The Palace Theatre Albany

I’ve seen many shows at The Palace throughout the years, but the reason I’m writing this quick review is for the theater’s support of The Kids of Albany’s presentation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Kids of Albany have been producing incredible shadow-​cast versions of the cult classic for the past several years. If you are at all familiar with the film, you’ll know that audience participation is heavily encouraged and includes hurling handfuls of rice, pieces of toast, and toilet paper all over the theater throughout the movie. If you walk into a theater that just showed Rocky, you’ll know it.
It takes an open-​minded and tolerant operation to allow this kind of thing to happen inside of a historic and often restored theater. The Palace allows the Kids of Albany and their followers the chance to enjoy the beauty of one of the area’s jewels… and then make a complete mess of it. Hats off to the entire Palace staff, but especially the folks that cleaned up after the show.

Staff is great, and very helpful!
The décor is absolutely beautiful. The paintings on the ceiling were breath taking. You can tell the theatre has been taken care of!

Amazing old theater, perfect venue for any show.

BEAUTIFUL OLD THEATER… nicely restored. great place.wonderful acoustics… comfortable seats with LEG ROOM! despite what they claim don’t go there to eat & drink though…

Always a class act. Good wines today– best I have ever had at this type of venue. PLUS they let ladies use the men’s room as there were 85% women at «THERESA CAPUTO LIVE– the experience!»
Love you Theresa. You do Good Work.

I do not understand why these beautiful old theaters have relaxed the food and drink policies and now allow people to bring food into the house; beverages and food should be consumed in the lobby. Period. I don’t want to smell your popcorn and budlight while I’m watching a concert. This is a theater, not a sports venue, not an arena. Food and drink do not belong in the house. And… rant over.
The theater is lovely and the ticket prices are usually reasonable. They have some great acts that come in. When I ordered tickets a while ago for the Irish Tenors and the show was cancelled, they were very quick to process a refund.
Parking is a beast. There are at least 2 or 3 good dinner options within walking distance.
Oh, and stop jaywalking when you get out of the show. You’re asking to die.

This is a beautiful theater, well run and user friendly. It is wonderful that Albany has kept it open, what a gem!

I love The Palace. They get some good comedy tours once in a while. But mainly because they show old movies for $ 5 on Mondays. Something about watching a movie on film and seeing all the flaws is so much better than digital projectors. Yea, they have old school seats that don’t recline with no cup holders and you are right on top of the person next to you but they don’t build classic places like this anymore and I’m all about nostalgia.

Awesome place. Have been there twice, once to see a comedy show and for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The interactive version of the Movie was SO much Fun!!! The audience was throwing rice, water, cards, toast, papers, and other props at each other while dancing along to the songs (Time Warp Wooohoo). Would love to go back to watch their other seasonal movies (even if they’re not interactive). If they played older cool movies every week I’d totally go there and I’m sure other people would too.

This is such a beautiful old theater… the ceiling itself is worth checking out! Everything is gold and glorious, transporting you back to a time when cinema and theater were fancier… for more on the palace’s bathrooms, check out my blog which chronicles the best and the worst bathrooms in the area:

Bottom line, this place is nice, but the alcohol policies are terrible. I was at a stand up comedy performance, and the there were so many people at an extreme level of intoxication just in my immediate area. Not only that, but these people were walking to their seats after being served trays of 4 beers each. Sorry, but if you’re a nice place, binge drinking shouldn’t be allowed.
To make matters worse, some of these drunks were loud and disruptive, and when a patron asked them to quiet down, they threatened them with violence. This was all in ear shot of not one, but 2 ushers who did nothing to address the situation.
I didn’t feel comfortable and I didn’t feel safe.
This place really needs to address these types of issues.

The Palace is a beautiful theater. Perfectly restored. I love the marquee and the beautiful work on the ceiling and walls. The sound is good and the ushers are friendly.
Unfortunately, the lines for beer were SOOOOOOOOOOO long. It took 20 minutes to get to the front of the line at the upstairs bar. There seems to be space to set up another bar on the opposite side of the upstairs — why don’t they do it? It kind of ruins the show when you and your friends want a beer but you have to miss half a set of music to buy one. They only cost $ 5 (for Newcastle!), but I’d rather pay $ 7 and have another bar to fix this MAJOR line issue.

Beautiful theater! I came here twice this past month for the Russian Ballet’s Nutcracker and for the Albany Symphony’s Magic of Christmas concert. We had seats in different sections each time (orchestra vs loge), but the view and the acoustics were great each time (I personally enjoy the loge seating the best). The theater is beautiful inside and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Snacks and drinks are also pretty cheap and it’s just a nice experience going to the Palace Theater.
Extra tip — parking is free just down the street and it’s super easy to get to a variety of restaurants downtown from the same free parking. You can also park in the Pump Station’s lot for free and walk to the theater.

With a marquee that is desperately trying to illuminate the sadly depressed capital of New York, this beautifully restored theater is well worth attending. Free nearby garage parking on event nights if you can’t find a spot on the street. Decent restaurants, bars, and a coffee shop all within an easy walk.
Extra star for the shockingly ample seating. Nothing you would ever expect from a theatre of its time.
Went to see the Russian Ballet perform the Nutcracker. Only complaint of the night was that there was not the traditional flickering of the lights during intermission, signaling time to return to your seats. Unfortunate disruption to the performance.

Reasonably priced tickets for good shows here at the Palace. It’s a smaller, old-​school theater that doesn’t really have a bad seat in the house. The stadium seating on the lower level could stand to be more steep, but it’s enough to help if you’re vertically challenged or if someone seated in front of you has big hair. In contrast, the balcony is VERY steep and lacking in railings. I’m not normally afraid of heights, but I avoid going up there at all costs because I’m pretty sure I will tumble over the edge. And like any older theater, the seats at the Palace are more narrow, less cushy, and lacking leg room compared to the newer construction we’ve become accustomed to. In that sense, it’s sort of like an air plane with live entertainment.

It’s a super cool theater from the outside but if you need to grab tickets from the box office, remember it’s two doors up from the lobby entrance!
The venue itself is huge and has great architecture as well as amazing sound; I couldn’t have picked a better place to see a show. The seats were comfortable and the ushers were super polite and nice. Victor was right on point when he stated that the seats are on an extreme angle; I was wearing boots and really had to watch when I manuvered up and down the aisle.
Aside from the sketchy area a few blocks away, this is a hidden gem!

I’ve been to many events at the Palace. The most recent event was the Rick Wakeman/​Jon Anderson show in October of 2011. That is where they lose a star. The place was freezing! Even Jon Anderson, who was standing under the stage lights, thought it was cold! Granted, the place was half empty, but still. However, I’m sure it’s an arm and a leg to heat the place.
Other than that it’s an awesome place to see a show. We’ve seen two movies there «Rebel Without a Cause» and «It’s a Wonderful Life». Definitely go see a movie there! Preferably an old classic. The beautiful old surroundings really add to the viewing experience.
Definitely go to the Palace for a show, movie, whatever may be happening there, It’s a great venue!

Stone Temple Pilots rocked the Palace! Great old school gem in downtown Albany. The architecture, art on the walls all to be ignored by half drunk rockers. But hey, I was too. Great seats are had by all.

This place is a gem. Old school, early 1930s movie house, turned concert venue. Really great design, sightlines, and sound. I went out of my way to come here and it was worth it. Reasonably priced beers, but the lines are LONG.
I would definitely recommend this place.

I’ve always been a big fan of The Palace. The first time you walk into this place it will hit you: this place is a relic. The décor is reminiscient of the early days of theater, when it was a real luxury to be able to even be IN a theater. Carved moldings, balconies, the painted ceiling that looks like clouds — even now, having been to my fair share of shows, it’s still quite beautiful.
The balcony seats are a little crazy. I’d advise anyone who doesn’t like heights or gets vertigo easily to avoid these. Even so, the sound up there is still fantastic.
Especially attractive is the Palace’s plans to revive their movie showings. I just got back from seeing The Godfather there, and WOW. How enjoyable!