Albuquerque Academy puts on amazing stage productions, and Simms is a great performance space for a…read morehigh school. The stadium seating gives you a splendid view of the stage from any seat, even the wings, and some spots even give you a good view of the orchestra pit. It should come as no surprise that this school's resources are outstanding, and the attention they give their performance departments is enviable. The sound and stage lighting are awesome and the usable space is really top-notch for this type (highschool) of venue. AA kids are well instructed and spectacularly talented. We just went to a production of the Phantom of the Opera and I was moved to tears more than once. The stars of the show couldn't possibly have been highschoolers! They were very nearly as good as any act I've seen at Popejoy and their voices were simply stunning. I love Webber's Broadway score and was really pleased to find AA was putting on that same version of the legendary story. Although they didn't quite match up to the amazing vocalists' performances, the school's orchestra (+ certain wind instruments) did a not-too-shabby job for a highschool crew replicating one of the (IMHO) most powerfully moving scores ever written.

Size doesn't matter, they say. Which I think is total hog wash when it comes to the size of my…read morecandy bar, and I'd have to say I feel the same about theatre. Size is everything. A production in a huge theatre leaves out that intimate experience with the stage, the set, the tiny yet beautiful team effort and transition between acts; the things you wouldn't usually get to notice. I absolutely love the heart and soul I see behind a small theatre; throw in the raw skill of these locals and you wonder why you haven't escaped your typical night from Albuquerque to join the buzz of the Vortex more often. I have been here a few times, back when located on Carlisle, but this was my first time at the new location. The production: "The Real Thing"! I had heard tale of accents and from that alone I was sold ;) There were struggles of relationships (the monotony, infidelity, - real things, indeed) as well as a bit of insight into the writer's mind. What I personally took from the play was that without continuing affection/appreciation, love can easily wither, and you or your lover may find yourself in the arms of another, but even at that point, if you both fight back hard enough for your love, you can reclaim it. I will say that the theatre was quite ablaze on this particular Friday night - some issues with the cooling, causing our poor little programs to be beaten and destroyed back and forth for that teensy ounce of a breeze it may provide. After intermission they had the cooling situation under control thank gourd, and I was able to really give the dialogue my full attention. They have waters for a buck, sodas for a buck, reasonable and nice little refreshments. Believe you me did those come in handy after the first half :P This was an extremely talented set of people for this production and I was delighted to be a part of their audience. I have special kudos to give out to the lad who played Henry, for the ridiculous amount of lines he memorized was downright crazy. Sometimes I could barely keep up, let alone imagine remembering and delivering all of those words. Whew! Way to go! See ya again soon, Vortex!

We got out of work late and rushed downtown to catch "Shakespere in the Plaza" we were 6 minutes…read morelate. We were told they "held the show as long as they could" with a bit of annoyance. They had open seats, and, after we went back down to the parking garage, paid the parking and came back up, 10 min later they had still not started. Perhaps they do something special that no other production does, that absolutely requires people be exactly on time. Or maybe it's ran by pretentious so-and-so's. Who knows. **note: I was asked about the location. This review was in reference to a production they were putting on down town**

What a great find! This little musical theater features well-known musicals with great local…read moretalent. Tickets prices are extremely reasonable and, due to the size of the theater, every single seat is perfect. This is a clean facility (restrooms and all) and they make good use of the small space. Seating is comfortable, which is not always the case in small theaters. If you are a fan of musicals, give them a shot. You won't be disappointed!

My expectations were pretty low after googling the location, but I saw Newsies here last night, and…read moreI was so impressed! That particular show is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it! The theater of course has new shows constantly, but they are clearly of much higher quality than I expected - I thought I was in for some real cringe-worthy amateur theater. The venue is small and intimate, but it works. The orchestra is excellent. There are very limited snacks available for purchase. Small parking lot, but lots of street parking available. Definitely check out this venue and consider supporting the arts by becoming one of the Musical Theatre Southwest Amigos who do everything from ushering to set painting.

Not sure what to do on a Friday/Saturday night? Have people visiting from out of town? Then I…read morehighly recommend considering The Box for a night out. Girls night, date night, family night - whatever you chose your poison to be - the Box should be included. It was a great experience and my face was hurting from laughing so much. The performers are very talented and quick on their feet. Definitely recommend this as an ABQ experience.

The Improv show was very funny and entertaining. A great weekend date spot and very affordable…read more Highly recommend supporting this local arts theatre!

Rumble Productions puts on a great performance! I hired Rumble to perform an April Fools Day prank…read moreon one of my co-workers. A very talented accordion player and song writer showed up in her Elvis wig to perform the Elvis song that I requested. She switched up the lyrics to the personalize it to the guy that we were pranking. The videographer captured every moment. From the initial inquiry, to discussing the logistics and the execution it went off without a hitch! I highly recommend Rumble. I can't wait to hire them again to put on another show. Thank you guys!!!

Don't believe in fairy tales? Rumble Productions will change your mind! The amazing artists at…read moreRumble create memories - special memories that last a lifetime because they make the recipient feel like the most important person in the world! I recently called Rumble to create a special birthday singing telegram for a Crossfit coach. It was extremely last minute but they jumped through hoops to make it happen. He was surprised, embarrassed.... And absolutely blown away by the gesture! I challenge him to ever forget that time he received birthday cupcakes at the box by singing telegram! Amazing performers, amazing customer service, and even more amazing memories! Thank you!!

Superior acting. Excellent variety of shows. Courteous attention to guests. Love it!read more

I adore this place!! After my first time here I'm a believer…read more I grew up in the North Valley and have seen this place more times than I can count. As I entered my adult years I always told myself that I should catch a show here some time. I'm happy to say that I FINALLY made it in. A couple of my close friends and I caught a Leading Ladies performance. The place itself is so quaint and charming. It was a packed house for sure!! I recommend showing up earlier than 10 mins before showtime. The performance was amazing. I had tears streaming down my face the whole first half. The actors were genius. Really threw themselves into their roles and engaged the audience with every word and facial expression. It was so good that I'm going back to see the same show again and plan on going to a couple of other shows scheduled this year. It was a great experience and I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.

Everyone is so nice-- from the instructors to the students. Their classes are fun and inclusive,…read moreand they teach all ages and skill levels. Highly recommend if you've ever wanted to try circus arts!

This is a studio my wife and I came across while venturing in Santa Fe. It teaches acrobatic and…read moreaerial circus courses as well as offers an open gym for those seeking a place to train. We happened to see an aerial partnering course listed online while we were win town and decided to drop in. Neither of us knew what to expect considering we did not know what aerial partnering was until twenty minutes into the class. Despite our lack of skill, however, we had lots of fun learning partner poses on a giant trapeze and a couple poses on dangling strands of silk. The instructor was great and catered to our skill level while still attending to the more skilled members of the class. Afterwards, we stayed and practiced our newly found talent with the gym manager. Without realizing, two hours quickly slipped by, and were it not for our aching muscles we would have continued longer. Since I do not live in Santa Fe, I cannot comment on the regularly scheduled classes held during the weekday. However, if they are anything like the workshop we attended this weekend, I would highly recommend those active spirits out there to check it out. The Wise Fool Community seems very friendly and excited to share their passion.

I've reviewed two other Meow Wolf venues: Convergence Station in Denver and the location in…read moreGrapevine, Texas. I made a special trip to Santa Fe from Denver just to get a gander at this one. This is the original. As I said in a separate review, Denver's convergence station is the largest at 90K square feet. But it felt more sprawling and convoluted than the smaller Texas and NM venues. I haven't seen the supermarket themed Vegas venue. This is smaller than Denver, but more coherent. Still a lot to touch and do and see. Weird things to connect. And again, if you've seen other Meow Wolfs, you'll understand all others better. In true Meow Wolf style, brilliant, bright, jubilant art that you can lay your hands all over. Stair cases to climb. Tunnels to crawl through. Someone else compared it to a colorful real life board game, and that tracks. It was busy, but not uncomfortably crowded. Like Denver, you can grab a drink at the bar and sip booze as you stroll. There are puzzles to solve here (I confess, I didn't have the fortitude or patience, but you can spend all day here solving riddles). You can go again and again and find new things every time. I am positive I am not even close to scratching the surface of any of the Meow Wolf experiences. If you want a bit more of an idea of how things work, Meow Wolf has an instagram!

This place was cool with the artist exhibits but we found the performers and performance to be a…read morebit spiritually dark. I think we would have enjoyed it more without it but they were a bit creepy. It definitely looks cooler only but it's a fun option for something to do in Santa Fe when it's hot. I don't think it was worth $90 because we only stayed an hour due to weird & dark vibes.

LOVE! This has been the best music experience. My children love it and look forward to going each…read moreweek. It's a different concept than your traditional classical music lessons, making it FUN and exciting. The instructors are all wonderful, the owner is awesome and they work with your schedule making it convenient to attend.

From the owner: School of Rock Albuquerque provides both in-person and online music lessons for students of all…read moreages. Our programs, camps and workshops for toddlers, kids, teens and adults make learning to play music fun and create great communities of musicians. School of Rock is the leader in performance-based music education. We combine one-on-one drum, bass, keyboard, vocal, and guitar lessons with group practices. Students learn to play music from day one and put on live performances at local venues. Our experienced instructors are local musicians themselves who combine the performance-based School of Rock Method and programs with individual music lessons to get results for your student.