Fitzgerald Theater — Attraction in Saint Paul

Don't take your wife to this theatre!

On Friday February 9th I took my wife on a date to see the show "Criminal" when purchasing the tickets we had to agree to a list of behavioral standards which were very detailed and we agreed to, when we arrived we had no idea there was a security screening and when the young man KYLE performing security checks asked to see inside my wife purse she refused as she had personal products inside she did not want displayed in public, we went back to our vehicle and she put her purse in order and we returned. The same young man Kyle then proceeded to interrogate and humiliate my wife (who is a 50 year old professional woman who looks by no stretch of the imagination like a criminal) by demanding she remove each item from her purse and putting his fingers inside of every MM of her purse, checkbook, wallet, personal care items etc. When my wife asked about why he was acting aggressive he stated "HAVEN'T YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR HOUSE IN THE LAST YEAR?" then my wife was fed up with his disrespectful attitude and told him "Don't speak to me like that, you are being disrespectful" his response was "your disrespecting out policy" I expected the behavioral guidelines of respect to be reciprocal but I was wrong and no one at the theatre would respond so I wanted to warn the public! Don't waste your time at he Fitzgerald or 1st Ave unless you want to be mistreated. Also I can say for a fact that the metal detectors they used to wand the men did not detect a weapon so the security is useless except to harass...

The Fitzgerald Theater (seats 1,058) is a great place to see a show. It’s small setting ensures the performer on stage and the people in the seats get a decent experience, intimate-wise. There’s really not a bad seat in the house. Unless, of course, you sit behind a tall “bro” who insists on keeping their baseball cap on and lean forward to further block your view while filming portions of the show on their phone or grab their beer resting on the first balcony ledge, or talk nonstop to their date. Brad Roberts, Crash Test Dummies lead singer, continued to sing song after song from the band’s 2 most popular CDs recorded over 30 years ago, and appeared to actually enjoy himself for most of the show. Other times, not so much. Sometimes his stage presence was more like the band was practicing for this thrice-times-rescheduled show. Troubadour/Canadian/opening act Mo Kenny was very enjoyable. You gotta appreciate a performer’s whose in-between-song banter reaches such a high level, self-deprecating-wise. Returning to mixing with my fellow humans means I’ll need to adjust my own expectations, tolerance-wise. @FirstAve & @Fitzgerald, while I appreciate the printed program vintage-wise, the lack indicating the year “2022” as part of the show date means it lacks credentials, archive-wise. Your marketing people should know better. You’re gonna pick that out of your files 2 years from now and have a hard time recalling which year this show...

I was very happy to hear Tim Heidecker’s tour was coming through town, and then less excited when I saw it was at the Fitzgerald.

Being the oldest active theater in Saint Paul and former home to a production that need not be named, I feel some obligation to give it a good rating/review based on its historical significance.

But that’s not how this really works is it. Good thing out of the way, the staff here are really helpful when I had a question, and quick to keep people moving - which is super important in this space.

The main problem with seeing a show here is the actual moving around the building, and of course the historic seats. God forbid you have to go to the bathroom, or have mobility issues. I’m definitely not claiming that they aren’t ADA compliant or up to code, it’s just really tight so it feels like a mad dash to wait in a single person line for everything you have to do.

In the three shows I’ve been to I’ve never had a bad sight line, but the sound has varied in quality depending on the act. So that’s where I land, I’ll go there to see a show if I adore the artist and I expect to be completely immersed in their performance. But otherwise I don’t think I’ll put in too much effort to see...