Rudy P.
Yelp
This place is merely a caricature of the class it pretends to have.
We came for Dina Martina. This is where she plays in the city. If you want to see her, you're stuck with this place.
Where do I start?
When my friend came to purchase a ticket the day before the show, she was told by the young person working at the box office that VIP was sold out. She had to show him the website to prove that it wasn't so she could buy the ticket.
As it turns out, I encountered the same person the next day. I asked him, over an hour before the performance, about how to be seated with friends arriving separately - a pretty normal request in a cabaret setting.
His reply:
"UmmmmmmIthinksooooooooyoushoullllllddddddbeabletooooooooooo..."
I couldn't believe how mealy-mouthed and valley girl the reply was. If you don't know, send me to someone who does. You're making a normal situation stressful!
A woman was standing there who was also exasperated with him as she tried to buy a ticket.
Seeing shows these days really costs a lot of money. Be ready to treat people right if you accept that money.
When my friend arrived to join us 20 minutes later, with the hall still mostly empty, she was treated rather brusquely by the downstairs usher. I had to get her ticket up on my phone and walk to the back and scan it for her because their reception is so bad downstairs, and they couldn't just look her name up from her ticket purchase.
The food is serviceable, but not memorable. The salads are...bland. Truffle fries? Pretty good. The drinks are the only flawless thing.
Even in a supposedly VIP area, with top-level prices, they do not employ subtlety or try to be remotely inconspicuous. On some level this can't be avoided, but stop trying to remove my food when I'm still eating! My friends and I began to laugh and roll our eyes at each other. I would eat a piece of salad or a French fry just to get them to stop asking to take it away. Mind you, this was the only show of the night.
I missed "The Christmas Song" because the waiter came right during that moment. No paper check. I fumbled to get my phone out to take a picture of the check so my friends can Zelle me tomorrow. Doesn't this happen at a lot of tables? We were talked to like we were inconveniencing the waiter, but by using one credit card for separate tabs we were actually doing the opposite - we were accommodating him!
In the dark, as you're trying to enjoy the show you revolved your day or even weekend around getting to, you may not notice that a gratuity is already added. I was grateful my friend noticed this and pointed it out before I added more gratuity - the waiter certainly wasn't going to point that out. We were trying to enjoy the show!
Within a minute of that interaction I was laughing again because Dina always brings her best to every performance, but it left a bad taste in our mouths.
This was my third time at Sony Hall in as many years. As Dina would say, "diminishing returns!" In 2021, the service was pretty good - there's a briskness that has to be expected in a cabaret setting, but everyone acted like a professional.
Tonight was different. Everyone was either unprepared, rushing you, or treating you like cattle.
We will bite the bullet and return if Dina continues to perform here, but we will certainly not order food. Our mistake was giving it a try in this setting.
The one upside of Sony Hall is that there is no food or beverage minimum.
It's like Taco Bell with better clothing and higher prices.
Management should visit Green Room 42 a few blocks away. They treat you well there and leave you feeling warm and welcomed.