Warner Theatre

There are peep holes in the men’s room closet that look into the woman’s room in the balcony bathrooms.

Wow! What a gem in a place-​and I mean this well-​like Erie! I traveled up to Erie this past weekend to visit someone who lives there. He got us tickets to the Erie Philaharmonic Pops concert: Heroes and Villains. We sat on the lower level towards the back but still had excellent seats. I’d venture to say every seat in the house is a good one. My comparison to the Warner would be Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, which is where I live. I actually thought the Warner, while smaller, was much more ornate and elaborate than Heinz Hall. Interesting note: my companion said Warner Brothers owned this theater originally-​hence the name Warner Theatre. He also said it was restored a few years ago. In addition to the Philaharmonic, they also host other concerts and comedians too.

The Warner Theatre is a gem from the days of glamorous movie theaters of the 20s and 30s. The art deco details are beautifully preserved throughout the entire building. There were beautiful architectural details everywhere you looked. There were some areas that you could tell were a work in progress, but I was glad to see the lovingly restored areas and the attention to detail that was paid.
Seats on the ground floor were spacious and comfortable, something you don’t always get in an old theater.
Inside the theater lobby, there is a refreshment stand, souvenier stand and coat rack. Much like other vintage theaters, the bathroom situation leaves something to be desired. The bathrooms were clean and beautiful, but as is always the problem, there were not enough stalls for the number of people in the theater.
The beauty of the theater aside, I wish the ushers would have been more helpful in locating our seats. They were scattered throughout the theater but weren’t easy to track down.
Overall, a fantastic experience. I’d go to a show again at this venue.

Saw Bob Weir and Ratdog here a few years back. The show was a day or two before Halloween and I wore my Uncle Sam costume and the staff loved it. They were all really nice and the theatre couldn’t have been more beautiful. This is a gem of a theatre in a town that really doesn’t have much else going for it. Sorry, Erie.
You could transplant the Warner to any major US city and it would thrive. I sure do hope it’s doing just fine where it is though. Would hate to see another cultural monument fall by the wayside for lack of interest. ERIE: GO TO THE WARNER!