Danielle K.
Yelp
Since this was our first year checking out Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), we decided to get tickets to both of the productions: "West Side Story", and "Beauty & the Beast".
The TUTS stage is located outdoors at Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park. Paid parking lots are available within a short walking distance of the venue. There are washroom facilities at the nearby Stanley Park Dining Pavilion, as well as porta-potties on site.
Once inside, there are options to buy a TUTS blanket, rent a seat cushion (since the seats are all plastic lawn chairs), and shop for TUTS souvenirs at their gift shop. As for food, there is a garden cafe with concession items such as burgers, chips, popcorn, coffee, tea, alcohol, and other snacks. All of the hot food items are pre-packaged, catered items. We got some drinks and 2 cheeseburgers. The burgers came plain (just the bun, patty and cheese), but there was a DIY condiment table to the side. The condiments (such as veggies) were left sitting out and looked quite soggy so we didn't use any of them. I'd say if you need to eat, skip the food here and just eat elsewhere beforehand.
It was raining quite heavily the night we saw "West Side Story". Their "the show must go on" policy meant that if you didn't pre-purchase the additional "rain insurance" with your ticket, you were out of luck and simply had to watch the show while sitting in the rain (or waste your tickets - no exchange/refund). They did hand out rain ponchos though, so that's not too bad. Aside from this dampener (literally!), the actual performance of "West Side Story" was pretty good. The actors were energetic, the songs well performed, and the band music lively.
The weather was better on the night we saw "Beauty & the Beast". The set was also much more elaborate than that of "West Side Story". Colourful and gorgeous costumes, beautiful props, and all-around wonderful acting by all the actors. Lumiere was especially entertaining with his hilarious antics. I was smiling from start to finish because the entire musical was just such a magical and entertaining performance for kids and adults alike.
Overall, we had a great time at TUTS this year and will definitely be back to check out next year's performances!