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We saw a Cirque du Soleil performance here. Ticketing online was easy and we opted for the first row first balcony seats. They were great for a performance like this. We were able to see the stage clearly but also got a nice view as these acrobatics performed their high flying routines. Staff was friendly and helpful with seating. We parked in the East River Road ramp and it was a short 5 block walk to the front door of the building. There was a bistro and bar for refreshments before the performance. Patrons were able to bring covered drinks into the theatre. read more

Attended cirque du soleil show in December 2023 here! Purchasing tickets was very easy and tickets could be printed or showed digitally at the doors. Parking was very difficult and backed up the closer you got to the theater. They even started the show about 10 minutes late because there were so many people late. Staff was friendly and eager to help you find you seats. I didn't purchase food or drink but did see that they had a small concession stand for purchase. Sets, lights, sounds were all epic and I'm assuming could be easily customizable for any performance read more

Northrop - Cirque de soleil final curtain - Performing Arts Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

OMG, I wish I had read reviews about their incompetent and mismanaged box office before attempting to buy tickets. I'm a culture vulture and regularly attend events in the Twin Cities, and in other states and countries. A box office should never make mistakes but this one does... again and again, and they blame the customer. If a customer makes a mistake they can never get their money back. But the Northrop box office makes mistakes and they gaslight the customer and never try to fix the problem or even acknowledge it. Never Northrop. Never again. read more

Last night, for the first time in over 30 years of attending events at Northrup, I walked out 3/4 of the way through a performance (Hubbard Street Dance.) The reason? The near constant whooops, whistles, outbursts, and even cat calls of scattered audience members. To be clear, there were not the appreciative applauses after a stunning pas de deux or a deftly executed solo, etc. Instead, what attendees had to endure was a constant barrage of bizarre and out of context whoops, yelps, screams, whistles... A simple change of lighting while the dancer stood motionless: WOOWHOOOOO! A dancer lifting one knee: WOOOOOO! A male dancer in a position with wide spread legs elicited, a common, sexualized "cat call," etc. These frequent and out of context "expressions of appreciation" were jarring to say the least. Instead of being able to immerse oneself deeply into the performance one was constantly jolted into the "reality" more akin to a house party dance session. I did not pay $150 to listen to that. And, we weren't the only ones who had this experience. Afterwards, my husband relayed that after yet another extremely "out of context" outburst, the woman next to him turned to her companion and inquired, "What are they whooping about?" I have never seen anything like this during any dance performance anywhere in the world. I can't help but think that this behavior was perhaps linked to Kirsten Brogdon coming out on stage prior to curtain and encouraging people to 'express themselves during the performance.' Perhaps a gentle note on etiquette added to her, 'we respectfully ask you to take no photos or videos' is in order. read more

The old Northrop was a massive, imposing edifice with a wildly oversized balcony and a musty, institutional air. It had good bones but any semblance of grandeur and elegance had been worn away by years of use and neglect. Add several badly misguided attempts at remodeling and it added up to an unwieldly monstrosity. My fond memories are of events, not of the building itself. Through the years I attended performances by The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (it still infuriates me that the name was changed to the Minnesota Orchestra), Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Steve Martin, John Sebastian, The American Ballet Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Pilolobus Dance Company, Santana, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, and many others. Now, $90M in renovations later, the U of MN has a structure that matches its history. Northrop has been completely transformed into a classic opera house with superb acoustics, great sight-lines, state-of-the-art lighting and staging and a majestic atmosphere. This is now a world class facility that one might imagine is in right in step with Cass Gilbert's original grand plan for The Mall. I took my daughter to the gala re-opening performance of Giselle by the ABT and we both had nothing but superlatives for the performance and the space. Kudos to the U for the investment and to the architects for the imagination and creativity to remake this theater into a performing arts center of which we may all be proud. read more

This venue really pleases my eyes. I've prob taken just as many photos of the interior architecture (chandeliers, pillars, etc) as the actual headlining performers. Beautiful stuff! I think it was remodeled in the last year or so? I've been here both for a concert (Go96.3's Snow Show) and a lovely dance program (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago). There are a few floors and stages. The Best Buy stage is more intimate and hosts special features like pre-shows and Q&A's. The main stage is large with tiered seating and balconies. I like that the ushers are super attentive and friendly here. They've not only directed me to my seat but led me there. Not sure if they do that all the time or if I just looked like a lost pathetic seal pup. The times I've been here, there have been a few Surdyk stations open - which include a bar (select liquor, wine, and beer) and snacks. There is also a built-in cafe where you can get other eats like sandwiches and soup, when available. It's kinda pricey but that's to be expected. And you cannot bring the food and drink into the theatre, which makes sense as I imagine myself slipping on salami. Important note: check the parking situation online before you go. Sometimes some nearby ramps are reserved or require pre-paying. read more

Northrop - Performing Arts Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Wow. Grand reopening. Amazing Art Deco and what a theater. They r having the American ballet theater do Giselle here. And that is incredible too! The new theater is just beautiful. The two cafés have a great selection of snacks. The theater itself is completely refurbished. We were in row g which is good for dance events. Just beware that row f is in the front and it handicap accessible which means your view might be obscured in the exact center. Might be best a little farther back. For dance events the first row of the first balcony seems like it would be wonderful. Bring your opera glasses. For events like this u want to buy the advanced purchase parking. Gets u into the garage right in front. Nice place. read more

Be very cautious purchasing tickets from this venue online. Their ticketing system is antiquated and has many errors. After the system kept telling me I had errors, I had to continue to enter in info then it would bring me back to homepage. After finally being able to locate seats, I purchased tickets (On Tuesday for Thursday show) same week. The confirmation came through only for me to realize the system changed the day to same day. I called the box office prior to show to get help but they shut down the phone system. As the webpage advised, I emailed them. I contacted the box office next day only to be told by the manager "the show is over, we can't change the tickets per vendor". I asked for the vendor number and was told he didn't have it. I located the vender number and they stated that Northrup buys tickets in bulk and resells them. They can't help. I went to the box office and was told that I would be out $400.00+ even though it was their error. If I would have called before the show, they could have helped - but they shut down the phones before the show. The manager was rude and kept saying its policy. After calling the head of the theater, they "made an exception" and issued me tickets for the correct date. I was treated as if I was stealing from them. I will never go back to this theater again. read more

I am SHOCKED to be the first to review the fabulous Northrup Auditorium but at the same time, happy to bring the review to the general public. Located right on the East Bank of the U of MN campus, Northrup is a gorgeous building that offers many different arts and cultural events each year. Most recently I saw Zac Brown Band....it was fantastic! All the seats in the place are great, its easy to get to, tickets are inexpensive (45$ for 8th row floor tickets) and they serve booze, which you can also bring into the auditorium. The staff are friendly and there are TONS of different events all throughout the year, ranging from concerts to ballet to student theatre productions and graduation...there is always something happening at Northrup. read more

The Northrop has been reconfigured upward to allow for closer sight lines, not sure this was a good idea. Be aware, the gallery section is very high. I've never been to a theater that seats so far up before and I can't say it is a good experience. The overall refurb is nice but the interior design, other than the original proscenium, leaves much to be desired. Think 1980s bland. The acoustics are fine, given the distance and location. Beware of the seat height to the floor. Shorter legs will tire easily. It seems like they were installed a couple inches higher than designed. This was one visit in the gallery, I will look forward to more satisfying visits in lower sections in the future. read more

Northrop - a view from the balcony of a concert hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I've been to a few shows in the remodeled Northrop now. For actually watching a performance, the venue is amazing. The setting is great, and there's plenty of room for productions, be they dance, rock or orchestral. Tickets tend to be a bit more expensive, but it seems like an expensive venue to run. The selection of treats and alcohol is astounding, but the biggest letdown is that you're not able to bring food or drink into the concert hall. Instead, there are planned intermissions or set changes between acts, and everyone crowds concessions. You get your food or drink just as the curtain call goes out, then you have to chow fast and chug your drink before you head back in. I understand the need to keep the hall looking nice, but I think it cuts into satisfaction and sales. read more

I'm no expert but having just seen Giselle, the science behind acoustics seems to be perfected at Nothrop. The sightlines are superb, The seats are designed for 21st century waistlines, And much preservation was obviously involved as I remember wandering around the hall in the late 70s as a student, just to look around. The only thing that wasn't preserved was the organ. It was removed and is now in storage awaiting the $3 million it would take to put it back in. And we all know what happens to civic organs around here. They never get the millions required for renovation and reinstallation. It's too bad, but don't expect to hear it play for likely a very long time, if ever. read more

I've been here for music concerts, ballets, and my own graduation ceremony years ago. It's a large-ish auditorium with lower level and balcony seating. Though the stage is rather small and plain actually. The decor isn't at all as lavish or elaborate compared to other theaters, but it has a conservative & collegiate elegance to it. Seating arrangements are stupid. They have several seats labeled D-2. So if you go down the center aisle, yes, you'll find D-2 but if you also go down the far right aisle(separated by a bar), yes, you'll also find D-2. There's no indication on the ticket WHICH seat is the right one. At this point, we had to ask an usher, who then unraveled the mystery for us and we were able to find the right seat. RIDICULOUS THOUGH. read more

The newly renovated space makes Northrop a true gem on campus. The classic look and feel of this building makes it the perfect place to sit and study on a mild fall afternoon. They kept a lot of the original features on the inside that give Northrop it's collegiate feel while upgrading the lighting and furniture to modernize the space for students. There's a cafe here catered by Surdyk's so if you feel like being fancy for lunch, stop here for a bite. It's still super quiet in here because I don't think the students have quite caught on that it's the perfect study space during the school year. Church street garage is the nearest parking option so if you don't want to break the bank to take a peak at Northrop, grab a bite in Dinkytown and take a little excursion through campus and make a pit stop here. read more

I have been to Northrup for multiple graduation ceremonies but was also lucky to get to see the great Bob Dylan perform here on 11-4-08. It was a really great show. Really nice auditorium. "The mall" outside is also a lovely place to hang out on the U of MN campus. read more

I already sent you guys an email about it, but wanted to share my amazing experience on Yelp as well. For starters, this place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. We saw the band Cloud Cult there this past Friday (June 9th) and it was incredible. Amazing acoustics and I don't thing there's a bad seat in the house. Fantastic place to see a concert. I also need to comment on the wonderful staff. The tickets for our seats were in the middle of a row towards the back of the second balcony. I didn't realize this when I bought the tickets, and I have pretty intense claustrophobia and anxiety, so the idea of sitting in the middle of a bunch of people made my panic and anxiety set in. This is my favorite band and I was so bummed I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself. I expressed my issues to the staff at the doors and the ushers, and they were able to find me a couple unoccupied seats at the aisle of our row. Of course, they let me know if anyone comes with tickets for these seats I'd have to move, which I understood, but luckily we were able to sit there for the the rest of the show. I am so appreciative and grateful for how understanding the staff was of my issue and how quickly they were able to find me a better spot. Like I said, this is my favorite band, so I truly appreciate that the usher was able to find me a spot where I was more comfortable and where my friends could join me. It really meant a lot to me and I can't express how helpful the staff was enough. I'll be recommending this venue to all my friends! read more

Returning to this place after several years, I see how nice a renovation is. From the main floor, I see sensuously-curved balconies painted in a white/light color. I see the stage well from the back-left and the seats are comfortable enough. I enjoyed gazing at some old columns in a set-off area just before the restroom area - it was well-lit and felt sort of special. Given that I went for a speaking event, and not a concert, I am unable to comment on the acoustics. Leaving through the front doors of this 2,700 seat venue feels so "grand". read more

I saw a rock show here for the first time in at least ten years and was impressed with how beautiful it is now. On top of that the sound was outstanding perhaps even better than it used to be, it was crystal clear and at a perfect volume. And to round it out, the employees at the door, the merch booth, and the ushers were perhaps the friendliest people I have ever encountered at a concert. I felt old walking around campus but it was well worth it. read more

Should consider satellite beer stations. 15+ minute wait for a beer that we can't take to our seats. Hmpf. Other than that, beautiful venue, good sound, spacious seats. read more

The fact that a lukewarm panini, pastry, and coffee cost upwards of $15 for inconsistent counter service is a serious issue for this location. If the student workers were perhaps better trained things might improve. At any rate, those are still steep price points for those items when there is quite a bit of competition in the area. There is little excuse to charge $8 for a sandwich that is supposed to be heated through (and fresh!) that is instead cold, even when sitting under heat lamps. My suggestions: more efficiently staff the counter ordering system (e.g. have one person process transactions, another grab ready made items, another make espresso, etc.; they have the staffing for that), and make things fresh to order. read more

Northrop has disappointing customer service, to say the least. I went to purchase a ticket for a concert because I heard a performer I wanted to see would be joining the main act on the radio. The only reason I wanted to go to the concert was to see this performer. I went in to the box office at Northrop to confirm. I explicitly stated to the box office attendant "I just heard performer X will be at this concert; is that correct? I haven't seen it advertised anywhere." She confirmed that, yes, this performer would be there. I asked again, "Are you sure? It's the only reason I want to buy this ticket." She confirmed again, yes. I assumed the performer had just been scheduled and that's why the advertisement hadn't taken place yet. I bought a ticket and, taken aback by the fees for buying in-person at the box office, I expressed my frustration at having to pay fees and high ticket price ($100 for the cheapest seats) for buying in-person, while again stating "But so and so is going to be there, right? I have to do it, I'll have to just suck it up. This person never tours. I'm so excited." Again, it was confirmed that the performer would be there. Well, tonight is the concert, and guess who isn't going to be there? Apparently, information was conflated from when these performers toured together 6 years ago. I asked to speak to a manager about the situation, and she offered no help. She said the employee only remembers me being upset at the fee, and she didn't mention that I talked of said performer (as if a young student employee is going to admit to a mistake that would potentially get her fired, or that she would even remember correctly one transaction she had four months ago). I said, well, this is what happened. Not only did the manager not even apologize for the miscommunication, but she offered no remedy except "Well, you can certainly not go." I will no longer patronize this venue, regardless of who is playing there. read more