The American Theatre

The American Theatre is an historic theatre within the historic city of Hampton, VA. In the past, it has been an interesting place with interesting performances, however, recently it has been taken over by a very passive aggressive individual that is the artistic director (Jody) there now. Jody has came into the theatre and formed it into his likeness. He prefers performances of the 1930s & 1940s era, thus making the theatre one dimensional, and downright boring. His staff is extremely rude and unprofessional. They sometimes even go as far as to raise their voice, and become irate when challenged. Overall, the American Theatre is a great place with mediocre people running the show.

Had a great time seeing Karl Werne and friends. Fabulous historic theatre. Restored beautifully, great acoustics, comfortable seating, friendly staff, all you could want from a venue.

The theater is lovely, the staff very sweet. Easy to get to from the interstate & plenty of parking options. Unfortunately, they had technical difficulty the night I went & made it about 1/2 way through the show. Tickets are being honored for another date, which is fantastic! But since I traveled 3hrs (round trip) & left work early the 1st time, I’m not willing to do that again. Would definitely give it another shot on a day I was already in the area or off work.

Great theatre in Hampton, VA. Just around 400 seats with a wonderful sounding room. Top notch staff as well. Highly recommend seeing an event here.

My wife, daughter, and I went to go see the three musketeers Friday night at the American theatre at the 8pm show. It was a great play and everyone was wonderful. It was fun entertaining and the cast made you feel like family. We also got a backstage tour Thursday with the production/producer, and got to meet some of the team that put everything together behind the scenes. Also, some of the cast members are staying at the Hilton hotel in Hampton. Which I got to meet two of the members because my wife works for Hilton. We will be coming back with family and friends.

Saw the phil harmonic there. Great place to catch plays, music..etc. It is a cheaper way to enjoy the arts with family and friends. Yet, you still get quality. Love the small, intimate theater and the friendly staff. The mayor of Hampton read The Night Before Christmas. He, along with the orchestra, did an awesome job with it.

My husband and I traveled to Hampton the week of March 9th, and had the pleasure of attending two events at the historic American Theatre. The first was a movie night which featured Lucy and Desi in "The Long, Long Trailer." Walking into the Theatre, we purchased our tickets at the Box Office window and were greeted by several friendly volunteer ushers AND the smell of popcorn. This Theatre brought back memories of seeing this movie in the 1950's. And we were delighted to watch it again on the big screen. Loved the experience! We returned to the Theatre the next night to attend the Hampton DEI Unity Awards Ceremony. Once again, friendly helpful ushers and a reasonably priced Concession Stand greeted us. The Lobby was buzzing with excitement as Hampton City officials, DEI staff, nominees, family and friends arrived. Being a live on-stage program, the lighting and sound were great for both the award and musical presentations. We even had the chance to meet Mayor James Gray after the Ceremony. We will be back.

The American Theatre is a hidden gem in Phoebus. It is a lovingly restored building from the early 1900's with excellent acoustics, comfortable seating and an intimate atmosphere (388 seats including a balcony). The programming is varied and fun from movies to acoustic and rock music to dance to plays and the local philharmonic. The staff is courteous and helpful and overall, this is a charming place to be entertained. Parking is easy, and there are many good restaurants within a short walk. Highly recommended!