The 5th Avenue Theatre

I have always loved any and all things 5^th Avenue — last night my daughter and her friends saw that «Teen Tix» was offering seats for «Kinky Boots» — they got all dressed up (thank heavens none of this Saturday afternoon errand running attire that has gotten common at the theatre) and took the train up town. They arrived at the box office 30 minutes prior to curtain — as instructed by a very kind and helpful box office man — got 4 INCREDIBLE seats all together and had the time of their lives. Thank you 5^th Avenue for participating in this great «Teen Tix» program, and thank you especially for treating those young adults with as much care and curtesy as you do your full fare patrons — definitely a class act!
For any of you who don’t know about «Teen Tix» — if you have kids 19 or younger they can sign up free of charge and get a pass that gives them 30 or so amazing cultural activities — plays, museums, events — every day for just FIVE dollars — highly, highly recommend checking it out.

I really enjoyed shows from 5^th ave theater. Every shows what I watched was fantastic and awesome. Actors and actresses including of all staffs are so nice and amazing.

I am not a massive theatre person, but was offered complimentary tickets through a business relation. My mother was visiting from Arizona, so I figured why not? We made a night out of it and went to a fabulous dinner before the show. Unfortunately, we lost track of time and arrived nearly 10 minutes late! The workers at the door were very understanding and hurried us to our seats. We enjoyed the production of A Night With Janis Joplin. The cast was very talented! We were very captivated by this performance. At Intermission, we went to the bar for a drink and were greeted by a friendly bartender and pretty good pours of drinks!
Overall, it was a wonderful night that I would recommend highly to any lover of the arts or anyone who wants something new to do on a weekend!

The 5^th Avenue Theatre never disappoints. I’ve been here for Sweeney Todd, Damn Yankees and now a Night with Janis Joplin. This theatre has a rich history, complete with architectural inspiration from China. The dragon on the ceiling is actually a replica of one in the Imperial Palace. It was constructed in the 1920s and was temporarily closed in the 70s. Luckily it was saved by a group of investors and thus we can still enjoy the beauty of this theatre today. The shows here are always changing and it is a perfect date night if you’re trying to impress! It used to be that you could not bring drinks with you to your seats but they now have cups with lids that you can buy for $ 3 in order to bring your drink with you. If you haven’t been yet, you simply must go for the pure fact that you haven’t quite experienced Seattle if you haven’t been to the 5^th Ave.

I love this place so much, I decided to subscribe the entire season. When they canceled ‘Sleeping Beauty Wakes’ and replaced it with a show I didn’t care for, they allowed me to trade the tickets for a show not part of the subscription. Good staff!

«How to Succeed in Business: without really trying» is a very well done production. Flawless, funny, with perfect sound levels — remarkably easy to understand every word of every line. The character acting and role casting were great too. Especially Wally Womper and Hedy La Rue.
Amusing, but food for thought too.
I love how live theater — really well done, carries one along so effortlessly. The awesome team of designers, crew, musicians, and actors at the 5^th have done it again!

I love this theater and have no idea how I have managed to go so long without writing a review. I am definitely here at least a few times every year depending on how appealing the season listings are. I love to make a night of it with a nice dinner before hand and maybe some drinks afterwards. I do find parking to be a bit tough in this area and usually just end up forking out the money for the lot down a block and across the street. Last night it was 10 $ which seems reasonable since street parking rates continue to rise. Its a short walk though and mostly hassle free.
This theater is very decorative and looking at the building is a treat in itself. The quality of shows are very impressive as well. While I have seen a few things I didn’t love, they were put on very well with great actors, props and costumes. When I plan to see a couple of shows I try to get a mini subscription, but if I was rich I would definitely be a full season subscriber every year. I usually end up with the cheaper priced tickets and am not too close to the stage, but when I can sit closer its absolutely amazing. I keep my eye out for deals on tickets by both their emails and checking goldstar frequently. You do end up getting a lot of calls to purchase subscriptions or to donate but everyone I have talked to has been really nice.
My only complaints are the coldness of the lobby, be sure to dress warm, its an old building. As well as the long lines for the bathroom. I look forward to seeing performances here for many more years.

Other than the woman’s bathroom being downstairs and men’s up, it’s a fine theatre. Most seats have amazing views and staffs are so nice.

This place is a treasure. One of a kind — literally. I have been coming here since before the last big renovation and my family sees at least one show a season. It’s a pretty small venue so there really are no bad seats. Take a while to really look at all the ornamentation. It will blow your mind.

One of my favorite theaters! The theater was built in the 1920’s, and was inspired by Chinese architecture, so it’s great to arrive early and walk around to enjoy the beautiful interior. Seating can be expensive when you reserve them online (~$ 9 extra per ticket), so similar to what other reviewers have said, it would be cheaper to buy them in person at the box office. Finding parking in the area is impossible, so be sure to buy a parking pass through the theater for only $ 6 and park in any of the 4 designated parking garages. The $ 6 parking pass is valid 2 hours before the show, and is good for 5 hours. Definitely much cheaper than what you would normally have to pay in the non-​designated parking garages!
The performances are generally Broadway-​like and very enjoyable. We came to see The Sound of Music and sat in the upper mezzanine in the far corner. Even though we were far back, we still had a good view of the stage. I would love to see other performances here in the near future!

I’m a big fan of live theater, so going to The 5^th for an evening of fun is hard to top. Combine that with a fancy meal at one of the many neighborhood restaurants, and you’ve just made your own magic.
I would strongly recommend going down to the box office and buying your tickets in person. If you have a ton of money to burn, forget I said anything. But if you’re like me, and you don’t want to pay an extra $ 9 per ticket convenience fee (on top of the high ticket prices), then go grab them in person. Also, try and get your tickets early, as they tend to go fast.
Please don’t get me wrong here. The prices are high because they are in demand. Just do yourself a favor and avoid the fees. You’ll have more money for better seats!
Enjoy the show!

Buying tickets
Bought tickets with a travelzoo deal for 50 $ each, sunday night show with aisle 8, row E seats in the balcony. I also heard you could get same days tickets for 20 – 29 $, but have not tried that. If you buy a deal from someplace other than the website, make sure to call right away and reserve your seats for the best options.
Parking
Make sure you park in one of the suggested garages so that you can get a parking pass. You also have the option to purchase it ahead of time. Its only 6 $ for parking, valid for 5 hours, starting two hours before the show. Else parking can get really expensive.
Theater
Coat check is available and very useful for those heavy winter coats. Multiple food, alcohol kiosks, everyone tends to stop at the one right at the entrance– make your way upstairs or further in to skip the long line. You can get a sippy cup for 3 $ to take your drink inside. A relief from having to gulp it down. I got wine for 8 $ and hubs got a brownie. Both were good and generously sized.
Arrive atleast 30 mins before start to give time to be seated comfortably and use the restroom or get a drink.
Booster seats available for kids. Its a beautiful old theatre in the oriental style. Great service by the ushers. Good acoustics
Show
We went to the sound of music on a whim as i loved the movie as a child and my husband likes theater.
My personal opinion was that the show was good but as a huge fan of the movie, maria left a lot to be desired. She was off– or rather made it feel like adele more than maria. Rest of the cast were fine. After intermission, the show was a little lackluster. Do re mi was sung three times during the performance– a bit of overkill. Definitely go, but look for a discount ticket. My companion felt it was not entertaining enough, having never seen the movie. I liked it because all the songs were familiar. Its very subjective i guess!

I am pretty impressed with the productions the 5^th Ave. puts on. Last night I saw The Sound of Music. The characters were wonderful, except the Captain had no singing ability whatsoever, and Maria had too Broadway of a voice for her part which requires a great deal of advanced singing.
I’ve also seen The Christmas Story, which was a blast from beginning to end. Such talent in that production! I’ve also seen South Pacific and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the 5^th Ave. The stage comes out around the orchestra, and it’s really fun to see how the actors use the extension of the stage. Overall great shows here, and parking at the Hilton is a breeze. You get to walk underground and come out right out front of the theater. $ 8 event parking was a great deal at the Hilton since they usually charge $ 8 for the first half hour.

Oh man, this theatre is fantastic. We’ve seen a large selection of shows here now and are always quite impressed. The ticket office has great customer service as long as you’re willing to wait a good while on the phone on hold. Or, if you actually live or work downtown, just go in person as that is always easy. Their online platform is also easy to use as long as you access it from a desktop web browser. Their mobile site is not quite as nice for ticket purchases.
The theatre itself is beautiful and has great sound. Even with the size of the theatre, there aren’t necessarily bad seats. But I will give you this tip for buying decent seats on the cheap. Sign up for their email newsletter and you’ll get all the emails about when ticket sales start, and also when there are sale promotions. We almost always wait for a sale promotion to buy tickets and still end up with good seats on a performance date that works for us. I like to look for seats around row N on the left or right sides of the theatre. They are second or third tier in terms of pricing (depends on the show maybe), but close enough you feel like you got a great deal, and sitting on the side in this theater isn’t really that bad at all. Plus it’s easy to get in and out of your seat.
Big bonus: just this summer the theater started offering adult sippy cups that allow you to take your beverage purchase into the theater with you. No longer do you have to pound that cocktail, glass of wine, or cup of coffee before the curtain opens. Just purchase the cup with your first drink and bring it back to other shows for use over and over again.
Also, the $ 6 parking ticket you can buy when your purchase your show is a steal. It’s valid in three different parking garages all within a few blocks of the theater, and will save you additional cash. Doors to the theatre typically open about 30 minutes before a show and I recommend getting there when they open to use the bathroom, check out the merchandise, and grab a beverage or snack before you sit down. Seating typically begins 15 minutes before the show. If you’re sitting in the middle of a row, be polite and try to get seated as quickly as possible (this is why you should come early to do those other things ahead of when seating begins). Also, there are cushions/​boosters available for those young theatre goers so those tall folks (like my husband) don’t block their view. But, if they are really little or can’t sit still/​keep quiet for a few hours at a time, better to wait until they are older or have a longer attention span.
Also, the women’s restroom off the first floor is laughably small, so just head up the stairs and be amazed at how quickly the line moves when there are more than like 5 stalls to choose from (c:

I went to see a production of waterfall and I must say, I was completely blown away. I didn’t even know how gorgeously dreamlike a stage set could be.
It’s an older theatre, which you can tell obviously from the bathrooms. But you wouldn’t know it from the theatre area. I was able to get a free ticket, but I definitely would have been happy to pay for this show because it was lovely.

Went to see Waterfall, a new musical theatre show on its way to Broadway. The venue was clean, older and had plenty of staff/​volunteers to assist with questions, etc. Picked up tickets at Will call without any problems. Refreshments are available pre show, and at intermission (including beer and wine). Rest rooms are clean and are kept up. The facilities are big and wait time was minimal. Enjoyed the show. Elevator available for the balcony levels via the Skinner Building next store.

Saw MATILDA THE MUSICAL 8÷25÷2015. This is not a cute, sweet show for young children… they just wouldn’t get the story. But the worst part was that I couldn’t understand most of the words whether spoken or sung. Thought it was just my hearing at first. But it was plenty loud… just very tinny and fast (plus people around me couldn’t understand things either). The actress that played Matilda was very good. The choreography was great and the special effects were wonderful.

Matilda — One of my favorite books and movies growing up. I saw that the musical was coming to Seattle and purchased tickets immediately. The show was okay — it could have been better though. The characters — especially the children were difficult to understand. I thought the girl that played Matilda was incredible. Had a lot of confidence and stage presence for such a young age. She has a bright career ahead of her.
Another thing that I noticed tonight was that one of the scenes from act II started and than started over because some of the stage props were not put away in a timely manner. I have been to many musicals and don’t think I have ever seen a scene start and than start over.
I enjoyed the show but because the children were difficult to understand and there was a hiccup with the stage props I have to give tonight (⁸⁄₂₂) 3 stars

I have been to the 5^th Avenue theatre a couple of different times and most recently I went for a christmas story. The theater is a really beautiful and affordable theatre. They host a good variety of shows– some well known classics and other local shows.
They also have a full service bar to order drinks before the show or during intermission. One thing I recommend is ordering your intermission drink before intermission because it can get very busy and the line can get pretty long.
You can order tickets online or purchase them at the box office. If you’re going to be downtown and can buy them at the box office, I recommend it because you avoid the service charge. Also, check with your employer; many employers offer discounted tickets. If you really become a fan, then it may be worth your time to look at the deal they do around christmas time: 5 shows for $ 100 or something like that.

We took in A Chorus Line on a weekday and the theater was packed like any other weekend night. The ensemble cast was spectacular especially the actress who played Cassie. The lighting was on point, the orchestra was booming, sound, temperature, everything was A okay. The theater is definitively an older, historical joint that’s been conserved over and over.
The bar was well kept but a little lacking. Parking is available on three adjacent lots. We’ve had a great experience here and will look forward to visiting again!