Virginia Theatre — Attraction in Champaign

A classic old-world theater that is well maintained and hosts great shows. We happened to be visiting, and the wife couldn't miss the opportunity to see the Hassan Minhaj show. She was able to buy the tickets at the last minute and we got to see the show.

The theater is quaint, well kept, and staffed by many seniors who volunteer. A great experience seeing them help you out whether it's the parking meter you are trying to operate after the mandated hours or getting you to the seats. While trying to unravel the mystery of the parking meter, one kind gent shouted out that it's free on weekends.

The theater was jammed with all the kids and parents of the kids who study at the university. The seats are comfortable, and the aisle between the rows is roomy so someone can pass on to their seats. However, the seats lack basic features like a cup holder and anything to rest your drink or popcorn.

The bathrooms are nice and well kept, but I'm not sure if they have disabled access to handicapped as they are on an upper level with a stairway. There is a lack of privacy in the stalls as there's a big gap between the door and the stall partition.

The show itself was good, though there was a lot of inappropriate content for less than 18 years old. The opening act from a resident comedian contained the most profanities, which made us wonder if we should exit the theater as we had a 16-year-old and an almost 13-year-old. Some of the content from Mr. Minhaj was timely, timeless, and served to highlight the current problems of the world relating to politics, social,...

Since I haven't really been here when it's acting as a venue this review only applies to its function as a theater. The place is beautiful - really, it merits a star from me just as an architectural object. They really nailed the restoration. The seats are comfortable and the staff is excellent. The projection looks great and the sound is good (only slightly less enveloping than you'd have at a modern commercial theater). No beer or wine is a tough sell in 2018. There's a sort of niche-market-serving element at play here were the Art Theater up the street specializes in new / weird stuff and the Virginia focuses on the classics. I totally get why this is a good strategy for both of them but I do wish the Virginia would routinely be bolder in its selection even inside that focus. Seeing 2001 and Chinatown on the big screen was excellent, but opportunities like those are rare at The Virginia. A quick glance at their upcoming screenings shows... Gone With The Wind, Driving Miss Daisy, Ghost, Road House, and Signin' In The Rain. Hardly...

I miss the big old theatres. Each one had its own sights and smells and layouts and was a unique experience on its own. As a child I remember seeing movies here and at the Orpheum. Saw a lot of live action Disney movies here, like Son Of Flubber and all the Kurt Russell movies. As I recall during this time, early 70s, this place was starting to look a little ratty, but it was still the place to see movies and I don't think anyone at the time could have seen the coming of the multiplexes and the downfall of these old movie houses and performance stages. I've seen a lot of these fall into such disrepair and neglect that they had to be demolished. Glad this was restored. Remember taking my little brother here to see Empire Strikes Back in 1980. I saw Gordon Lightfoot here in 1999 and Alice Cooper in 2006. Both were...