Will San Jose ever get a decent theatre? (Hairspray)

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:30pm

San Jose is trying hard to become a real big city and to attract theatre patrons. Next season they will be getting touring shows that, in the past, would have normally gone to San Francisco first("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", "Sweet Charity", "Camelot" for example). Their downtown is clean and is not littered with the homeless unlike San Francisco's Golden Gate and Orpheum. However, they use this huge symphony hall called "The San Jose Center for the Performing Arts". They've put in new carpets, new seats, and a new sound system. However, it is still an awful place to see a show, just like the Flint Center in Cupertino which has abandoned it's once ambitious touring show schedule (Broadway By The Bay back in the early to mid 1990's). I drove down and back last night to see "Hairspray". There is no center aisle in the theatre so people can only enter from the right or the left. Every single time someone needs to get to or from their seat, the rest of the aisle has to get up to let them by. After a while, it becomes a pain in the neck. And, of course, there were several late arrivals and all of them got up for Intermission and came back late from that, too.
Then there is the orchestra pit which is in front of the stage, not really a pit, but is placed in such a way that the first row would probably be the fifth or sixth row in a normal theatre. Also, before the show, the head of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose comes out and gives a talk/commercial for "Brooklyn" which he described as a "wonderful show" and then the upcoming season.

I'm glad to see that they are supporting the arts but they really need to build or find a real theatre.

Updated On: 6/19/06 at 10:30 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:34pm

I love and hate that theatre. And you're totally correct about the area -- it's very nice and walkable and clean and it's easy to find something to eat. That theatre has to go.

(As does the Community Center Theatre in Sacramento!)

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/18/06 at 10:54pm

' There is no center aisle in the theatre so people can only enter from the right or the left. Every single time someone needs to get to or from their seat, the rest of the aisle has to get up to let them by. After a while, it becomes a pain in the neck. And, of course, there were several late arrivals and all of them got up for Intermission and came back late from that, too.'

Jim, you are also describing the San Diego Civic Theater.

I grew-up in San Jose (well Saratoga), and I saw it go from a dump to an absolutely wonderful downtown. My mother taught at a downtown school, and found a body in a van as she was the only one who would go open the van, which had been parked in front of her elem school for 4 days.

Now it's safe down there.

I would assume that cost is the major reason. If enough people get angry it'll change, but I'd bet the bulk of people there think live theater is either The Music Man or Cat on a Hot Tin Roof..........and that Hairspray is something your mother used long ago.

On the Flint Center, I was there the night it opened.......staring Lily Tomlin. I have not been since, sad to think it's a mess, as it was, and perhaps still is the largest theater venue between SF and LA.

Did you like the show?

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:00am

I did like the show. I've seen it many times in SF and in NY. Now I've seen all the Edna's (except Vegas). Keala was still fresh as Tracy. The show itself was different than when the tour came to SF. The sets have been scaled way down (Two examples: Only 2 faces in the vanity in the "Mamma I'm A Big Girl Now" number..No "Har Dee Har Hut" which was not the same as the one on Broadway but now it's gone). I guess these are the sets that will be used for the non-Equity tour.


I do hope they do something about that theatre in San Jose but I don't think it will happen anytime soon. It's probably just about as likely as cleaning up the area around the Orpheum and Golden Gate in SF. That seems to actually get worse instead of better. At least the Curran is in a good spot.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:09am

Sorry to but in, but what did you think of the Edna? I didn't think he was that great. He comedic timing was off and his voice was flat (I don't mean tone but in energy).

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:19am

I thought he was OK. He sounded like he had a good singing voice but he also seemed to do a lot of "Harvey" which the others did not do. Isn't he headed to Broadway next? I know that the guy who played Link is.

During the scene where Inez tells Motormouth about Seaweed having a girlfriend, Charlotte Crossley (I've loved her Motormouth all the other times I've seen her) rushed her line about "a whole parade of stupid" so that it was almost inaudible and it went over the heads of the audience and got no reaction at all.

[BroadwayThoughts]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:18am

A lot of theaters have no aisle .. it's called "continental" seating. I had asked someone about it because I found it very annoying as well and I thought it might actually be a fire hazard, but it turns out it is actually safer because the people are forced to uniformely exit if there were an emergency .. or so they say.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:30am

I hate the no center aisle thing. All the good touring shows coming near me are going to the theatres with no center aisle. It's annoying because I like to have an aisle seat and if I want one then I have to settle for extreme left or extreme right. I remember one website describing it as a way to have more "prime seating" options since you can sit directly in the center... which is total BS!

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:32am

It would be OK if they made the aisles wide enough so that people could get back and forth without disturbing everyone else in the aisle. I think that the old Shubert at Century City (LA) had pretty wide aisles from what I remember.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:37am

Yeah, it's to get more money and more seats. It is kind of annoying though, like at a movie theater. They should just make the aisles bigger so there's plenty of room to walk in front. I agree. So Austin (something) the Link on the tour is going to NYC? Cool. I thought he was really great.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 1:51am

Austin Miller is great as Link but he hasn't been in the tour for a long time. He was in the Vegas version. The Link in the tour is Aaron Tveit.

I thought Jim J Bullock was very good as Wilbur. I saw him in the Broadway show but there he was "Mr Pinky", etc.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 9:51am

I have seen a variety of shows at the San Jose Center for blah-blah-blah since SEESAW in 1976 and I couldn't agree more. It's a real barn. Terrible acoustics (you can't tell who's singing half the time). I disagree with the assertion that the south bay doesn't have enough theatergoers to keep a 'real' theatre going, but the producers most likely can't make money in a 1500-seat venue. Too bad, because that little theatre in Mountain View is a treasure, but I think Theatreworks is a not-for-profit organization. With all the money in Silicon Valley, you'd think some company would love to slap their name on a classy little theatre.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 10:57am

It thought the guy doing Edna was great.......I didn't mind that he pulled 'Harveyesque" stuff, and I loved that he can sing.

When I saw it down here, they put their all into it, maybe cause it was the next to last show at the Pantages.....

[camerangel]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 11:49am

As a theatre patron the SJCPA is a pain because of the way the seats are set up..Not to mention they are kind of falling apart. I agree whole heartedly on that. I much prefer the MVCPA seating wise, I dont think there is really a bad seat in that house. Working in the SJCPA leaves something to be desired as well.. It's old and it's run down. The backstage, dock area, downstairs rehearsal rooms and even the dressing rooms really need some work. The stage is huge and would hold the Mountain View stage 3 times over or there about. There have been rumors about a new CPA being built in San Jose, but I wont believe it until I see it.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 11:59am

"Not to mention they are kind of falling apart"

They put in new seats and new carpeting but the place is still awful for theatre. It's also difficult to get to by mass transit from SF unless you have a whole day to devote to getting back and forth. Maybe someday they will finally extend BART to San Jose but I'm sure if it ever does happen it will be after I've passed on.

[Parks]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:02pm

How about the Velma? I really liked her.

And I hope JP doesn't come to Broadway. He's been doing the show (understudy at first) since the show opened--and too many of his jokes fall flat due to his laziness.

[camerangel]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:05pm

I doubt bart in SJ will happen in my lifetime.. And having to go to Fremont for the closest Bart station is horrible..

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 12:07pm

just having to go to Fremont is horrible (my brother lives there)