Orpheum Theatre — Attraction in San Francisco

tl;dr Until this issue is fixed theater-goers should avoid booking seats in rows S, T, and U (or any other rows close to the ledge of the balcony).

I preface this review by saying that my family loves the theater and we have been coming to the Orpheum for decades and until this incident and have been satisfied with the experience.

On July 27, 2024 I attended Mrs. Doubtfire with my family. During the second half of the show, a glass, at least partially filled with alcohol, fell from the balcony above. The glass narrowly missed the head of the woman in front of me, hit my knee, and then subsequently shattered on the ground.

I am lucky in the sense that all I had to worry about was glass on my clothing and all over the floor. My knee is bruised, but had that same glass hit the head of the woman in front of me, she would likely have lacerations in addition to an awful bruise and a possible concussion.

Changes should be made to ensure the safety of theater-goers. I was frankly disappointed that those whom I spoke to (house manager and head usher) were not more concerned with this accident. No one mentioned taking action to fix this issue, no one took my contact information, and no one mentioned that this issue would be raised up the management chain.

As I said, I grew up in San Francisco and my family and friends have been attending shows at the Orpheum for years, but I am very disappointed in the establishment right now. Please take action

At the very least there should be a barrier preventing objects from falling. Management should also consider only selling products in plastic, paper, or aluminum containers.

Until this issue is fixed theater-goers should avoid booking seats in rows S, T, and U (or any other rows close to the ledge of the balcony).

I have emailed Orpheum's management about this matter and attached a copy of this review. I hope they take...

The show was excellent and had a wonderful night.

However, I hate coming to the Orpheum theatre.

Parking. It's around $30 for parking. If that's expensive or cheap, I have no clue in today's world.

The vicinity. The area is just horrible. Human feces on the ground. Permanently closed Whole Foods. Tons of homeless people around. Aggressive drivers honking around. Guests were fast walking to their cars.

It's an old building. Opened in 1926.

A well designed theater gives everyone a clear view of the stage. This place does not. I was seated next to the center isle so the guy in front's head is blocking my view. I'm sure I'm blocking the guy behind me's view too.

Loud air conditioning turned on during the show that caused everyone to start coughing. It was loud. Everyone kept looking up wondering what it was.

The seats were crunched like a Southwest Flight. Kept getting kicked in the back, but I don't blame the person behind me.

QR code to order drinks to your seat? Probably good for Orpheum's money, but this is a horrible idea for guests that are here to enjoy the show.

Please close the doors once the show starts. Let them in once the song ends. Why ruin the show for everyone that were responsible and came seated on time?

Anyways, I know The Orpheum is a historical building and we all have a lot of memories with it so sorry to rant about it.

To end on a positive note, the staff members were very helpful...

Gorgeous theater in downtown SF. Outside of the theater is not the greatest at all, but inside you’re transported to another time. It’s beautifully ornate, with plenty of helpful staff at every turn to help direct you to your seat. We caught the Moulin Rouge before it left and WOW!

The sound and lighting in this theater is top notch. The seating is not updated so it’s tight with no cup holders and isn’t tiered the best, therefore a lot of switching seats to be able to see over heads was necessary.

Many bars and concessions and although convenient and super tempting I’d rate them a 2/5. We paid $20 each for Froze that I couldn’t drink. It tasted like what you buy in the slushee kiosk in the streets of NOLA. The popcorn was pre packaged nicely and was as good as popcorn can be. I didn’t check the price of the popcorn but I know the total for 2 frozes, 1 bottle of water and a popcorn was $63. Yikes ! I can’t speak to the women’s restroom since the intermission restroom situation was complete chaos. The line for the women was easily 60 women deep, so the kind attendant let us know that the men’s room had stalls so a new line formed for the men’s room which was kinda small. I’d say try to hold it until the end and definitely go before the show starts. All in all, we of course will be back to catch a show, sans...