Empress Theatre — Attraction in Vallejo

1st time to this venue. Let's start with the parking. We arrived about 30 minutes before show time and the 75 car parking lot directly across the street from the theater had just finished filling. I don't actually know how many cars were in the lot, as this was just an estimation, but I believe the car in front of us took the last open spot. This would have been the ideal lot to park in as it would have only been a 50 pace walk to the theater entrance, with a crosswalk leading to the front doors, but not to worry, I drove around the block and found street parking that was only 1/2 a block away. The streets are clean, well lit, and I felt safe enough walking with my elderly mother down to the theater. As you walk up to the entrance, you are welcomed by a classic theater greating. A large overhead lighted marquee, a small, single booth ticket office, and all of the posters and artwork describing the current and upcoming shows. Breathtaking. It was like going back in time to when movie houses were proud of the production that they were putting on. It makes for a dashing way to start the night and to put you in the mood for a great show. Once inside, you find yourself in a small lobby. A concession area is there, but it was not selling anything this evening. I felt like this was a good thing as, if there was a line for popcorn, it would have made the small lobby almost impossible to navigate. Head to your right or left down the hallways and around the corner into the heart of the theater. Our seats were to the left, but if you make the mistake of going the wrong direction, the theater is so quaint that it really doesn't matter too much. You can just walk to the other side once in the auditorium. We were in row R, which is half way up the mezzanine. The carpeted stairs to our seat had a sold handrail on the outside wall and the steps were large enough that you felt safe going up and down them. When we got to our seats, we found the only thing that will bring my review from 5 stars down to 4. Now, I'm 6' tall and my when seated in the red velvet seats, my knees hit the seat in front of me. This is not horrible as I was in row R. I did notice that row O and below have more leg room. Being a little taller, I will be purchasing seats there next time. I can't hold this against the theater, but the seats were also very narrow. I did not see that there were any seats above or below us that we wider. I think the theaters seats were just built for a different time when people in general were smaller. My hips, my mother's hips, and the hips of everyone around us talking at the time, did not fit comfortably in the seats. There are wooden arm rests on either side of each seat that are static. If they could raise up, that would have solved the problem, but I understand the enormous cost associated with replacing every seat in a theater. So although my overall score drops for a 5 to a 4 due to the width of the seats, it will not stop me from returning to this theater as everything else was a 5! I felt like overall the venue was absolutely outstanding for seeing your favorite acts up close and personal. There really isn't a bad seat in the house when considering the view of the stage. The floor level seats are slightly below the stage and the mezzanine seats raise parallel to and then raise above the stage. Row R ended up being about 6 ft or so above the stage, so you felt like you were slightly looking down onto the performers. There were probably another 6-8 rows behind us. If you were at the extreme back corner of the seating, you still would have a fantastic view of the stage and still close enough to see every detail. This is the perfect sized theater for a very personal experience. The show we saw included a 70-ish piece symphony and they filled the stage from tip to tail and from side to side. The lighting is high enough that it does not block the view of the stage, but it did get in the...

I used to go to the Empress Theater religiously every single Wed night for many years. I would even catch a weekend gig. But Wednesday I was always there. I met new people & had new friendships. If Susan had treated Don Bassey the way he deserved to be treated, I believe it would still be open & a success. Don put his heart & soul into the Empress. His band even played there always. The old saying, the most with the money has the most power. So many Empress Theater folks know the real truth. Susan should not have ever been allowed to run it like she has & did. I quit going after Don Bassey left & only went occasional when Kevin took over. She does not get along with people that well unless it's her way or the highway. It's sad cuz it's a fantastic place to have all sorts of venues. I saw one time when there Susan arguing with her husband Tim, he looked so embarrassed & just let her talk & have her way! Maybe that's the only way he could get her to stop. I hope someone with money, experience & creativity & musical inclined would take it over. Susan just had the money Now it's her wasted money& others. I kinda in the back of my head, knew this would eventually fold. She doesn't know Vallejo like she says she does. Good bye Empress Theater. I will miss you.

it's closing but maybe more kinder peop LL e will take it over & it can be a success again. Sorry Susan, I don't think you were the right person to take it on. Too...

I recently premiered a film here and ended my night disappointed and underwhelmed- especially for the money I paid. Though they allowed me to do a test screening of my film 2 days before the event, the A/V tech conveniently did not let me test with their subwoofers on. The night of the premiere the subwoofers sounded terrible. I even brought my own sound person with me but it was not salvageable hours before the show. Secondly, right before we went to screen the film a unexplainable green tinge began hitting the screen which both the "qualified" lighting and A/V tech had no solve for. The opening branding for my film all of a sudden was green for no reason. Lastly, the lighting tech- a $400 person to switch the house lights off/on once, blasted me with a spotlight (that I did not ask for) as I was giving my introduction speech, no coordination- no warning and $400 added to the bill. As a younger local independent filmmaker who put a lot of work/money into this night, this entire experience...