Bedlam Theatre

Reviewing this as a Bar/​Venue.
Bedlam is in a nice location, close to the light rail, some decent amount of parking, and easy to bike to from downtown or greenway. The layout of this building is great too. It’s nice to have all the dancing and noise somewhat separated from the bar and there’s a hangout area upstairs along with a patio with a decent view. Drinks are reasonably priced and the bartenders are always quick and very nice. Oddly enough they also have amazing muffins which while kinda pricey they’re 100% worth it. This would easily be a 4 or 5 star place if I was basing it off of the bar alone but the crowds they draw in for some events, specifically Bomp really hurts.
Yes I realize Axe products are lame but please dont associate the entire concept of deodorant along with those bro products. Honestly, I play hockey 2 – 3 nights a week and know people with equipment bags they never air out that smell better than the unholy sent given off by some of the people who attend Bomp. Perhaps this is some cool contest that at least 20 people at a time are taking a part of that I’m not aware of but either way you should be able to call the police for the assault that is dispatched on your nose. The DJ is great, the venue is great, the staff is great, but some events draw in an interesting crowd. If you ever had a desire to shit your pants to good music while eating an awesome muffin at a dance party and have the smell go entirely unnoticed this is the event to go to.

I am reviewing this place as a restaurant /​bar. But, like the other reviewers have pointed out, this isn’t just a theater, isn’t just a bar or a resaturant, it’s a community. And that’s awesome. It’s the numerous places like this that make Minneapolis a really amazing city to live in.
The food here is really amazing though. In the summer, the outdoor seating on the roof is just great too… a great view of downtown and of the light rail. Prices are reasonable. And I just have to say – the food here is REALLY FRIGGIN’ GOOD. And artful/​creative/​unique.
Beers? A few great local beers on tap – not a huge selection, but the choices that there are are great choices.
The people who work here are so friendly here. And this place is quirky and creative. I absolutely adore the gender-​neutral bathrooms, designated: «Stalls only.» vs. «Stalls and urinals.» Such a bluntly honest and descriptive form of labelling, and yet so subversive, in the most wholesome and direct way possible. I love it.
I hope to some day come to a concert or theatre performance here.

My friend’s sister is really into the underground music scene and told us about some sort of dance party going on at the Bedlam. I assume all dance parties that don’t take place at Spin or some other craptastic place downtown are going to be awesome and rave-​like. I assumed correctly.
I HAD SUCH A BLAST!!!
We danced all night, got to rock out to a wide variety of music, saw some girl’s hoo-​hah, chilled out on the rooftop patio, and mingled with the crowd of diversity. All in all, a decadent time.
When I told the bartender he had the same shade of pink on his nails as I had on my toes he winked and gave me the thumbs-up…can’t beat that love.
Downfall? You leave looking like a sweaty muddy pig from all of the action.
p. s. they don’t serve hard alcohol boooo

Bedlam isn’t just a theater– it’s a community. The people who work there are awesome, they have really amazing delicious food, great prices on wine & beer (a really generous happy hour) and I always feel safe there whether I’ve stopped by for a beer or a show or a queer event. They are so generous with the community, hosting countless fundraisers. The existence of the Bedlam Theatre makes Minneapolis a better place, and the pulled turkey sandwich is delicious, as is the kielbasa w/​sauerkraut. They have lots of veggie options too.

Am kinda biased cause I just had a show there. That being said, it’s an amazing spot with tons of on the edge performance and music coming through nightly. Always something cool to see or do there, and a huge community of young, progressive and hip folks around the space. Plus they have a bar and a restaurant to boot. Oh, and the staff members are all super sweet and pretty cute! Okay I admit it, I kinda have a crush on the spot. So will you.

heard they changed their hours, and are offering a great happy hour during the week:
6 or 7 to close every weekday 2 dollar can of ham’s!
Do it, you can’t deny the ham’s!

maybe it was the $ 2.50 tall boys. maybe it was the zombies. i really loved this place. i guess there’s a theatre there also? i’ll come back to see a show sometime.

I’ve never actually been to a show at Bedlam. I’ve known the place best as «Fringe Central» during the annual Fringe Festival.
I really love everything the Bedlam is about, so it is with some reluctance that I must gripe about them.
Why do I go to Fringe Central? Because theater is over, and I want a beer and to hang out with the other Fringers. If you substantially interfere with either of these goals, my goodwill is out the window.
My first attempt to do so was foiled entirely. I stood at the bar for 10 minutes, behind another person, and neither of us was able to get served. The bar was a little crowded, which might have been resolved if the bartenders SERVED ANYONE. They seemed to wander around and chat with people at the bar, but do nothing productive as to their bartending duties. I gave up, and left.
My second attempt I was actually seated at the bar, and the place was freaking empty. So I managed to get a beer. I may have had another, but my glass sat empty for far too long. My girlfriend wanted to flee the Black Sabbath (which I appreciated, actually), so instead she wanted to close her tab. Good luck there. Our beers were empty, she was slowly transitioning from polite hints that we desired the bartending staff’s attention to not so polite hints. Finally, someone breezed in and offered us another drink.
No, dear sir, we are fleeing now. Please return to your conversations. Sorry to have bothered you at all.
Bedlam may be a great place to catch a show, but for the love of god don’t try to get a drink there.

I just went to Bedlam for my first time on 07/​18,
which happened to be their 16^th birthday party.
I had such a good damn time!!!
For $ 15 I was entertained for hours
by a spectrum of performances.
My night kicked off in the parking lot with some dude singing opera.
Then there was a fire dancing performance that was amazing!!!
I was truly impressed!!!
Some of the stuff they were using was really neat.
Then we went inside and watch a comedy act
between two women named Katrina and Lindsay.
Really really really funny, I absolutely loved them
and I am going to try and stalk them down to see them again.
Then, the reason for me coming, MUCCA PAZZA played!!!
I’ve been waiting to see them perform for 2 years!!!
It’s a 25 person marching band.
Their style is pretty nerdy, gypsy, punk pep festy.
Everyone in the room was dancing!
Can you believe that???
People in Minneapolis were DANCING!!!
Hee hee
Usually at shows, people are too cool
to even really nod their heads much.
But here, at Bedlam, with Mucca Pazza,
we all danced like really excited 5 year olds.
Lots of butt shaking and arm flailing.
I had the best time ever!!!
Bedlam as a whole seems like an eclectic gathering,
there were all age ranges and many different types of folks.
I liked how it was set up,
I liked how it was decorated.
The performers that I ran into were all incredibly nice and lovable.
I am definitely going to keep tabs on what is going on over there.

I am going with five. The Pierogis, the tempeh sandwich… nice selection of beers… and rooftop you can sit on. Foodwise outstanding. They used to sadly not anymore, they had vernors…
Performance, community… music…even the attitude. This is who we are as Minneapolitans…
I love you Bedlam.

If you get the opportunity to go to a show here, GO. It’s a great theater space that also serves food and alcohol. I went to a benefit show on April Fool’s Day which was put on by the Four Humors (I believe). It was hilarious. As in, my jaw hurt from laughing so much. At one point in the show, two guys came out dressed as a Giant Baby (one one the shoulders of the other, both crammed into an oversized onesie) while another guy caught marshmallows in his mouth. AWESOME. They had an excerpt up on the wall from a reviewer who stated something along the lines of, «This is the antidote to a show at the Guthrie.» Which is dead on. Expect absurdist humor to the max. And hipsters with scarves. Dress accordingly.

I’ll say right off the bat that I know a number of people involved with stuff at the Bedlam, but I think I’m pretty unbiased about my experiences there.
The Bedlam has three main aspects: theater, food, bar
theater: minneapolis has a lot of theater and this is probably not the place for you if you have season tickets to the guthrie — it’s different, it’s community theater with a hardcore edge, and the actors aren’t always the greatest — but I’m kind of a theater snob so I may be being a bit harsh. The once a month Romp (a cabaret style show) and the Halloween Bare Bones Extravaganza are awesome (better puppet show then HOB, IMHO)
food: there’s a lot of polish fare, plus some standard bar stuff. if you are there when they have perogies, two words — do. it. they are amazing!
bar: I love their selection, and the service is pretty good, though keep in mind that a lot of them are volunteers. Also, it’s a tall bar, so if you are short like me, you gotta work to make yourself known, but what’s new?
One last thing — the scene is mostly punks and hipsters — I recently went on a Bomp Night (dance party) with a friend who works at Express and dresses mostly in their clothes… she didn’t really feel comfortable taking her coat off because of the way the rest of the crowd was dressed. Something to keep in mind.
p. s. I’m saying Yes for kids because here are almost always kids at shows… not all the shows are all-​kid friendly, and neither is the crowd, but the venue itself is pro-​kid.

This theatre is definitely the most cutting edge theatre I have been to in the Twin Cities. It has been home to the annual Fringe Festival and recently I saw the holiday show. It was shocking. It was creative. I liked it.
The actual space was intimate and I could see very well. People were drinking and the atmosphere was hip and cheery.

This place really amazed me. I have fond memories of this bar before it was the Bedlam. Back in my days as an Auggie, we held our college parties at the previous establishment which was a pretty trashy place. Honestly, it was perfect for under-​age halloween parties. I’m pleased to announce that it’s made quite a turn around! I went there as a stop on a light rail pub crawl. Incredibly convenient off the light rail and as others have mentioned, I would go there just for the patio and the cityscape view.

I love the Bedlam! They have a new space now, which means they are moving up I guess. They serve beer and wine. They have Dreamland Faces playing every Wednesday. I could stop there because I know you’ve been won over, but I’ll continue. They’ve got a huge theatre space now, with actual seats. Their bathrooms are unisex. They have a second story patio. They are right off the light rail and still have the Grease Pit holding on. If you took public transport there or biked, you get a discount. They have a variety of experimental theatre, and music and fun parties. And their food is good. They have cheap tall boys. Wow, after typing this I am thinking, why don’t I go here more often? Check it out.