Pasadena Playhouse Review

Very cool venue. Saw Ragtime and loved it. A very intimate space.

Atmosphere was nice, seating was nice.. overall, a nice place and really enjoyed the Play.

A beautiful historic building celebrating its centennial in 2017. Lovely theater. Great performances. Innovative choices in plays: some original works, most socially conscious. Designated as California's official State Theater.

Honestly don't care about what they usually program. Too many jukebox musicals or very conservative plays that wouldn't offend the old ladies of Pasadena. But they produced Culture Clash's political and extremely funny Bordertown Now, put on events and talks to welcome the community and get everyone talking, and basically made a bold statement right in the middle of 2017's charged border boondoggle. The house staff is efficient and courteous. The box office staff is exceptionally helpful.

The courtyard is one of my favorite places in Southern California.

We enjoyed the Christmas program so much. This space has a charm that is undeniable.

Getting some culture 'bout my self with Debbie Allen's "Twist"... Great dancing, good story flip, nice set design & costuming, good singing although not crazy about the songwriting.

The musical was super. Perfectly casted and audience totally the performance. Comfortable seating

I come to the play house every chance I get. Not every show is amazing, but you can't beat the ambiance.

Went as a guest of a Friend of the Playhouse to the dress rehearsal of
OUR TOWN by T. WildeR. I don't think he had any idea that it would last this long and be this iconic. This version with his words being spoken as well as signed was amazing. It was a full house. It was just as I remembered it from when I was in it in high school. There were drama students as well as drama teachers in attendence. No matter what your age you can relate to OUR TOWN.

Visited the Pasadena Playhouse last month to see "Tiny Beautiful Things" and was blown away by not only the acting, but by the beauty and intimacy of the venue.

Throughout the duration of the show I was overcome by emotions that I didn't know I had. There were parts of the play that made me laugh, parts that made me angry, sad, sick and even helpless. Shout out at the actors and everyone else who put this show together. I couldn't of asked for more.

The arrangement of the theatre was nice as well. It was small enough to feel the audiences presence, yet large enough where every seat had the perfect view of the stage. I've been looking for other shows to check out here so....until next time.

The Pasadena Playhouse has a wonderful historic charm about it, and is a very good theater venue. Cinderella was delightful experience, and the Playhouse added to its charm with great views of the stage, lighting effects and good sound. Although there is no elevator access to the upper seating areas, the staff were very helpful and courteous. Overall, Recommended for a wonderful theater experience!

Close to home. Seating is just fair, since it is not on a grade.

Great venue with cool little kiosk bar just outside entrance and now Trejo's Cantina!

GREAT CAST... poorly adapted to current day. Virtually ALL of Audrey s comic moments are LOST because MJ is not wearing overtly tacky outfits & has zero connection to the 1950 s. Somewhere That s Green should have been rewritten to have modern day references. Apparently there was not the writing talent to accomplish this.
Also, I m a puppetry fan but after seeing multiple productions of Little Shop I know that the technology is out there... for one thing, to have the giant plant swallow a live actress. The show starts STRONG but the finale is pretty lame. The potted Audrey II never grows!

Beautiful and historic play house. Love bringing the kids here for the panto plays every year.

I was enthralled by _Tiny Beautiful Things_, the recent production of Ragtime was wonderful, and I have generally had a good experience each time I've been to the playhouse. We are fortunate to have it here in Pasadena.

Great place to watch plays. Modernized, but maintains it's historic charm.
I've been here many times and all of the performances I've seen have been excellent.

The Pasadena Playhouse has a wonderful historic charm about it, and is a very good theater venue. Cinderella was delightful experience, and the Playhouse added to its charm with great views of the stage, lighting effects and good sound. Although there is no elevator access to the upper seating areas, the staff were very helpful and courteous. Overall, Recommended for a wonderful theater experience!

I love going to this Playhouse. It's close to home, and I had some great theater experiences there.. it is just the right size, there's not a bad seat in the house and it great to be a part of history.

Delightful playhouse that offers a large selection of plays to view at a very reasonable price!

When it comes to local theater devoted to the most interesting and timely of subjects in the Pasadena area there is nothing like it. We saw plays about subjects as diverse as the actor Buster Keaton and the Supreme Court justice Anton Scalia. There is really nothing else like this in Pasadena.

Only the best of the best performances happen here. My most recent favorite is "Our Town", absolutely stellar performances all around: from the lighting, to the acting, to the set design and my personal favorite -- the integration of deaf actors and the use of ASL within the cast. Bravo!!

Old traditional theater with many architectural touches. We saw the Great Leap by Lauren Yee. Great play combining humanity and social change. The theater was a perfect venue. No parking lot, so come early to find parking and enjoy the restaurants.

Great old theater but the seats could be more comfortable.

Loved the play but getting out of the parking lot wasn't good need some kind of parking enforcement.

Beautiful building, great architecture and tons of history. Go often.

What a great place to see and enjoy live plays .I always have good fun at this venue a real gem in LA .

Loved this historical venue. Wonderful just to visit and read the historical markers as a self tour. Amazing history! Excellent venue. Great acoustics and seating. Al starts have a good view. Opening night has a complimentary pre-show wine mixer. Nice to unwind and make friends.

My wife and I recently viewed "It's a Wonderful Life" staring Simon Helberg.
It truly was Wonderful !!
The entire cast's performance was a incredible transformation of the stage into a live Radio Show, from 1940.
The Pasdena Play House, is an incredible work of Art, it's self. Originally built in the 1930s but kept in tremendous condition as if it were new construction, the beauty of the original arcatecture is still stunning.
As shining as the Theater It's self was the staff. Warm, inviting and welcoming, with knowledge of the history of the theater.
We highly recommend visiting, to experience all it has to offer, I couldn't recommend it any higher !!!

Great theater. Good productions. Wish it was a bit better didn't he forth star.

Stumbles upon this place by my aunt giving me tickets she couldn't use. It was a nice discovery and I plan to visit again!

Multiculturalism, elegant, modern, clean, spacious. Easy access and with everything you need to call and visit.

Saw an amazing play called "The Good Boys." I hope I can see another play soon.

This theater shows a variety of different work - some for families, some for all ages, and some for adults. The work tends to be very well produced. They have a small room adjacent to the theater that provides context to the current show they are producing. This room is a gem. Small restrooms.

A classic venue in Pasadena ... I have always been pleased with their shows.

Great medium-sized theater venue (686 seats) for plays and musicals, etc. Currently showing through December 23, 2018 is "It's A Wonderful Life" with Simon Helberg of The Big Bang Theory. It's A Wonderful Life is done as a live radio play with the other talented cast members Rebecca Mozo, Rob Nagle, Haneefah Wood and Ryun Yu. The whole production is a treat and fun to watch! $5 parking was available in the covered stucture directly across the street from the Pasadena Playhouse, entrance on El Molino Ave., for Saturday performances.

Great show, great stars, amazing memories. This theater only lacks more conventional theater snacks. Don't even let that stop you from seeing a phenomenal show however. I went and say OUR TOWN and I have absolutely no regrets.

Staff is always friendly and helpful and I've never seen a bad play here. Always a good time!

Support the arts. Wonderful institution. Will be back again and again.

This is simply an amazing event, seeing The Nutcracker performed by Marionettes in a very traditional format. MUST SEE!

Great small play house, not a bad seat in the house. Good shows and lovely building. Highly recommend checking out a show here. I've been to most shows in 2012/2013 only missed one because it didn't fit in my schedule. Highly suggest it!

Estimate and a nice place, to take a date to see a play.

The Father was an amazing play. Alfred Molina was spectacular.

September 25, 2015
Pasadena Playhouse

Real Women Have Curves

We normally enjoy the performances at the Playhouse. They make for a wonderful evening in Old Town Pasadena complete with a nice dinner and a stroll down Colorado Blvd. That is why we continue to renew our season tickets each year.

After dodging the panhandlers as we walked to and from the Cheesecake Factory, we were looking forward to a pleasant evening and a great performance. We were unfortunately disappointed.

The only curve we were thrown last night was an attempt to convince us that this would be a good performance. Mostly it was about a distraught garment district business owner and her employees searching for reasons to be emotional. The rest of the time the actresses seemed to be hunting for a plot that remained hidden throughout the first act.

We don t know if they found it during the second act because we walked out at intermission.

I certainly hope that the remaining season s performances are up to the standards we have come to expect.

Bill Blowers

Gorgeous theater, absolutely beautiful! Very excited to go to more events there!

Just saw Native Gardens written by Jason Alexander. Very funny. I had a great time. I love the Old Pasadena Playhouse ambience.. if you haven't been I would highly recommend it.

Beautiful site and well preserved. Visited for its historical designation. The site is located close to many restaurants and shops so there is plenty to do.

Incredible play: Ragtime. A journey into the past both with the illustrious stage and the play itself. Jolly Good

Charming playhouse with a grand hall and a smaller theatre where we saw Bob Baker's puppet version of Nutcracker. The show itself was a gem and a treat for the kids. Staff at the ticket office are friendly. The outdoor courtyard is a beautiful place to relax and enjoy time before and after the show

cute little playhouse for a musical, and you really get a taste of the local city scene here

What a classy venue! Such classy people supporting it! Went recently to see a spooky play there. From the Mgr as well as help staff we were made to feel very welcome. The venue is a state landmark and several people there were willing to share some of the history as well with us. We took note of the unique California period architecture. The open welcoming area done in Spanish cool tiles. The plastered interior and quaint main sitting area. This is a quiet gem any lover of theater or performing arts will really enjoy. They had refreshments and snacks also in the entry area. We opted for one of the local coffee shops (excellent, btw) a stones throw away instead.

Fantastic venue. Stunning architecture. Incredible show. I attend a lot of theatre and highly recommend this venue.

Intimate venue. I had the pleasure of previewing a musical here and I was such a wonderful experience. Pre-drinks in the courtyard felt very small towny - this was a good thing. The seating was comfortable and what I like about older theatre houses is that there row space is wide, so when someone tries to pass by you don't even have to stand up. Again, going to these venues was about the whole experience. It seems like the newer venues are trying to see how many people they can jam in a specified cubic feet area. All, in all a great venue and I would definitely go again.

Fantastic historic venue that is a mirror facsimile of the Tucson Temple of Music and Art (or vice versa). A classic West coast opera house.

I've seen many plays here.

GOOD:
* The play was amazing.
* The view - no matter where you sit - was great.
* Small intimate setting
* Lighting and scenery was beautiful
* Walking distance from work
* The area is great!

BAD:
* Tickets don't mark the seating that well
* WILL CALL was outdoors

I'm definitely coming back here to see the play!

This a great little venue to see a play. Some of my favorite playhouse performances are 'Can Can', and '12 Angry Men'. First opening it's doors in 1917, the Playhouse has a lot of history.

In it's early days, the Pasadena Playhouse included a College of Theatre Arts which produced such notables as Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Raymond Burr and Sally Struthers.

If budget is an issue, purchase same RUSH day tickets an hour before the show. RUSH tickets are heavily discounted and since the theater is relatively small, every seat is a good seat.

A beautiful old theater with wonderful shows. Parking is fairly easy in the lots or on the streets around the theater.

A great place to catch a play, good parking nearby, great places to eat in the heart of Pasadena.

The atmosphere and crowd was good. The staff was polite and knew what they were doing. There was also plenty of parking.

epitome of Pasadena Arts and Theater, refurbished a few years back surrounded by a growing number of fun places to eat and drink.

Great place to take younger children as all the shows are designed for both the younger and older audience

What a beautiful theater and the people who I encountered working there made it all the more better. I saw a ragtime and it was wonderful. The production here are great. Everybody should come here to experience this place.

Ezcellent cozy place! There were a lot of positive moment here