Orpheum Theatre — Attraction in Boston

Saw Dita Von Teese on 02/11/2023, Show was phenomenal and bar waitstaff and ushers were all extremely friendly, however there are some serious issues that should be addressed. While I understand the building may be historical they also are in need of some serious upgrades. I sat in the balcony and being 5'7" I normally do not have any issues sitting in theater seats. Here I had to sit sideways to allow myself and my friend beside me to have room for our legs. On top of that the seats just look beat, they aren't just charmingly worn, but some look like they might actually be rotting at this point. And the bigger issue there is that the seat numbers are difficult to decipher even when the lights were on. Our Usher, while friendly, directed us to a completely incorrect row at first, LUCKILY We had arrived early and it was easy to realize the mistake and move. Seat numbers are affixed to the arm of the seat but nearly tucked between the back rests so they are nearly impossible to see if anyone is sitting. The theater has tried to remedy this by writing the end seat number on the arm rest in permanent marker. Normally, I wouldn't complain about any of this in a public forum, but what REALLY grinned my gears was the following. The show was scheduled to start at 8:30, and like most productions started a bit late at 8:40, and somehow that's when the majority of the balcony audience started to show up. As this show is highly visual with breaks in between acts with an emcee it seemed highly disruptive to let so many people into the theater at this time. I missed the whole ten minutes of the show because the staff was wandering around vaguely pointing people into the direction of their seats, and then let the late arriving group wander up the steps and then loiter in the aisle trying to figure out the seating arrangement, when my view wasn't completely blocked it was extremely distracted by this happening continuously, and because the seats are so narrow you cannot slip by seated patrons so everyone in the row would have to stand and even exit the row to allow late comers in. Strangely it seemed like only those in the interior seats who would cause the most disruption were the late arrivals. This isn't the venues fault entirely but I can't understand why the users cannot hold someone at the entrance (where they could still see the show) and wait for a break in performance before allowing them to return to their seat. Had it been a bigger concert type of show the situation may not have been so obnoxiously distracting but for this type of performance they seriously need to install some rules to enhance the experience of people who didn't arrive late, or to get up every five minutes. It just seemed like everyone was walking around (including the staff) Theater etiquette is going out the window, but as there are no safe guards in place at this theater I would just keep it in mind for the type of show you are...

Watched Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker there last Sunday. The dancers were fine, as was the performance. But there were quite a number of things problematic:

1. The seats - so packed and tight between rows that they made one feel as if sitting on airplane economy seats. They also looked torn, worn and unclean.
2. The stage looked way too small for the performance.
3. Only recording was played to accommodate the dance. No orchestra. But this was perhaps to be expected, given it was a show by a company on annual tour. The ticket prices, however, begged to differ. Of course, all the guests recognized the problems immediately. When a lady on the next seat chatted with me before the show and during the intermission, I tried to give it as best a spin as possible: the choice of the theater might well have been the ballet troupe's. After all, it'd come here to make money, so probably didn't want to spend too much on the venue. Yet, I couldn't help but wondered if the venue might have something to do with the burlesque atmosphere throughout the performance, especially after intermission. The audience filled it with way too many claps and whistles instead of allowing it to just flow. Conclusion: this theater is clearly past its glorious days. It has lots of characters with lots of nice features to its interior, but badly needs a renovation. The night witnessed a cookie cutter version of a popular holiday hit show in a venue that had fallen into a dilapidated state. Was I disappointed? Yes, and no. Yes, because I'd watched great shows by Russian ballet troupes previously, and knew the overall experience could have been much better. But perhaps it was unfair to make comparisons like this. No, because I did enjoy my first experience with the Nutcracker. One of the delightful moments was watching the kid ballet dancers on stage. But today I watched the ballet again on YouTube, and confirmed my suspicion of the difference. Again, I apologize if anyone should find the comparison unfair. I will not return for another ballet at this venue. Watching a movie or some other...

I received consistent abuse, including physical contact, during the concert by one of ushers . Before the performance began, during stage set up, I went down to take a picture of the set. The usher blocked my view and wouldn’t allow me to take the photo as the area was not my seating area. I communicated to her that I was only intending to take a quick photo, she denied my request and I left the area without any incident. Throughout the conversation she was incredibly rude in her tone and unprofessional. Later on in the show I met up with a group of my friends who were also at the concert and in a completely empty row. I came over to them to let them know I was at the show and to watch a song alongside them. At this point 2 hrs after the beginning of show the same usher came over specifically to me (ignoring my friends) and grabbed my hands asking to see my ticket and forcing me to leave the area to go back to my ticketed seat. I agreed to go back to my seat and asked for the usher to not physically touch me. At this point she continued to follow me and continually grab my hands in which I pulled back and again told her to not physically touch me. After again ignoring my request and grabbing me, I demanded to see the manager. [Celeste] arrived as the manager and was unsupportive. She reaffirmed I could not stay in the unassigned seat (which I confirmed I would leave) but was unhelpful with my complaint that she continued to physically touch me and harass me back to my seat. Finally, after the show ended I went back to meet with my group of 10 friends in order to not lose them and to walk out altogether. Usher at the Encore song again followed me and grabbed me physically to kick me out of the section (post show!). Celesta came called by her and asked me to leave I was at the corner off way out, some people where already leaving. I found this pestering and lack of support from management Erin McDermott extremely disheartening. And cash...