Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

This venue has been around for decades. I first went here on a field trip from elementary School. Beautiful architecture, great acoustics. Easy access. A really great place to see your favorite performances.

Super cool looking building. Great place to come watch a show. We saw Trevor Wallace! Definitely recommend checking this place out!

Rain was amazing I wasn't expecting to see impersonating characters only a show and this is beyond that, loved every minute of it

A Must go for amazing shows!!!! No bad seats!!! Love Van Wezel!!!!

Saw an inspiring show with the Sarasota Orchestra. The sound was fantastic, even in the seats far from the stage. The Performing Arts Center is beautiful inside and out. We parked the car and it was not too far of a walk. They do offer valet parking for $10. Which is a good option, especially if you are running late.

The Sarasota Orchestra was fantastic! We saw one of the Star Wars movies and the Orchestra played the music. Very enjoyable!

Nice place full of vibrant artistic atmosphere. Famous people on the stage. Interesting cultural events. Plenty of parking space

A very nice place. Great atmosphere and a superb rock concert. So impressed that I will definitely be attending another show soon. I saw Get The Led Out and they were awesome!!!

First time here. PROS: * ample FREE parking *signage guiding which side to go to inside theatre *extremely friendly and welcoming staff/ ushers; everyone we encountered was great *small enough that it appears that any seat is a good one *good acoustics *good variety of shows; we saw Book of Mormon ( my second time) and it was just as amazing as I remembered CONS: *the theater seating itself. LONG rows of seats with only access / aisle seats are on either end. I'm guessing at least 50-60 seats across which is pretty long, and downright inconvenient for both those trying to get to their seats/ leave for intermission as well as those sitting. I decided to climb over the seats in front of mine as they were empty; guess it was good that it was cold out and I was wearing pants and not a dress. This in itself is probably a deterrent for us attending future performances, as my husband has back issues and can't sit too long, and I like to use the bathroom lol * I guess that's why they have signs which side of the theater to enter- the long rows

Dated performance center that was battered by hurricanes Helene and Milton; U shaped seating ( access at each end) but very good acoustics. Plenty of parking but leaving is challenging with limited exits. The guest guitar performer (Pablo Sainz-Villegas) was absolutely incredible- can't say enough about this gifted performer.

Great performing arts venue in downtown Sarasota. This was our first time here. Located next to the water and beautiful park. This theater was interesting in the seating..so take that into consideration when selecting a seat. All theater entrances are on the sides..least or right. No middle aisles..so..if you are seated in the middle for good viewing seatings... be ready for a lot of people to go over you during the intermission. Found that a bit annoying but ok. Otherwise, well run theater..people are supe r friendly and helpful. They have a couple of bars and some foods. Overall, we enjoyed the play..Beetlejuice the Musical and plan to make the trip back in a future.

My wife and I had the incredible pleasure of visiting the Van Wezel again to see the Mannheim Steamroller Xmas show. Spectacular. Our seats were in the right rear, row 24, seats 9 and 10, and they were perfect. Then again, every seat at this venue is perfect. We had no problems seeing the performers faces and the sound was spot on. Mannheim played for one full hour, took about a 15 minute break, then played another 45 minutes and did two encore songs. This years Xmas concert celebrated 41 years since the very first 'Christmas' album was released, playing all the music on that first release along with some tunes from the very first album 'Fresh Aire' release 50 years ago. We even had a little snow in the venue. Comfortable seats, a bit wider than some, even for a big guy like me. Volunteers are everywhere and guide you to wherever you need to go. There are elevators for those needing help and disabled seating areas are available. Several bars serving a variety of fluids are scattered in the venue. Free parking and plenty of it with pay valet if wanted.

Great production of Beetle Juice. Great special effects and cast. I'd hate to see what would happen if they ever had a fire with only aisles along the side. The volunteers as ushers are always very helpful. Get here early to get a good parking spot. There are quite a few handicapped spots.

Will return. One of the venues for the Sarasota Orchestra. Holley Hall is near by. We're here for Itzhak Perlman's recital; going to Hilary Hahn's next week. This concert hall is on the Gulf of Mexico/America, west of the barrier island Longboat Key. The location made the hall very delightful. We haven't yet to have meal here but have coffee and drinks in the outdoor area, watching the sunset. The 1,741 seats are nicely spread out from the stage like a seashell. Rows are rather long, with the cup holders (drinks are allowed inside, where the opera house a stone throw away won't - pls take a note -:) ha ha ha), getting in and out of the middle seats are little difficult. Over all, it's an enjoyable venue for the patrons. Perlman's recital has planned program, from works of three composers. It's an hour long, plus a short intermission after the second composer. Bach (16 minutes) Strauss (29 min) Schumann (17 min) The playbill ran out before the concert start - first time ever, so I've to take a photo of my neighbor's. When he re-emerges after the intermission, a man yelled, "I love you Itzhak." White haired grandpa in PJ picks up the microphone, said, "thank you." Then goes on to say, while in the backstage, he called Mr Schumann, who said the next three pieces are short but hope he'll play them without interruption - aka applause. "I said to Mr Schumann that I don't care but Mr Schumann insists." So there isn't an applause. To be honest, I do feel bewildered when the inappropriate applauds occur. There is a teen boy sits to my right who knows exactly when to applause - a future classical musician or a violist? Among the mostly grey haired audience, there are a few teens, some are alone and some are with their parents. All look like political and educated. Hope the number will grow larger ... After the Schumann's pieces, it's free program. "I've a computer printout that I played here since 1912 ..." laughs. "If you were here in 1912, your hearing is probably not very good ... " more laughs Then a person yells, "Schindler's List." ... John Williams composed the score for the movie, and he performed the main theme. He played it at the concert we went two years ago, almost to the date. He didn't play it immediately but ends the night with it. Then encores with a fast paced Spanish piece. A great night. Hope many more to come Itzhak!

Anyone who has been to this theater understands, this review is about the facility, not the shows themselves. This theater is probably the worst designed in the world. Not only is a dangerous to patrons in case of evacuation, but the layout is so stupid that you have to enter different sides of the building, depending on your ticket location, walk up, walk down, walk up, walk down. Believe me... You have to see it to believe it. Plus the lobby is way too small so waiting for the doors to open or intermission is like stepping into a sardine can. The acoustics are horrible, and this place just needs to be torn down or seriously renovated.

LOVED THE SHOW tonight! It was fantastic! Miss YaYa blew us away and got a standing ovation for her vocal talents! All of the artists were awesome. Watching Neil Berg perform and play the piano. No. Words. That being said, the show sells out every year at Van Wezel and now I know why.

A terrific venue for any event. There is plenty of parking, including reserved and valet. Van Wezel is located on the bay, so not only is it perfect for stage views but also for pre-dinner activity. Five (5) bars, upstairs, downstairs and on the outdoor patio. Dinner offered pre-show, as a wedding style buffet (included carving station) catered by Mattison's. Or you can take advantage of a shuttle to and from (for dinner if you desire) the Indigo Hotel! After dinner, or before the show, grab a glass and head outside to enjoy the magnificent views of the bay and the Longboat Key Bridge. There's not a bad seat in the house, but it does lack a center aisle so you'll be seeing your toe neighbors regularly! Acoustics were great, and Lewis Black was hysterical as always. A great spot.

Theater is extremely outdated, cables strung from stage area throughout the entire building. Acoustics is very poor feels like someone's car rolled up next to you blaring their music and all you feel is bass Wish they'd build new or close to do major renovations

While walking around UTC, I saw the ad for Mean Girls. I had the dates wrong in my head thinking we were out of town when the show would be happening. Seeing as I was wrong, I went home and purchased tickets. Best decision of the year thus far. This was my child's first live theater show. He loved it as much as I did. We were still able to get decent seats the week of, it wasn't freezing so no need for my sweater (yay!), and the show was spectacular.

The 80s called and it LOVEs the venue! My family saw Hamilton and the show was Terrific!

I love the Van Wezel! My mother spends the winter in Sarasota and I always take her to a performance. This year we saw Ain't to Proud and loved it

First, there is ample outdoor parking, The lobby area far too small to accommodate the number of seats. We were there for the Allman Family Revival concert. The entrance doors opened one hour prior to the opening act and the doors into the theater itself did not open until 30 minutes prior. This resulted in a crowd of people packed in like sardines. Also, there is only one counter open selling drinks, etc. In this era of viral disease, I would have thought that the theater would have made some adjustments to how this process in order to mitigating the risk of spreading disease. The rows of seats run from one end of the theater to the other, with no middle isle. Be careful to locate your seats on the seat map. Otherwise you may find that you are on the far side of where your seats are located. What I do love is how the seats are staggered between rows. Also, the pitch between the rows is sufficient enough that you can see over the head of a taller person seated in front of you. Our seats were located on the higher level and dead center to the stage. The sound quality was excellent (note -on a different occasions we had seats near the end of a row and the sound quality was not nearly as good). Overall, this is a very nice venue.

Broadway's Aladdin was in town last week and my friend's daughter plays Princess Jasmine. Had to see her of course, once with family and 2x with her mama. Was my first time at Van Wezel, spectacular views; old facility. The building is right next to the water. During the day the views are a treat, at night not so much. This is an old facility and the layout does not make sense AT ALL. The multiple levels get so confusing. The hallways get so crowded especially on intermissions when people are rushing to use the restroom or get a drink. There is no middle aisle that separates the rows. Everyone has to come in on either side and side step a mile to assigned seats. Best seats in my opinion are rows 6-15, seats 1-10. It's all one level and the higher your row is, the more distractions you see. Matinee show had more kids so lots of people getting up to the restroom in the middle of the show. You see a door open and close every 5 minutes. We were seated in row 17, 1-5. That night, we came back for the 7:30 show and and sat in row 11 seats 1-2. It was spectacular. There is a restaurant but rsvp only for show and dinner package. Hyatt hotel restaurant next door is a 5 minute walk. All the senior citizens volunteers are super sweet and nice. I forgot my daughters jacket on the floor while taking her picture next to the lamp. Had to pick up from lost and found and 5 people came rushing to assist. May be slow but beyond eager to help lol. Plenty of parking, valet is also available.

We haven't been here for years, but came to see the Allman Brothers Revival and were very happy with our seat choice. This theatre is set up oddly, with long rows, and no aisles. We had seats 1 and 2, which meant we had to walk in front of everyone to get to our seats, but we were right in the middle so the sound was great. One thing that really was annoying was that although the doors open an hour before the show, you can't get into the theatre until 30 minutes before and the lobby area is small. Too many people jammed into a small area.

The performance of Motown on Friday, August 9, 2024 was fantastic. There were nine of us and thoroughly enjoyed the performance of music of Motown. On second note, the ushers were very rude and self-centered and strictly made our evening unpleasant and uncomfortable! We were there to celebrate three birthdays, at the beginning of the performance it was announced no video photography or cell phone usage with flash, but take all the pictures you want! Two ushers very rude and told us to turn our phones off. We were annoying other people, even though we were just taking pictures. With no light there were over 100 people as you looked around the audience that were actually taking videos, abd using flash but nothing was said to them. people standing up in their seats, blocking views of other people sitting behind them and nothing said to them! These ushers seem to be focused on our group of people only doing the entire performance. our seating was close to the end of isle 8, making us targets for the elderly ushers to discipline just our group only. Yet the one elderly usher had the nerve to pull her cell phone out of he pocket and expose a very annoying light As she texted. I would recommend if you go to this venue, do not sit by one of the elderly ushers on the end! Rude people, they tried to take charge urging people never to return.

Three stars because you definitely have a lot of room for improvement. As a person with mobility impairment, the choice is to either take the stairs or take the elevator. Now, probably a little pride and stubbornness comes into play here, and I decided that I didn't need to take the elevator, and that the stairs didn't look too daunting. Got to the row of our seats (tickets were given to us so I had no control of where I sat), and I realized that had I taken the elevator, I would've had to WALK DOWN STAIRS to get to my seat. How dumb is that? Then, out in the parking lot, the hall sits higher than the parking lot, so it's a good hike uphill just to get in the front door. Good thing we got there early and parked in the lot closer to the hall, but it was still a good hike. After the show, it's a fairly steep hike *downhill* now. Probably not the mostADA-friendly venue. My other (arguably smaller) gripe is the selection at the cashless bar. Because of bad corporate decisions, I no longer drink Anheuser Busch products, so their Bud Lite, Mic Ultra, and Stella are out. If I wanted an adult beverage for the show, I was given the option of a mixed drink or a craft beer. Might want to think about expanding your selection of local craft beers (there's plenty of breweries to choose from) Three stars because this is a local institution that I want to see improve, and because I have many good memories of different events over the years. I'm not counting the headliner in this review. Nikki Glaser would easily knock off another star, probably two with her pedophile bit. ‍

Musical TOOTSIE and beautiful sunset prior to show . Parking was good and quick to depart.

I've been there twice. The first for the Candlelight music series. The music was nice but the setting was underwhelming. The second was for the Cher Show in the concert hall. Myself and numerous others expected this was actually going to be Cher. We felt both misled by the advertising but also silly! The show was more a play about Cher but was very entertaining so not a loss at all.

This is a great venue to see some shows concerts and traveling broadway productions staff and volunteers are very nice and helpful and this venue is right in the water the only negative is the area around it is under some construction

It's great to have the Van Wezel in Sarasota as it is the local venue to see some music acts and shows. If you check out their website or have over the years you know you can see Boz Scaggs or Lewis Black or the play Waitress. The location overall is more convenient that going up to Tampa if you're local. The location specifically is in downtown Sarasota wherein every other space is under some sort of construction so it's a maze or orange cones and Tamiami Trail traffic. Allow yourself enough time, especially in snow bird season, to get there. If you've gotten there early there's a spot upstairs to get a drink (wine, beer, water and some cocktails) or snack (i.e. a bag of Cheetos or a Snickers) and a spot downstairs to grad the same along with some seating. On certain occasions there's a dinner offered by local restaurant Mattiaon's that you can have on the premises as part of your evening. The oddity about the interior is there's no middle aisle. We often make the mistake of getting the center seats, 1 and 2, and forget we need to cross over 30 people regardless of whether we enter from the right or left. I hear the aisle seats, since they are so limited, are sold out right away. It's not a tragedy to climb through to the center, but every time we can't help but ponder "isn't this a fire hazard?" This doesn't keep me away, but through the years I've waited for it to close for renovations to make a center aisle. Van Wezel is a small enough venue that it's not impossible to get out off after a show, and except for obstructed view there isn't really a bad seat in the house.

Large performing arts venue, The Van Wetzel Center for the performing arts has a great big waterfront parking lot that overlooks Sarasota bay. Truly stunning views. Is it dated? sure. The sound equipment really does need some help but over all, this place is lovely and the folks who work here are friendly. I can't wait to see another show.

The Van Wezel is a large, impressive Preforming Arts Hall, right along the water in Sarasota, I believe it seats about 1400 or so people. There's a huge parking lot right there, so parking is not a problem. There are a number of good shows and performers there each season; something for everyone. For most (all?) performances they offer a package with dinner downstairs before the performance. We haven't eaten there, but from what I heard, the food is average at best. They normally have a few bars for the purchase of your favorite beverages, but no food or beverages are allowed in the actual hall. I don't know how old it is, but overall, it's a bit of a tired old building that is in need of a good facelift. It's operated as a money-making venue by the City of Sarasota, so in January 2022, there are some very restrictive mask mandates still gonig on with COVID. Hey, we live in the free State of Florida - what gives??

DISAPPOINTED! We have been going to the Van Wezel for over 20 years and the past 3 performances have been disappointing to say the least. I presume that the microphones and speaker systems have not been updated for years because there have been issues in the last three performances. We went last night to see the Celtic Angels Christmas and it was terrible! People were actually going home after the first half. The microphones/sound system was making a weird noise during one of the solos, the guitarist microphone was having issues, the bass in the speakers was way too loud which was overbearing the musicians and dancers. It was a disaster. Unfortunately, we will not go back and we usually attended 3 to 4 performances a year.

The Price is Right show is again returning here. Don't waste your money. Bus loads of people arrive . $$$. After an hour of seating, hyping up the crowd, talking about nothing the show finally starts. The games are so ridiculous ( I think all in all there were 4), there was NO WAY someone could win and guess what!? not ONE PersOn did! They draw names for prices at the end. Free or half price tickets! to the least popular show they offer!. Most tickets were tossed in trash on the way out. Idk waste of half a day and night.

This is a great theater. There appears to be no bad seats. I have sat in the orchestra 2nd row and 8th row attending musicals. The sound was great, the view excellent. The stage is high so having a tall person in front of you does not block the view. The bathrooms are nice and the lines go quickly. Plenty of parking.

Saw Monty Python's Spamalot at the Van Wezel last weekend. The show was hilarious!!! Here are my cheers and jeers of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall: CHEERS: 1. Free Parking 2. Clean bathrooms with plenty of stalls. 3. The event calendar has a nice selection of plays and concerts. JEERS: 1. The long rows of seats are horrible. Who on earth decided that it would be fun to make rows of 50 seats with no breaks in the rows? Enjoy people stepping over your toes to get in and out of their seats. This is surely breaking a fire code! 2. Seats are small and cramped. 3. The stadium seating isn't spaced far enough apart so you may have an obstructed view if you are 5'2 like I am. I spent a good bit of the night trying to see around the person's head in front of me.

Rocky horror was a complete flop! Spent $500 on a piss poor high school production of the show(which still might be insulting to high school productions). Highly anticipated more with the hype of having Barry Bostwick for the 48th anniversary show. The shadow actors didn't even know their ques for the simplest of scenes seeing as these "professionals" were seasoned rocky shadow actors. I had to assure my three "virgin" friends that this is not a good example of a rocky show. Please never hire these people again! Also turn the air down!

I really loved performing at this theatre. Everyone was real nice and professional. Plenty of parking, and dressing rooms for musicians, and the seating arrangement for the audience was great. Hopefully, the Classic Albums Live team will be back to perform another concert. Thank you for all the love and support!

No champagne at the bar? You've got to be kidding! But at least they have the most expensive valley parking in FL.

I've gone to two performances here at the Van Wezel. Once in October 2017 to see Chicago and then once just yesterday to see Creedence Clearwater Revisited. I love the venue, and love the decor in the lobby. I will say is the most polite entrance and exit from the hall but I've ever seen in any show I've ever been to. People are polite, there's no pushing. The staff are very helpful and helping you find your seats. They even offer a buffet and full bar. The buffet is about $47 a person. I don't know what they offer to eat as I usually have dinner prior to making it to the show. There's only one complaint that I have and that is that there would have been a center aisle put inside the hall to make it easier for people coming in and going out of the aisles. They're only two ways in and out of each aisle. It's either from all the way to the left and all the way to the right. You can't beat the view from outside the hall though at sunset, it's absolutely gorgeous. Sarasota, making the world prettier and more enjoyable one performance at a time.

Seating is a bit cramped, but you know what? I don't even notice watching the shows there because you can see from virtually every seat in the house and I'm always so in tune to the show I don't pay attention to the older style seats. Employees are nice, restrooms are high tech. Stage is a decent size and they bring in some amazing class acts! I'm a huge supporter of the arts and love watching shows at this venue!

My wife and I went there to watch a stand up comedy show for Jerry Seinfeld. This place was packed but all the people working there were very efficient and friendly. Nice, clean place.

This rating does not reflect the actual show that was performed because the Lion King was great. Butttt the seating is horrible. You can only get access to your row from the beginning of the row itself, so you have to walk past up to 60 people to get to your seat. Just wait until someone has to go to the bathroom, yep you're making everyone get up for you. Most places have other open aisles running perpendicular to the stage so you have easy access to your row but for some reason the rows run the entire width of the auditorium. Not sure how this even passes fire codes. The bathroom setup is even worse! The male and female bathroom is right next to each other and the bar is 20' away! During intermission be prepared (male or female) to wait in line going into the bathroom AND out of the bathroom. A line will already be started coming out of the bathroom for the bar line. Horrible set up.

Incompetence at Van Wezel Last night my wife and I attended the performance of the National Tour of Les Miserables at Van Wezel. To say that entering the theater was a disaster is an understatement. The hall was unprepared and poorly managed to bring patrons in and get them seated on time. We arrived 30 minutes before showtime and were not seated until 20 minutes after the show began and missed the beginning of the performance. This is inexcusable and entirely due to the poor execution of the management and security staff. The security screening process was inadequate, extraordinarily slow, and created a severe bottleneck outside. I am formally requesting a refund.

Come here if you enjoy being the youngest person in the building. Even if you are 55 years old, you will still be the youngest person. Van Wezel does an excellent job at catering to the older crowd by bringing to the little town of Sarasota performers that the baby boomer generation will actually like. That being said, the only times I have been to Van Wezel are with my mother--- therefore, I have seen bands that I have no interest in. But, going with her made her so damn happy. But, Mom really did not enjoy when I screamed at Jackson Brown, "My Mom loves you!" Always have an excellent time here, even if it is a place for ole-timers. I think, over the years of living in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, I have been accustomed to the retired crowd and the joy they bring to all of the local businesses. I know... I hate to say it.

I love the "Purple Cow". It is a nice place to go and check out a small concert, play, musical.. etc. The acoustics are pretty decent and the staff are plentiful. My only qualm with the joint is that the rows have no breaks! It is 25-30 seats to the center. This is no fun when you are in the middle... trust me. Go to Van Wezel, it is a nice place with some really cool shows at times. The staff is friendly and its a nice night out with the Mrs. ;))

I just attended a show there featuring ABBA The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA. We had purchased very good seats and had never gone to this auditorium before. It turns out to be a place that immediately strikes you as a fire hazard because they literally have no aisle rows. Moreover, as we discovered later, they -- Van Wezel management -- allow the band to set the volume on the sound system and their equipment. This group had it set at an ear-splitting volume well above the damage level in terms of dBa. I had to leave before the intermission, and we left and do not plan to return. I need the use of my ears a few more years!

I have been here before it is a wonderful theater. The seating is great and tonight we are seeing LaLa Land with the Sarasota Orchestra playing the sound track. They excellent and we really enjoyed the entire performance. We sat in row 25 and the seats were good. When I come to Sarasota next year I look forward to another trip to the theater.

Beautiful theater on the water. Sound is excellent, lighting on point, and even the bathroom is so high tech, the other ladies had to show me how to operate the soap and hand dryer. Only issue is, like most of the area's historical theaters, the aisles are constructed so that folks don't get up during the show. Understandable, but then during intermission when the rest of your aisle doesn't get up, it's nearly impossible and awkward to have everyone stand or move their legs as you shimmy by.

This purple Performing Arts Hall is an architectural gem in Sarasota's cultural crown. The acoustics are excellent for a variety of performances. Occasionally, they offer discounted ticket prices for the last few rows of the theater. The audience tends to skew a bit older but it makes you feel so young its fabulous! Be sure to arrive early and walk around the hall to enjoy beautiful views of Sarasota Bay. You can also dine before most shows. The dining area overlooks Sarasota Bay and is absolutely stunning!

Understand protocol vaccination card or proof of testing, to enter, but no water allowed in a sold out 3 1/2 show not cool. Impossible to get a bottle on the beverage line. Music sounded good. Will go back when rules calm down.

My wife and I saw the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on 2/12/2020 and while the orchestra and conductor were absolutely amazing (way beyond expectations), we both found the hall to be way too warm. We were sitting in row 26. It wasn't that warm outside last evening with temperatures in the low seventies or high sixties. I found myself having to remove my light sport coat, roll up my sleeves three times and unbutton my shirt and I was still uncomfortable (didn't have any alcohol until later). My wife said she was sweating through her makeup. Unfortunately, the hall ultimately diminished a truly exceptional experience. I would not consider going back.

We attended Les Mis (which was wonderful) on Feb 26 - it was pouring rain and, without advance notice, they decided to perform "security checks" holding everyone outside while two or three people used wands and searched purses! We were soaked even with umbrellas but being told the performance was being held so we wouldn't miss anything. Not true!! We missed the first 15 min and then, due to design, had to walk past others to get mid-row to our seats. The sound system is out dated and some portions weren't audible. Never going back!

Horrible experience. Would not recommend. Dirty establishment. Horrible, outdated policies. Pushy and rude workers. Will not be coming back!!! Most certainly recommend you stay away! Not worth your time, money or effort!

The facility is in need of a significant capital improvement project, but is nice enough for now. I sure do hope caputak fuin the works. Getting seats 1-2, I assumed we'd have unencumbered entry/exit access - not so. We were dead center in our row, but would have had to go through 30-40 ppl to use the bathrooms. There were NO egress aisles in between the rows, which baffled me. Concrete floors (not even carpet?) and no balconies/side seating. I've been to Broward, Mahaffey, Artis-Naples, broadway and have never seen a facility with this layout. While adding aisles would take away seating, perhaps a balcony section and side "club" sections could be added for additional revenue. The show (Tosh Saves the World) was excellent and the ushers were friendly and helpful. We had a great view from row 21.

My wife and I are season ticket holders for the Straz Center for the Performing Arts here in Tampa. Les Misérables played here last year and we noticed this year, it was scheduled for this week at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Florida. We were able to get row 5 seats on the very end of the row back in December. Couldn't wait to go. My wife and I are quickly turning into Les Mis groupies, having seen it four times now. We decided to do the day in Sarasota by going down early for lunch at the Old Salty Dog. After attending yesterday, I read the yelp reviews today and must agree with most of the pros and cons. Mine are: Pros: Ample parking. Not hard to get to, even with Spring Break in full force. Great location next to the water with a nice walkway along the shore. The theatre was clean, the staff helpful in answering questions. I thought the inside theatre staff were good. After the show started, they allowed people to still enter for a few minutes but it really wasn't a problem since most people had made it to their seats before it started. Theatre lighting was fine. I didn't feel like we were in the dark nor was there too much lighting. Cons If you are getting up-front seats for a show, (a concert might be different), DO NOT get tickets for the end of rows. There are these floor to ceiling "bookcases" on each side that block about 1/4 of the stage. They were loaded with what I thought were lighting for the show, but were not once used. During parts of the show, I found myself peeking through the bookcase on our end. We saw a lot of the action going on backstage. There was even a monitor set up backstage to view the orchestra conductor that was visible to us on the right side. Some of the voices didn't carry well which I divide between the cast and the theatre. I kept wondering if the back of the theatre even heard the show well Other reviewers have stated that the parking had an $8 price tag. If it did, we were subsidizing all the people who parked there for free and just walked along the shore. Hmmm. All in all, it made me appreciate the Straz Center much more here in Tampa, even though I realize that the Straz Center charges more for comparable tickets. You get what you pay for.

This venue books excellent shows and the lines of sight are fine. That's the good part. The flip side: . Unwieldy, maze-like lobby that feels cramped even during slow periods. . Outdated, impractical and often uncomfortable zero-center or side aisles design requiring a battalion of attendants to man the multiple doors and contortions if one has a center seat. . Terrible sound system, more often than not bellowing over-amplified and frequently distorted audio. The volume is simply over the db top. Sarasota and the acts booked here deserve better in the 21st Century.