John S.
Yelp
Definitely a three-star/four-star tweener.
THE GOOD
It's a historic theater with a long history, and some of its exterior architectural details are interesting, especially considering what a Podunk place Glendale must have been in the 1920s. Besides the lovely old marquee and quaint Futurist (?) box office, there's a nice courtyard between the gates and the theater building itself. I came recently to see my cousin conduct the Armenian Pops Orchestra, and the outdoor area really enlivened the experience, as people had plenty of room to mingle in the perfect weather without crowding the theater itself. It was also fun after the performance, although the employees seemed a little too premature in shooing audience members off the premises entirely.
The acoustics of the theater are very good, and the seating feels wide rather than deep, which makes it so that more people can be close to the stage.
THE BAD
It's an old theater. Some old theaters age like fine wine, but most start to show their age. Unfortunately, the Alex is showing its age. The seats have obviously been replaced many times over 100 years, but it doesn't look (or feel) like they've been replaced or reupholstered in the last thirty. The seats and rows could also use better, more visible numbers and letters, respectively, so that it's not so difficult to find your seat in the dark.
The slope of the aisles as they approach the stage is nice and gradual, but when you enter the theater itself from the lobby, you have to go down two small sets of stairs, with different doors feeding into the same place. It seems like a minor thing, but that additional set of stairs really serves no purpose except to create more risk for a fall, especially if there's an emergency.
The stage itself is very small for the size of the theater. This really only matters to the people performing here, so if you're thinking of using the venue for an event, be sure you have enough room for your performance. The interior of the theater is also shabby in a run-down rather than a classic way. Old places like this should transport you back in time to when they were new; they're not supposed to look old. They need to repaint or at least touch up the decorative details above and around the stage.
I don't think it's advertised anywhere, but the Alex Theatre is supposed to validate parking for the municipal structure nearby on North Orange Street. I happened to know about this when I arrived, so I validated my ticket in the machine right away, but after the performance, the workers said that the machine wasn't working, so whoever parked in that structure and hadn't already validated their ticket ended up having to pay way too much for parking on a Sunday night.
FURTHER THOUGHTS
Am I being too hard on the old boy? Possibly. Its location is perfect, especially if you have time before the show to grab something to eat--you'll have plenty of choices within walking distance. It's also very close to the freeway. Still, after the buildup of the exterior structure and the marquee and the courtyard, the theater itself feels disappointing.
I would definitely come back to see another musical performance, but there are plenty of better historic and new theaters around. The Alex doesn't stand out.