Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre — Attraction in Carmel

Excellent theater. We hosted a South Indian Barathnatyam dance performance. Seats do not recline, but were very comfortable nonetheless. There were no bad seats. Good view from any spot. Great acoustics. Exit doors at the back were a little creaky. Stage was clean and lighting was spot on (can be a little overwhelmingly bright though). The dressing room was ok. Looked a little run down. Had mirrors running the entire length of the room with a row of incandescent light bulbs above and below. The shower did not have a curtain and all the chairs were creaky. Staff was a pleasure to work with. Polite but also no-nonsense. They took care of us and the attendees very well. Our event was during Covid-19 time and they made sure everyone was wearing a mask and even checked everyone's temperature before letting people in. Ushers were everywhere and helped all our guests. Seating capacity was reduced to prevent virus spread. Free parking garage attached to the theater and public outdoor parking was also easy to access. Overall, a...

We went to see the Ugly Duckling with my 9 yr old nephew. We were delighted to see that there was an ice skating rink outside the theater. He skated while we got hot chocolate and stayed warm in the igloo tents that were surprisingly filled with comfortable and stylish furniture including a small heater! All around the rink on there are heat lamps which were much appreciated also. The play the Ugly Duckling was very imaginative and well done. Each actor played several parts, and the set/scenery was well thought out. It was very appealing to the children as well as adults. The story was easy to follow, but at the same time, there were nuances only a mature person could follow. For example, the mother duck birthing the eggs was not something a 9 year old would understand. It was a great experience for all. The staff were polite and helpful, and as we got there early, we got a parking spot right up front. I highly recommend this venue to...

We attended the Saturday, December 10th performance of Elf the Musical. We got there a little bit late so we did not hear them announce that the lead actor (Matt Bays) had been temporarily replaced with a performer named Thomas Whitcomb. It turns out that the regular lead had contacted Covid and they brought in Thomas Whitcomb and he learned the entire show in 48 hours !!! (including the dialogue, songs, choreography, blocking.... everything!!! ) He was amazing! This young man has lots of talent!! The cast all worked together well with him and there was not an instant that made us think it was somebody filling in for the lead. We didn't know until we got home that night and read the insert in our program. Excellent, excellent job Thomas Whitcomb and cast of Elf...