The Seattle Symphony is amazing! I'm not a musician, but I played clarinet in the school band for…read moreseveral years (lol), so I can definitely appreciate the skill and dedication it takes to perform at this level. They offer traditional classical concerts featuring composers like Mozart, Gershwin, and Mahler, but they also do a great job incorporating more modern programming. For example, they frequently show popular films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and How to Train Your Dragon, with the symphony performing the soundtrack live. They also host a variety of Christmas-themed concerts, which are always a lot of fun. Their website is easy to use, and I usually just browse events there. You can purchase tickets online or call the box office, and it's very straightforward to select seats and complete your purchase. Benaroya Hall is easy to access, with several nearby public transit options. There's also a large parking garage available (prepaid only). I've always felt safe attending events there, even though it's located downtown. There are several quick-service food options in the outer lobby area. Once your ticket is scanned, you'll find multiple stands offering drinks and light snacks. The restrooms are consistently clean, and the lines are usually manageable. My husband and I always have a great time at the Seattle Symphony. The environment is very family-friendly, and the ushers are helpful, whether giving directions or offering to take photos. I've also found fellow concertgoers to be friendly and welcoming. I would definitely recommend it to others.

Attended for the first time last night. It was a wonderful new years celebration. The talent of the…read moremusicians was limitless and it was an evening of fun and celebrations. We sat in the center, row D. Our seats were perfect. The seats were large and comfortable. Plenty of leg room for tall me. The sound was perfect. The theatre was very clean. The bathrooms were also clean and in good working order. Staff were equally helpful and service minded. The bar staff were pleasant and filling orders quickly. It was a great night for a little under $200. Well worth it! It was so easy to get there to and from lower First Hill. See website for programming.

What a nice venue! I've walked past BPA dozens of times but only last night did I finally attend a…read moreperformance in the venue. It's a cozy theater, with good viewing from just about any seat. If you're inclined to drink, they can sell you a sippy cup which you can bring back to your seat. The performance we saw was informative and funny, way beyond expectations. We'll definitely be back for another performance!

The Edge Improv Performance - 8-3-16…read more I have been to many improv performances....from high school to professional venues. But this performance is the worst that I have ever been too. After reading the on-line reviews and watching the website videos, I expected a much more professional presentation of comedy. This performance was beyond lame. As a group, we left at the first intermission because it was not worth our time. Hopefully, this was just an anomaly for the group. Paul C

I just got home from watching the Heart Repertory Theatre's performance of "Constellations" by Nick…read morePayne. The actors did a great job. I was riveted. I found this particular play to be unique, poignant, and thought-provoking. The play explores many different possibilities within one romantic relationship and the lives of the two individuals in that relationship. If small changes were to happen along the course of a romantic relationship, they could lead to very different conversations, happenings, and results. Fascinating. He thought I would be interested in this topic, he found this play for us to see today as part of a week long spoiling me for Valentine's Day (A HEART Repertory Theatre performance to celebrate Valentine's Day... how sweet!), and he was right. This play explores concepts that cut to the core of our humanity: illness, death, thoughts about dying, love, betrayal, and more. In my personal opinion, compelling theater (and compelling opera, and, much more broadly, compelling art in general) often does this. The Sammamish Valley Grange 286 building, where the play was performed, was a smallish, intimate venue. I was able to vividly see the actors' facial expressions, and I was able to perfectly hear the actors' changing tones of voice in the various scenes. This significantly added to my enjoyment of the performance. I once had someone ask me what I think about how much control we (as humans) have over our own lives. One of my long-time friends thinks that we have complete control over everything that happens to us in our lives, that we planned it all and agreed to it all before our spirits came to the earthly plane. Other friends of mine strongly believe in fate, luck, and chance. My own view is that our lives are a dynamic interplay between fate and personal choice, and at every moment, this interplay is composed a little differently. Perhaps in one exact moment I have no control over what is about to happen, or very little control, because it was destined for me. Perhaps in another moment I have quite a lot of control, and the choices that I decide to make will heavily influence the outcome of the situation. I have always been enamored of the physics concept of time as non-linear ( a concept that is essential to this play), and I have also always been enamored of thoughts about different possibilities that could occur within the same life if small (or large) changes are made. My ex-boyfriend (many years ago) was (still is, I think) a Professor of Astrophysics. Yep - an actual Rocket Scientist. I could've listened to him talk all day about his work, which worked well for us, since he loved to talk. Ha. Also, when I was a kid in the 1990s, I wrote a Choose Your Own Adventure Book. It was hundreds of pages long. The only people who ever read it were my close friends (they were fans). I thought that the hard copy Choose Your Own Adventure Books (the internet was in its infancy back then) were mostly geared towards boys (cars, weapons, etc, which were boy things back then) and also that there just weren't enough choices for the reader to make (or roads for the reader to take) in those books. So I wrote a Choose Your Own Adventure book starring a girl main character. My book was hundreds of pages long, so that the reader had choices galore. My main character had adventures that interested me and that interested some of my friends who were also girls. I named my main character Camintha. Even as a kid, I was fascinated by the concept that different choices that we make may (and often do) lead to vastly different outcomes, both for our lives, and for the lives of others as well. This play reminded me of what it means to be a thinking, questioning, curious human, who has choices to make that may be influential to ourselves, our loved ones, and occasionally even larger groups of humans as well. I loved this performance. We caught one of the earlier performances of this play by this Theatre Company. There are still tickets on sale for later performances of this play on the Heart Repertory Theatre's website. Many Theaters and Actors, Directors, Set Designers, Lighting Specialists, Playwrights, and everyone else who works in Theatre, took a hit during the pandemic, of course, as did many arts communities. Support Local Community Theatre!

I feel totally ripped off by Seattle Men's Chorus. I bought 11 tickets at $84 each for the Dec. 23…read moreconcert at Benaroya Hall. Then the icy rain struck that morning and there was no way to get away from our house. One try ended with the car acting like a bobsled until a bush stopped it. According to the chorus, there are no refunds -- full or partial. Obviously, non-profit is a misnomer.

I just got home from the Seattle Men's Chorus spring concert - the 80's. It was so so so…read morefantastic! I hope that they didn't mind that I helped - it was so good that I couldn't help but singing along! The dancing, choreography, and special performances (Cruz Control) were all super. But these things are just the icing on the wonderful cake that is the SMC. This most recent show was just foot tapin' fun - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Rock me Amadeus", and "Its Rainin' Men" were all winners - the retrospective of the years of greed also featured a well-done piece about the AIDS crisis. Fun, funny, irreverent, musically interesting and challenging, and delightful - I highly recommend the SMC concerts to all!

I went to a showing of The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty as my first ever opera…read moreshowing! Before the showing, there was a little lecture hall in the basement which explained the background of the show and the themes present. I think without this, I would have been a bit lost and not have enjoyed the show as much as I did. I thought the singing and acting were superb, and I loved the props and costumes. The orchestra was fantastic as well. Everything was very well done! As a note, during intermission, I noticed there was a line for the men's room and none for the women's room. It turns out that the women's room is significantly larger with more stalls to prevent a backup. It's very thoughtfully designed considering there's a limited time for intermission to use the restroom.

Terrific setting for our first night at this opera house. Lots of parking garages across the…read morestreet. This opera house has a lot of room and an easy flow from entrance to the theatre. Two elevators made getting to the fourth floor quick. The interior of the theatre is simple, pleasant colors, and well ventilated. The balcony was comfortable the whole opera. The stage was classy. The acoustics good. The performance of the Pirates of Penzance was the right choice for my sisters' first opera (my 10,000th?). Very talented actors, especially the singer that played Mabel.

I really loved going to see their performance of All's Well That Ends Well. I so enjoyed my time…read morehere and I highly recommend you see a performance when in Seattle. I went before the pandemic, so I'm not sure what the schedule is now. The performance is in the Armory building on a lower floor. People arrive early and chat in the lobby. They have some cookies and sodas for sale. The theatre was really great and seating was comfortable and not crowded so you can really enjoy and get a good view probably wherever you sit. The the acting was exceptional. I really enjoyed. Most people were dressed pretty casually. People were really friendly. Highly recommended!

BECOMING OTHELLO: A Black Girl's Journey, written and performed by Debra Ann Byrd is amazing. I…read moredidn't know what to expect. That didn't matter. The actor's story has tragedy, and hope. It is ugly, and beautiful. It is gripping, and moving. Her writing mixes Shakespeare, slam poetry, singing, and spoken word. Ms. Byrd brings it all together for the audience. If you're in Seattle, go before it's gone.

We can not say enough wonderful things about Oleg, his group of guitarist and the New Age Flamenco…read moregroup who played at our daughter's rehearsal dinner. They were classy, so friendly and played the most magical music- it set the right tone for the evening. I would highly recommend the group for your next event!

Oleg and crew played at our wedding and it was amazing! Oleg was fantastic to work with - easy to…read morecommunicate with, on time, and professional. Given our venue (the aquarium), Oleg had to setup 2 different sound systems, one for the cocktail hour and one for the reception, and he took care of all of it. The music that they played was beautiful and a highlight of our wedding reception. We would highly recommend Oleg and his team to play at your wedding, party, or gathering.

Look no further, this is your band if you want flawless music and versatility. Ben and Suzie manage…read morethe band and have a variety of folks they work with the build a 3, 4, 5 or more set band for just about any genre of music. We have heard them play rock, top 40 hits, and folk so whatever you fancy they can do it. We would hire them again in a heartbeat.

These musicians are not only amazing entertainers but fabulous people! Suzie's voice is…read morebreathtaking and she and Ben together are pure musical magic. I go see them anytime I can! I listen to their cds all the time too! Love them!!!