Keswick Theatre

291 N Keswick Ave, Glenside, PA 19038, USA

Address:	291 N Keswick Ave, Glenside, PA 19038, USA
Phone:	+1 215-572-7650
Site:	keswicktheatre.com
Rating:	4.3

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

SaddleUp Buttercup

I attended a David Bromberg show in April 2014, and my experience was so disappointing that I was moved to do something about it. I wanted to share my frustration about the sorry state of the Keswicks amenities with someone. I started by writing to the Keswicks General Manager, Judith Herbst, but she did not respond. So Ill share my frustration with the good people of the inter-web via this Google review. OPEN LETTER TO THE KESWICK THEATER My list of complaints is short but impassioned: 1) Restrooms -- Why, why, WHY are there only five stalls in the ladies room? Especially having attended Ani and Sinead and Dar shows there in the past (where the attendance is overwhelmingly lady-ish), I can tell you this is a huge problem. 2) Baffling Absence of Baffles -- You know that most tender and poignant of David Johansen songs, his signature song, the beautiful ballad "Heart of Gold"? Well, I love that song. I wished and hoped for him to sing it at Saturdays show, and he did. But, from my seat in row O, the heavenly sounds of that lovely song were drowned out by the sounds of the mingling crowds assembled in the bar -- and Mr. Johansen is not short on volume. Surely you guys can do better than some diaphanous curtains strung up between the two areas. 3) Lastly, the Ass-tly -- Why, WHY, WHHYYYYY are the seats still circa-1940s flop-down style seats when the theater has undergone a succession of renovations since then??? Im tall but not enormous (ok maybe Im enormous; its all relative, as they say), and my knees were nearly touching the seat in front of me when I sat down. My group of three had to completely exit the row each time someone needed to leave, because there was absolutely not enough room for them to pass while we were seated. Needless to say, this went on all night. And aside from the rows being too close together, the seat cushions are somehow cushions that are not at all cushion-y, which makes them very uncomfortable to sit in for hours at a time. When I pay $45 per ticket for a show, and when the performer is as great as the Bromberg Big Band, I want to hang on hang on their every note... I want to want the show to never end. Instead, my two companions and I were so cramped and uncomfortable (and hot, for which I should make another bullet point, but I wont) that half way through the show we were checking our watches (phones), hoping Mr. Bromberg might be wrapping things up. What a terrible waste of the kind of music love upon which your industry is built. I am an avid music lover and concert goer. Im a card-carrying XPN member. I see dozens of shows each year, from up-and-coming indie acts to heritage artists to east-coast-circuit regulars. I live in the far burbs, so Id much rather see a show in Glenside than go all the way downtown. What this adds up to is that I AM YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. I can tell you that I appreciate your courteous ticket-takers and ushers and concessions staff (especially the one who questioned whether I was old enough to order alcohol, bless her little heart). I appreciate the acoustics of the theater. I appreciate the history of the theater. I appreciate the artist selection you offer. But I can also tell you that Im not about to sign on for another night of apologizing to my companions for the venue Ive chosen. Im not going to stand in line for 20 minutes for the ladies room. Im not going to strain to hear my favorite song because theres no sound barrier between the performance area and the bar. Im not going to leave before the encore because I cant bear to be physically uncomfortable for another few songs. Id love to hear that there are plans to remedy these ills. Please tell me there are plans to remedy these ills so that I can come back. Sincerely, Sorry in the Suburbs

A Private User

I drove three hours to see the Flecktones at the Keswick last night, and while the Flecktones put on a top notch show, I would never, ever return to the Keswick, even if thats where Jesus decided to have the second coming. Heres why: First and foremost, the staff (especially the security there) are obnoxious, rude, and condescending. Case in point: the Flecktones always come out after the show and sit on the edge of the stage to say hello to the fans, sign CDs, get pictures taken, etc. At one point during this "meet-n-greet" the security guards started making fun of the people who stuck around after the show to meet the band and get things signed. Yes, they really started joking loudly amongst themselves about how pathetic they thought these people were; talk about rude and unprofessional. Of course there were other issues -- one of the security guards stepped on a service dogs tail and didnt even apologize. (Yes, thats the type of crowd they were so worried about keeping in line -- one with disabled people who need service dogs.) Half the crowd seemed there only to drink beer and talk, which ruined the concert for everybody else. (I swear, after one girl got "sshhed" by a bunch of people simultaneously, she counted them aloud, laughed, and then kept talking loudly to her boyfriend.) And the parking is terrible -- if you want to park in their lot, make sure to show up at least an hour before the show. So do yourself a favor, and dont bother going to the Keswick -- youll be a lot happier for it if you just stay at home.

A Private User

I cannot believe people rated this theater above 1 star! We had really hoped to see a great show at this "acoustically perfect" theater. Do not believe the hype! The seats were filthy! I had to put down napkins and paper to protect my clothes. The back of the seats had paint from the early 70s. Seriously, whoever owns this cares NOTHING about the people who come here. The bathrooms were gross with peeling paint and dirty walls. Acoustically? I love clarity of sound. The treble was so low, the sound of the instruments was muffled and I am not a professional (but my husband is and he totally agreed). Drinks: We ordered 4 drinks total (2 a piece).l am a lightweight. After 2 drinks, I felt NOTHING> The owners should be investigated for fraud on their drinks. That was the most expensive soda i ever had. The whole theater gives a very dirty, grubby vibe. I love old, but not filthy and cheap, which is what this theater is. The owner/s puts nothing into this theater and obviously doesnt care about its patrons. People who enjoyed this venue must have had many drinks before coming there to be able to ignore the squalor of this theater and the drinks that were actually soda and water. Will NEVER go back here again. BEWARE!

Charlie Wellock

They have great shows here, but one of the perks of going there was all the free parking. Guess what? They just started charging to park in the lot behind the theatre. And Ive also noticed recently that the security people in the theatre during shows have become increasingly dickish, giving audience members greif for taking pictures. And are they ever going to finish repairing this place? I thought when they put fabric on the walls, it was to protect them during the rest of the repairs, but it looks like its permanent. And the walls around the stage look like crap. This used to be one of my favorite places to see a concert, but its slipping down the list quickly.