I met my son and 4 of my grandchildren here to play laser tag. From the moment we walked in until…read morewe left, the staff was amazing! Incredibly nice, helpful, and just fantastic! The place is clean, and we had so much fun playing laser tag. Nick and Dashara were manning the laser tag area. They were great!!! Very impressed. We live near Rice University in Houston and it was worth the drive!!!

Tons of family fun! Had a really great time doing all the things! The only down side are there are…read moresome hidden fees. When we went, we bought a deal that said there was free bowling - after paying, we found out that you had to rent the shoes. So it's not really free... I do love that they have a monthly membership that you can purchase, but I don't like that a customer had to tell us about it. That deal is nowhere to be found on the menu and the cashiers didn't tell us about it. Overall a great experience and we will be getting the membership and going back often!

Wonderful organization, dynamic team members and impactful mission. So thankful to have ROCO in the…read moreHouston community. If you have not seen a show definitely check it out - such a talented group of folks! Love the collaborations and interactive experiences they are creating also. Huge fan and will continue to attend as many shows as possible!

For those of you not familiar with the large lexicon of Yelpisms, the acronym, FTR, stands for…read more"first to review". Yelp acknowledges FTRs on its site to encourage their review community to further expand its coverage of reviewed businesses. In the Houston area, I often get acknowledged for FTRs because I primarily review places outside the loop (OTL) which are ripe pickings compared to the over-Yelped establishments found inside the loop (ITL). When I stumble upon an ITL FTR opportunity these days, it usually represents an under-appreciated gem. This is the case here in spades. The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (known as ROCO to its fans) was founded four years ago by its very talented Principal Oboist, Alecia Lawyer. It is long overdue to be acknowledged here with a five-star FTR. I was prompted to write this today because I was listening to Performance Today Online ( http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/?month=1&day=27&year=2009 ) and heard a lilting performance by ROCO of Bach's Concerto for Violin and Oboe. I thought, "Wow! They're being discovered around the country, but we still barely know them in our own backyard!" Hence, this review. ROCO is one of a bevy of chamber groups in the Houston area that deserve four or five star recognition. Others include Da Camera, Mercury Baroque and Ars Lyrica. As a professional singer in town, I've had the opportunity and privilege to perform with all these groups when they needed a chamber choir to round out their performing personnel. I most recently performed with ROCO last November. What impressed me most about this group in addition to their virtuosity, sensitivity and flexibility was their very innovative way of engaging their audiences and make their performances fun. Most of the ROCO musicians are quite young and they defy any of the "stuffy" or "boring" stereotypes that are hung on classical music by those who really don't know better. These musicians rock. Let me explain more. They perform works in an order that doesn't necessarily reflect what is printed in the program, they always add "surprise" works, and they allow raffle winners to sit on stage amongst the orchestra during one of the works. Their coolest innovation is their ROCOrooters program. It's a child care / music education program that runs in tandem with their concerts and allows couples with kids to have a date night while giving their kids an opportunity to learn about the music that made Western civilization great. Kudos upon kudos to ROCO for this! Their principal venue is the Church of St. John the Divine in River Oaks. Come to a concert and hear them. You'll be better for it.

First time at Scott Gertner's Rhythm Room and I must say I had a grand time and will be returning!…read more I got invited by a friend for new artist Wednesday, one of the artists she's managing performed! And honey Mallory put on a show! We also got to hear a performance from Charlise, who put on a great show as well! The host was Mrs. Kollett and she is hilarious!! She is seriously talented, engaging, and welcoming. An entire vibe! She knew how to interact and work the room, a crowd pleaser if you will! Happy hour is every Wednesday and Friday from 7-8pm and every Thursday from 5:30-6:30pm. Select drinks and bites for 7 dollars each. Service was slow, but steady as the servers had several tables to attend to. Rhythm Room has a speakeasy feel, with intimate and sophisticated vibes. Perfect for date night, girls night, or whatever night you want it to be. Music lovers unite! Excited to return for more live music. Highly recommend checking this spot put! Enter at your own rhythm as the door reads!

We decided to check out the live band at Scott Gertner's rhythm room on Saturday around 11:30pm. We…read moredid get there really late because the live music ended at midnight so we were charged $20 per person for the cover charge versus $40 per person. I personally think even the $20 per person was expensive so I'm not sure it's something we'll attend again. We were able to pick our seats and catch the last 30 minutes of the show. The band was pretty great and very engaging with the audience. It was about 25 of us in there but it was a good show overall. It was very cold in there but I survived. The menu looked decent and the drinks were fairly priced so I opted for a mocktail. Our waitress was sweet and took care for us even though we were there for a short while. It certainly appeals to an older crowd, but it was a good time.

This is a great venue for many UH-specific performances and events as well as for the larger…read moreHouston community. I attended various performances here for the music school, and was fortunate enough to recently attend an opera performance. The acoustics are very nice, and the first floor offers a wonderful view of the stage even from the back. The staff are very friendly and the ticket buying process was very easy. They scanned our tickets at entry with a QR code which was convenient. I would love to attend another opera or musical performance here. The UH choirs are also excellent and it is a pleasure to see them perform here.

The Moores Opera House is the University of Houston's answer to Rice's Alice Pratt Brown Hall. It…read moreopened accompanied by much fanfare in 1997 with a performance of Verdi's Requiem conducted by the dean of American choral conductors, Robert Shaw. I had the privilege of being one of the singers brought in to augment the university chorus. It was the last time I got to sing with Shaw who died in 1999. I found it a great pleasure to watch him coax the kids to produce a musical whole that was much more than the sum of the individual performers. The hall itself is wonderful. Small and intimate with only 800 seats, it still has a state-of-the art stage which can handle the biggest and most complex operatic productions. The small hall doesn't overtax the still-developing voices of the student singers in UH's music program. It also is a great venue for orchestra, choral and chamber music concerts. The ceiling in the hall features a work of art in the shape of a huge lighted ring entitled the Stella Project. I've never seen anything else like it. Its concert series isn't quite as impressive (and free) as Rice's but features some performances by Da Camara and Ars Lyrica in addition to student and faculty productions. To get here, take the Cullen exit off of I-45 and then UH exit 16.

In our culture, "old" is often associated with "decrepit", "inferior", "out of fashion" or…read more"irrelevant". As someone who is about to enter my second half-century, I increasingly find evidence to the contrary. Women and wine come to mind immediately in this regard. An excellent well-aged vintage or a beautiful lady whose appeal has been finely honed by experience are considerably more desirable than their young, fresh and eager yet unseasoned equivalents. Sometimes, if we look far enough into the past, we discover something that, to us, is completely new and fresh because it's been forgotten. This "freshness from the past" is exactly the phenomenon that has characterized the resurgence of the early music movement over the past few decades. Musicians and their audiences are rediscovering just how vibrant music from the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras really was. There are two notable groups in town that bring this "freshness from the past" into the performing arts sphere: (1) Ars Lyrica and (2) Mercury Baroque. The more recently formed of the two, Mercury Baroque, came together in 2000 when three grad students at Rice University pulled together a small chamber orchestra. These founding members, Antoine Plante (director and Viola da Gamba), Jonathan Godfrey (Concertmaster), and Ana Treviño-Godfrey (soprano), have seen their germinal concept blossom into a full Baroque orchestra that supports a subscription series at Wortham Center's Cullen Theater. Antoine Plante is a French Canadian who brings a sense of French refinement to the group's performances. As a choral singer, I recently performed with Mercury Baroque in Handel's Messiah and loved the lilting sense of dance he brought to the work. As refreshingly relevant as groups like Mercury Baroque are, they need to be discovered by a broader audience base. Until that time arrives, the musicians in this ensemble divide their time between performing with a number of groups including Mercury Baroque's fine counterpart, Ars Lyrica.

From the owner: Mercury is an intimate ensemble with the goal to enrich and entertain Houston audiences with an…read moreexciting repertoire of classical music performed on period instruments.

This is a wonderful venue and host to the amazing Broadway Across America musicals each season…read more I've been here several times, both in the main Sarofim Hall and the smaller Zilkha Hall for smaller productions. You can park across the street in a paid underground garage, or if you're lucky enough to find a street parking spot, certainly grab that! The entrance has a lovely view of Downtown which has made for great pictures at the time of graduations. There have always been ample staff on my visits for musicals and they are very helpful. There's a metal detector when you enter, then two large staircases on either side that lead you up to the mezzanine and separate stairs to the gallery. There's also an elevator that services all floors. On the mezzanine level there are multiple bars, often with themed drinks for the shows. But be careful - they come with hefty price tags! The halls themselves are gorgeous. Both have nice comfortable seating and wonderful sound. The view from the gallery in the main hall can be a little difficult for making out details on the sets, but it's decent.

I recently visited the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts to see Back to the Future: The Musical…read morepresented by Theatre Under The Stars. Parking was available for $20 in the parking garage. It was raining and able to navigate to the theater without getting wet. The venue itself is beautiful, modern, clean, and well-organized. We were able to enter quickly and our tickets were scanned with no wait. From the moment we entered, everything feels organized and easy to navigate, with helpful staff throughout the theater. Our seats were in the Mezzanine section and the view of the stage was partially obstructed by the back of people's heads sitting in front of me, but still had a decent view. The acoustics were excellent and the show was a fun, high-energy experience. Restroom lines during intermission were extremely long but seemed to move quickly. They had a variety of drinks available but I didn't purchase any. The overall experience felt seamless from start to finish. Except for the parking. After the show, was stuck in the parking garage over an hour trying to exit. However, the Hobby Center is a great venue for watching a show. Would absolutely come back to watch another show!

I started taking classes in 2011, and this is by far the best Bollywood dance company in Houston!…read moreThey have classes for all skill and age levels, the song selections and routines are always fun and high calibre. Whether you want to join a class just for fitness purposes or to improve your skill level or to even join the troupe to perform, there's something for everyone.

From the owner: Rhythm India is Houston, Sugar Land, Pearland, and Katy's premier Bollywood and Indo-Fusion Dance…read moreSchool. We provide the very best in Bollywood dance training & performances in the greater Houston Area. We cater to all ethnic backgrounds & age groups...Age Is No Limit!! We perform year-round at concerts, wedding receptions, private parties, fund-raisers, corporate events, social / public events and festivals. We also provide private lessons and training for special events. Rhythm India was the opening act for the AR Rahman "Jai Ho" Concert in Houston in 2010 & the first ever Bollywood Dance Company to perform at the NBA Rockets game at the Toyota Center. "You do not have to be a professional dancer or have any prior dance training to enjoy dancing. With the right guidance and a positive attitude, we believe that anyone can dance!!"

This review is for their performance in Houston…read more If you've been to other Cirque Du Soleil in the race park before then you know that there's no way around paying for parking. It will cost you $12 to park. The good thing about the parking is it was super organized so even though there were long lines of cars trying to park, the lines were moving; and once I had paid, the attendees directed me where to go and it took me less than a minute to park. Before you can enter the Grand Chapiteau, you have to go through your typical security measure. There are no metal detectors but they will look inside your purse if you have one. I was here with my sister and she didn't have a purse so we didn't even get checked. She did have a jacket on her but they didn't check it. This means you could sneak in your own snacks/drinks should you be inclined to. Why would one be inclined to sneak in their own snacks/drinks? Well, a bottled water/soda will run you $5. Nachos will run you $10. A Cotton candy will run you $8. Hot dog will run you $7. You see where I'm going with this? If you're coming here with your family (kids, wife, girlfriend, whatever), then you be better be ready to be dropping some $$$$. As for the show, it's your typical CDS stage/seating. You have the round stage with the seats surrounding them. I was lucky enough to get good seats to the right side and three rows from the stage so I was able to see everything clearly. If you opt to sit toward the back, some times you can't even see the faces of the performers clearly. The show started at eight on the dot. Some of the performances are pretty typical CDS where it would amaze you what a human body can do with training (contortionist, balancing act, juggling). Some of the other acts were more creative (invisible circus, finger dancing, animal impression). One act in particular was a combination of both where you have this dude playing yo-yo in the middle of the stage, but holy cow, he could control them yo-yos like they were a part of his body. I felt like he should have been competing in international yo-yo championship or something. All in all, I was happy with the show. This was also my sister's first Cirque Du Soleil and so everything was brand new to her and she was thoroughly impressed with the performances. CDS is always a fun event to go to and I definitely will go to whatever other Cirque Du Soleil shows that would make a stop in Houston.

3rd Cirque I've seen. Dralion 2002…read moreVarekai 2005 LOVE LOVE LOVE CDS...can't believe it's 12 years since my last one. Houston parking was $12; I parked the furthest away and still it wasn't far from the tent. I was concerned that the AC might not be working from a heads up review 4 days earlier...but, thankfully the AC was on and blowing good!! Toilets looked like porta pottys but they actually had lights and hooks to hang your purse---speaking of...I walked in the stall and there hung a yellow bag and a Kurios souvenir! I was like...HOW can one forget ALL that? Turned it in to an employee...hope the lady got her stuff back. The seats are small and very close together...I chose an end seat so I'd only have one person beside me. My seats were stage right 8 rows back...awesome! Show was exciting...as usual, I was amazed. Do yourself a favor and attend a Cirque de Soleil soon...it's well worth the $$$