Bartell Theatre — Attraction in Madison

Every year, this theater puts on a panto play, a tradition in the UK where they take classic fairy tales and add modern songs, jokes and plenty of audience participation. This year’s show is Snow White and the Seven Superheroes. The panto is the purest form of comedy you will find. You get to experience the stories you know and love complete with hilarious puns and lots of cheering and booing from the audience. Once you experience one, you’ll be in attendance every year.

The theater itself is an excellent place right off the square. They were checking vaccine cards at the door and all the staff are so kind. While waiting for drinks, the bartender discovered that the little girl with her mother was seeing a play for the first time. The bartender then told her how she’ll have to cheer loudly for the heroes and boo the villains.

The Drury Stage packs a good number of seats into a small area. The cast is incredible every year and it’s the hardest I...

I am not impressed. I received an email the several hours before the performance, saying: it was open seating, I should come early, and the box office opened at 1 pm. It did NOT say that seating would not begin until 1:30 - in reality it did not begin seating until 1:45, for a 2 pm performance.

There was a single person running the concession stand and the bar. The first customer tried to pay by credit card, but when that customer discovered that the credit card machine hadn't been set up yet and apparentlyit would take several minutes to do so, that customer thoughtfully said, several times, that she could pay in cash. Instead, the concessionaire continued to set up the credit card machine, despite a number of other customers waiting to buy food and/or drinks. Why wasn't the credit card machine set up in advance?

I shan't return to this...

If you have handicap needs, they can accommodate you with a ( 1 person + operator) lift to get to the front row which has both wheelchair spots and companion seats. The nearest parking ramps are a block away on a hill, and while there are technically spaces in front, you're not likely to snag one. You CAN be dropped off in front of the building. They have beer and wine, as well as a simple snack bar to purchase candy/chips from. A lot of the staff are volunteers, so it's a bit chaotic, and since the lift is old and slow, get there 15 -30 minutes early because a lot of patrons use it. It's a lovely space to experience local theater and offbeat touring attractions like the...