San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

255 S Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95113, USA

Address:	255 S Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95113, USA
Phone:	+1 408-792-4542
Site:	sanjosetheaters.org
Rating:	4.2

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 18

Michael B Wisper

This is, without a doubt, the most poorly designed theatrical venue in the entire Bay Area. No center aisle means the rows are ridiculously long, equating to a major fire hazard should one occur...good luck getting outwith your life if youre sitting in the middle seats in this barn! Acoustically, its absolutely dreadful unless youre up in the mezzanine where the sound is managing to o, probably in an effort to get itself out of there! I only go there when its the only place doing a performance I must see, otherwise I religously avoid it. The bathroom and concession stands are poorly placed, making it nearly impossible to take a snack or restroom break during intermission and getting back to your seat in time. This hole needs some serious redecoration and interior redesign. I understand its an architectural landmark, but that, I assume is only for the exterior, cause the interior isnt winning any prizes from anyone I know, including myself. The only saving grace is when the lights go out during a performance so you can stop looking and forget that youre sitting in a rat-hole. San Jose City Council needs to come up with some money and do a complete re-do of this awful place.

Lyle Eddlemon

I purchased season tickets through Living Social and upon locating our seats we found them to be a horrible view. We went to the box office immediately and they said that I could exchange them and pay the difference - no problem. Now that I call (Team San Jose) to do that with Cinderella Im being told I cant do that - why??? You can still sell my tickets to someone else and get a better price and then charge me for the current price for the better price. Do you not see the Customer Service and win/win situation for everyone concerned?

Edward Wu

I came for the 9/7 Wicked afternoon showing, and I was pretty impressed. I sat in row 20, which was close enough to even make out the actors faces. We were also allowed to bring in drinks, which was surprising since there were no cup holders on any of the chairs. When the show began, they wouldnt allow people to enter in the middle of a song, but when they did a lot of sunlight would stream in which was a bit distracting. Lots of people complained about the air conditioning, but it worked perfectly fine and sometimes was a bit chilly.

Randy Baker

We just saw the "Australian Bee Gees Show" and were VERY disappointed. From what we could hear, the performers were good (we were in the second row), however, this was the poorest sound system I have ever heard. From the beginning it was hard to hear clearly the performers and the video backup that they showed was equally poor (must have been 70s dot matrix technology). We left at the intermission and decided to just go home and listen to the CDs we have. What could have been a great show, was lousy.

Case Walker

The sound was pretty terrible. I saw a particular show twice, first at The Warfield in San Francisco, and then at this venue. The sound quality here caused a lot of the content to be completely jumbled and lost, some words were also drowned out by the bass, whereas everything was perfectly clear at The Warfield. At least half of a performance is usually sound-based, so while everything else seemed fine, this was a deal breaker for me.

Roy Hashimoto

We have been here for a number of musicals. The theatre is well-maintained but poorly laid out. It is very wide and there is no center aisle. If you are seated near the edges, that is a lot of people who need to get by to get in or out. I wonder what would happen in case of an emergency. I wouldnt decide not to go here if there was something I really wanted to see. But it certainly isnt my favorite venue mainly because of the seating.

Michael Lane

Overpriced tickets, horrible sound, disgusting decor. This is the only theater I have been to where the ushers let people in after the play starts--it was very disruptive to what should have been an immersive experience. The air is very dry, and we both came home and spent the next few days with scratchy throats and cold-like symptoms. The only redeeming factor is that the actors were quite incredible.

Geri Nguyen

Its in down town so parking sucks but the theater and stage is a good size for viewers even if they sit up high, they would still be able to see the show clearly and enjoy it. The outside area is quite small due to the large number of people when theres a show. The facility is clean and the folks who work there are nice and helpful.

Kevin Yasaits

Nice venue. After living in San Jose for 10 years, I finally checked the place out and thoroughly enjoyed Book of Mormon. If youre sitting in the middle where the views are best, you have to walk across a lot of legs. A small row down the center of the auditorium would be nice, but Im not docking any stars because if this.

A Private User

I can understand high prices for shows that are off Broadway, but to add 30 percent to your ticket prices for admin fees and mailing! $15 was for mailing the tickets. What happened to email or will call. I really wanted to see West Side Story, but now the prices are out of my budget. I think this is just disgusting.

Tamara Turner

Ive seen several productions here, and it is a great venue. They have very professional shows that come through, something I can not say about other theatres. For the money, you get quality performances. Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray. Thoroughly Modern Millie. Stomp. Lots of excellent performances. All top rate.

Erik Price

This was a surprisingly nice place. I am not sophisticated enough to enjoy performing art regularly. We came as a family to watch the Nutcracker. It was a very nicely down performance. The orchestra sounded great. The dancers were fantastic. The seats were comfortable and there was plenty of room.

Rick Balwani

Excellent performing arts center. Watched live orchestra rendition of Harry Potter: Sorcerers Stone. The acoustics are great, and I had a clear view of the entire show. The facility seems a bit small to handle the number of people attending the show. Food and drink options are a bit limited.

Don Little

Watched the Godfather and Harry Potter at the live orchestra event and they were a lot of fun. The staff is nice enough but can get flustered quickly. The concessions are limited and pricey and not all of them can be brought into the theater. Still a really good experience.

Angela Belluomini

It was easy to get to from San Francisco. Parking was little confusing, but once we found it it was convenient. Auditorium was nice but agree with others that the facility on a whole are pretty dated. Some of the staff were more helpful than others. We had a great time.

Arvid Bux

Love this theater. Saw several performances here and the way the stage is built and the seating, it really allows the performers to connect with the audience. Only two negative points I have to record is that it can get crowded in the hallway and at the restrooms.

Matthew Dean

There were no aisles going down the seats so there were 79 seats across, hope you do not have to get out during the show! Nice facility, but woman were using porta potty and mens restroom were located on second level at the end of each side of the main theater.

Bill Horbaly

Even though the facility is starting to show its age it is still a great theater. From the rehearsal halls to the many dressing rooms to the private lounges, there is support and functionality for producer, actor and audience. All in all a super venue!