Bing Crosby Theater — Attraction in Spokane

This art deco theater is an enjoyable experience for the most part. I've attended a few events here. There really isn't a bad seat in the house due to the small size, tiers, and acoustics. The seats are very small and not much knee space at all so if you are a large and/or tall person, be prepared for that. They do have a family/non-gender restroom on the 3rd floor past the bar for those whom require it.

They do require proof of covid vaccination or you test (you purchase and bring in unopened) right there. Although, I have issue with this part. We received an email just a day or two prior to the Fab Four concert (that was rescheduled twice due to covid complications) that proof or a covid test would be necessary upon entrance. This would have been nice to know well in advance during the window of deciding to get a refund or not. So we spent the extra money to buy the test (which was our budget for refreshments and could have went to The Bing instead of the pharmacy).

Let me tell you...I've never felt so judged and on display in my life. The staff was not even informed being tested was an option in lieu of showing vaccination proof. So there was a very obvious hold up in the line and loud discussion alerting everyone to that point. Then we were told to stand off to the side until they could confirm what they were supposed to do. Finally after about 20 minutes they had us stand over at a table that was set up in the lobby and do our test. The person "monitoring" wasn't present the entire time we awaited the results and then basically shouted over the crowd to just dispose of them in the trash and enter, not even verifying. What a waste of money and unnecessarily being given judgement and rude looks from other patrons. We were very annoyed by the lack of communication and follow through of their requirements. We also witnessed several of the staff and workers not wearing their masks at all times or properly, and no enforcement of their rules as to others wearing masks at all times unless eating/drinking. If this was such a big deal, then perhaps they should have treated it as such.

I'm sorry this review was more of a rant than about our theater experience itself but this pretty much set the stage and mood for the rest of our evening that we had waited so long for. The 3 stars is more for the theater and the Fab Four show would have...

Admittedly, this is an adorable and historic venue in the heart of downtown Spokane's entertainment district. They sell a small selection of concessions, including beer and wine. The women's bathroom was a fairly decent size (they're never large enough during intermission). Although there was no clear bag policy, they did look inside my clutch purse and wanded everyone at the door for weapons. A few patrons were surprised by this and had to sprint back to wherever they had parked and put away their concealed carry piece and then sprint back through downtown unarmed. Nobody made a big fuss, but they regretted not knowing beforehand. The MAJOR disappointment of the night was that the sound system for the ENTIRE venue never worked the ENTIRE performance. Thank heavens, one of the performers had packed in some of his own stuff and the entertainers were able to hand off that man's personal microphone (i know all this because he told us straight up from on stage). Another huge frustration - the website flatly would not let me purchase two seats on the end of a row that had three available! I ended up having to purchase ONE seat from that row and another single seat directly behind it! The website claimed i couldn't purchase two of the three seats because it would break up seating - well, guess what, genius?! That's EXACTLY what happened when I was forced to sit BEHIND my husband, instead of beside him. Some other late-comers were able to purchase the two next to each other and enjoy one another's company. Glad that I, having been there purchasing tickets first, was given the shaft so that those two could have access to the seats I repeatedly...

Very disappointing. It's a pretty theatre once you get inside. Not beautiful or amazing, but very pretty. Getting in is a feat...how many nonoperational doors and ticket windows can one theatre have, you might ask. MANY turns out. The disabled stall in the bathroom is strangely dark, and be prepared to do some advanced communication with them if you are in a wheelchair. Concessions are a sad assortment, (expensive junk food). Maybe that shouldn't have surprised me, but for some reason I expected some decent choices here. Lastly, every time someone opens the doors come/go into the lobby, it shines a huge light and silhouette up on the screen until the slowly closing door is again closed, super annoying. And unless you're using a ride sharing service, you're paying for downtown public parking on top of the cost of Entry, so in my opinion, just not worth it. So much potential in this old theater going to waste. Not sure why there are so many over the top reviews about it. Maybe because Spokane doesn't have many options so it doesn't take too much to get...