Genesee Theatre

I went here to see Tommy Davidson and David Alan Grier in May. They were both funny! I went with a group of 4 women & we all enjoyed ourselves. The theater is really pretty, the staff were nice and one of the ushers was kind enough to take a group photo of us all even though the pic came out blurred.
There was no real food sold here, but they did serve selected alcohol drinks for those who drink. My small issue was what they sold as snacks, they only had a package of Cheez-​its, no potato chips, candy bars, or candy. That did disappoint a couple of us. Next time I’ll bring some candy. Overall this was a really nice experience and the exit music that they played as we all left the theater… all songs of the multi talented & missed Prince.

An absolutely beautiful theater! I like it more than most refurbished Chicago theaters, because it is not super-​gaudy. It is small-​ish and unusual in that you enter the stage room right from the main foyer. The crystal chandeliers — including some very unusual ones — are beautiful, and the wall/​ceiling detail is interesting and pretty.
The lounge areas and bathrooms are new and modern, but comfy and elegant.
There is quite a bit of a history display on the second floor, so check it out before your show.
Very friendly staff and plenty of parking around.
Wonderful that this gem was saved and restored.

Just saw Seinfeld there. It was awesome good opener great seats. Reminds me of the rialto in joliet but nicer.

I went to see Jerry Seinfeld a couple of days ago, absolutely hilarious. Jerry still has it! It was the first time I had ever seen anything at Genesee and I thought it was a nice old fashioned theater. I had no problem hearing Jerry and my line of sight was pretty clear (even though I was sitting in the cheap seats). A parking garage was close by and they had people directing traffic which was a huge help as well. The main knock on it was they only had 1 bar open on the first floor with 3 people working it and the line was bananas. It took about 25 – 30 minutes to get a drink which did cause me to miss part of the opening act since they only started letting people in about 15 minutes before show time.

Great place to see a concert. Wounderfull architecture and great acoustics. However there is limited seating before the concert at the bar and they’re very slow. The worst part is the phone Nazis. You can take pictures bit not video and that is fine but the ushers need to learn how a cellphone works. I don’t appreciate being told not to record the concert when I’m trying to get my phone to focus.
I understand why they don’t want to have people dancing in the aisle but they told my sister that if she didn’t go sit down he was going to arrest her. Since when can an usher make an arrest unless he is an off duty peace officer but he should have identified himself as such. If he is not an off duty peace officer could that be impersonating a peace officer? Either way they need to check their ushers attitudes before the ushers do something very stupid and get in legal trouble themselves.

Performance: Saw Richard Marx. He was awesome. Singing was spot on, the venue was beautiful and his engagement with the audience was 1^st class.
He had a backstory for most of his songs and seemed so comfortable he made you feel comfortable.
I’ve seen many performers come back down the pike years later and most do not hit it out of the park like he did. Never missed a noted, pitch perfect and entertaining. I’d see him again.
Venue: The venue is perfect. The Genesee Theater is a gem. Beautiful, well ran, good acoustics, large yet intimate. The place is clean and classy. The people that come to this theater seem friendly, respectful and really here for the experience.
The place is decorated for Christmas and is gorgeous. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this theater in its holiday best.
I wish there were an after performance bar area with cocktails, couches, TV’s playing clips from the performance and fireplaces.

This is a wonderful old theater in a town desperate for revitalization. The Genesee is pretty the only reason to go to Waukegan. Amazingly enough though they book some really great acts and it is really worth checking out the schedule and keep an eye out for newly added acts all the time. (i.e. get on their email list). We have seen everything from the Monkees to Bill Mahr from David Sedaris to Jay Leno (and many many more)!
The theater itself is beautiful and pretty much every seat has a good view. The ushers can get a bit testy but that is really the only slight negative. Check it out!

Nice little theater in a middle of a ghost town. Pleasant atmosphere but the screen was small and we had to seat really close to see the movie. The place was pretty empty and their concessions stand is very small and has very limited choices. Overall not too bad but I prefer bigger venues.

We saw the nutcracker on 12÷13÷14. The show and venue were beautiful. Only complaint was the shady valet service-​You can pay $ 15.00 for them to park OR try to get into the $ 1.00 per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week PUBLIC lot across from the theater-​IF the valet isn’t BLOCKING the self pay box with his body or orange cones he moves around, or waving you in frantically on the other side of the self pay box. It was empty, but the man demanded $ 15.00 to park myself in a public lot. He would not provide ID, receipt, or an explanation and said he represented the theater. When I attempted to discuss the matter with him after the show he stuck his finger in my face to stop talking and pointed across the street to a man in a truck who yelled, «It’s Waukegan parking ordinance, look it up» I asked the code and he didn’t know, repeated his catch phrase again. Theater took my name and seat, haven’t heard back yet. We watched the man and his fellow employees from the lounge windows laughing and counting the money they were collecting as no one stopped to question him.

A really beautiful building located in downtown Waukegan. This is one of the many places worth visiting in my hometown. Don’t let the surroundings scare you off (which I don’t blame you if you are LOL), Genessee is gorgeous! I went to see George Lopez when he came to do his tour and it was such a great time with friends and family! I noticed right away the antiquity of the construct.
The seats are kind of cramped, both side to side and from the seat ahead to where you are seated. The mini bars set up inside felt a bit awkward, and after the show ended, I also noticed how crowded the hallways became after the ending of the show.
It was a pretty good experience overall, and would come again.

What a grand old theater! Take a step back into yesteryear. Love that my Mom went there back in the 40s! Just saw Manhattan Transfer there and sat in upper right balcony… great view, great experience!

It cost too much to renovate, the drinks are too expensive, and you’ll never see a ticket cheaper than $ 45 because of the Theatrical Wardrobe Union and expensive muni-​bond interest payments. But what the hell else are you going to do? The lineup is decent, if inconsistent, and there is usually something worth going to at least once or twice a year.
The challenge of the Genesee will be to find smaller, alternative uses for the theatre between marquee shows. The film series are a good start. I’d like to see them expand that line of thinking.

This is a beautiful theater. They have a parking lot right behind the theater for $ 10.00 In side they have a small bar, cash only with a few snacks, beer, wine, other beverages.
The theater is vintage. They have lovely seats and decorations. I’d say there isn’t a bad seat in the place. They have the traditional orchestra seats and balcony.

What a beautiful place!
My father used to take me there when I was a little girl and to see it come back to it’s original grand beauty was out-​standing.
They offer a variety of performances, shows and entertainers.
I have seen many and have always been impressed by the show itself and the theater.
The whole place is amazingly beautiful and splendid to look at.
Please if you are in the area, you can’t miss this historic place!

This place would be MUCH more pleasant to visit if it wasn’t in the city of Waukegan.
I have been here a few times for shows… David Copperfield, most recently to see Straight No Chaser. I have no complaints about the theatre itself and the staff has been fairly pleasant as well.
My complaint is with the city itself. Last time we were here we used up all of our cash at the restaurant we decided to go eat at in the area before the show (next time eat at home as there is NO good place to dine at around this theatre). After our meteoker dinner, we then headed over to the theatre to find out that we had to pay ten bucks to park. The area of this theatre is in downtown waukegan… but nothing special. The lady collecting the cash only for the parking said that we could use the ATM inside the theatre but we had to come back out to pay right away because she was leaving before the show ended. The ATM was broken so we were told to walk a few blocks to a bank. The bank had an ATM inside but did not have the option to swipe at the door to enter (we were told this is because there was too much crime in this city). We then walked over to another bank –SAME THING! We finally walked almost a good 2 miles before we came across a bank with the drive thru that we just walked up to FINALLY get our cash and get the HELL out. We missed the first 20 min of the show.
OK – so I know. we should have extra cash – BUT seriously, should have NOT taken so dang long when banks and atms were located minutes away… SO again – cool theatre – very nostalgic feel, old school outfits that staff wears. but LOCATION does not even deserve 1 star.

My young family and I spent two evenings at the Genessee recently for the Latino film festival and its gala opening. This is an incredibly beautiful space – even in the lobby; and they put on a wonderful reception in the upstairs lounge. All the staff was courteous, even to our five-​month-​old (wasn’t expecting that for attending a film festival!) It was great to see other young families in there too. During the film itself, we discovered that the balconies and the front half of the lower level are best for viewing – otherwise, the underside of the balcony cuts off the view. This is so much more fun a place to go for movies than a multiplex; my husband discovered you can order a beer with your popcorn and everyone behaved themselves even with alcohol available.
All the big acts coming through tend to be out of our budget, but film festivals and similar events at this venue are going to be very high-​priority for our local leisure time from now on!

It was my first time at the Genesee Theatre. I came for an afternoon Laurie Berkner concert for the kids. In case any of you know the cable channels Nick Jr. and Noggin, then you know Jack’s Big Music Show. Laurie is the curly-​haired, red-​headed woman with the guitar who hops up and down when she sings and lots of cute kids dancing around.
The theatre had a great view despite the fact we were way in the back in row FF to the right of the stage. On the outside, it looks like the vintage 1920s era movie house. Inside, it’s been modernized yet retains the classic architecture that makes it so great. While not as elegant as the Chicago Theatre, it has its own ornate beauty, comfortable seats and great sound. The aisles were wide enough for the kids to hop up and down and dance in the aisles. Yes, a Laurie Berkner show is like a Grateful Dead type experience for the 3 – 6 year old crowd.
Looking at its layout, it’s a design that really works. I wish some newer theatres were built this way with the comfort of the audience in mind. Definitely going on my list of best places to see a show.

You don’t have to be a movie mavin to appreciate the Classic Films at the Genesee series.
For starters the admission is only $ 6 and half that if you are a student, senior or can show military ID.
The snack bar has the usual fare but also has beer and wine for reasonable prices. When was the last time you watched a movie with a glass of wine?
Another plus is that the balcony at the Genesee is open for patrons to enjoy; what a treat to be able to experience a balcony view of a motion picture. Few theaters have balconies these days and the ones that do generally have them closed because of liability concerns.
Most of the films start with period correct newsreels, cartoons and «coming attractions»; it’s almost like being at a showing of the film when it was a first run.
There are some blockbuster films included in the 2009 Classic Films series so why not pick one out for a night of great entertainment.

The theatre has been renovated and looks great. It gets a wide assortment of acts that come in between CHI and MIL. Comedy, music, film, kids, and I am sure other stuff. Parking is easy and plentiful.
While there are parts of downtown Waukegan that are being remodeled I am not sure if it is working as one older restaurant has recently closed and another one has closed after being open for only about a year. This makes me wonder what the majority of people who go to the shows do if 2 restaurants have closed within 1 block of the theatre.
The theatre is great and offers a great time, great décor.

Tried out their vip lounge option which was alright. Open bar for an hour along with some appetizers in a nice loungy area.
The theatre itself was nice and clean. They had a good number of ushers to help out. Free parking was also readily available.