Superior acting. Excellent variety of shows. Courteous attention to guests. Love it!read more

I adore this place!! After my first time here I'm a believer…read more I grew up in the North Valley and have seen this place more times than I can count. As I entered my adult years I always told myself that I should catch a show here some time. I'm happy to say that I FINALLY made it in. A couple of my close friends and I caught a Leading Ladies performance. The place itself is so quaint and charming. It was a packed house for sure!! I recommend showing up earlier than 10 mins before showtime. The performance was amazing. I had tears streaming down my face the whole first half. The actors were genius. Really threw themselves into their roles and engaged the audience with every word and facial expression. It was so good that I'm going back to see the same show again and plan on going to a couple of other shows scheduled this year. It was a great experience and I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.

Not sure what to do on a Friday/Saturday night? Have people visiting from out of town? Then I…read morehighly recommend considering The Box for a night out. Girls night, date night, family night - whatever you chose your poison to be - the Box should be included. It was a great experience and my face was hurting from laughing so much. The performers are very talented and quick on their feet. Definitely recommend this as an ABQ experience.

The Improv show was very funny and entertaining. A great weekend date spot and very affordable…read more Highly recommend supporting this local arts theatre!

This place is massive and has so much to offer the public. We went for Nurse John's comedy…read moreperformance, and it was epic! Attendance was around 3,000, but it didn't even feel crowded because of how big the venue is. Seating was decent, though if people arrive late you'll find yourself standing to let them squeeze by. They also sell alcohol if you want a little buzz before the show. Overall, the venue was clean, had plenty of restrooms, and the staff was really helpful.

Attended the Goo Goo Dolls Chaos In Bloom Concert here and was pleasantly surprised at the venue…read more The seats were comfortable, sound acoustics great and view great. I'm use to seeing concerts at stadiums such as Alligiant In Las Vegas, NV so this was a nice change. Getting in and out of the venue was easy with no large crowds. We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel next door which has a tunnel between the hotel and venue so we didn't have to lug around our jackets.

Could've been better... if I'd won that 55" TV…read more Nevertheless, an amazing collection of incredibly generous businesses who were eager to talk about their awesome Bestness. I had tons of fun sampling wares and learning about products and services that apparently everyone else in Albuquerque already knew about. I can't wait to try El Bruno's, and I'm bookmarking Slapfish now. Albuquerque Florist showed their stuff, as did emcees Jackie, Tony, and Donny, who made the award introductions drunk-fun, without actual drunkenness (I think). Venue Sandia Casino stepped up in a great way, offering a slew of swag goodies, and even allowing south-sider nemesis Isleta steal the foodie show with their AMAZEBALLS culinary samples. Might sporting of you, Sandia! Clear demonstration of the real value of our uniquely marvelous community. This is to say nothing about the spas, and travel agents, and healthcare providers, and artisans, and salons, and all the other bada$$ Albuquerque businesses that earned their prestigious victories in AtM's Best of the City competition. Proud to be Burqueno!

My first ATM Best is the city party was epic! I'm thrilled I was asked to attend. Albuquerque has…read moreso much wonderful things to offer. I honestly didn't know a party was held like this, I'm really impressed with the outcome of local people and business. The food, knowledge and stuff (products) I received were really awesome. I am playing to go back next year.

Size doesn't matter, they say. Which I think is total hog wash when it comes to the size of my…read morecandy bar, and I'd have to say I feel the same about theatre. Size is everything. A production in a huge theatre leaves out that intimate experience with the stage, the set, the tiny yet beautiful team effort and transition between acts; the things you wouldn't usually get to notice. I absolutely love the heart and soul I see behind a small theatre; throw in the raw skill of these locals and you wonder why you haven't escaped your typical night from Albuquerque to join the buzz of the Vortex more often. I have been here a few times, back when located on Carlisle, but this was my first time at the new location. The production: "The Real Thing"! I had heard tale of accents and from that alone I was sold ;) There were struggles of relationships (the monotony, infidelity, - real things, indeed) as well as a bit of insight into the writer's mind. What I personally took from the play was that without continuing affection/appreciation, love can easily wither, and you or your lover may find yourself in the arms of another, but even at that point, if you both fight back hard enough for your love, you can reclaim it. I will say that the theatre was quite ablaze on this particular Friday night - some issues with the cooling, causing our poor little programs to be beaten and destroyed back and forth for that teensy ounce of a breeze it may provide. After intermission they had the cooling situation under control thank gourd, and I was able to really give the dialogue my full attention. They have waters for a buck, sodas for a buck, reasonable and nice little refreshments. Believe you me did those come in handy after the first half :P This was an extremely talented set of people for this production and I was delighted to be a part of their audience. I have special kudos to give out to the lad who played Henry, for the ridiculous amount of lines he memorized was downright crazy. Sometimes I could barely keep up, let alone imagine remembering and delivering all of those words. Whew! Way to go! See ya again soon, Vortex!

We got out of work late and rushed downtown to catch "Shakespere in the Plaza" we were 6 minutes…read morelate. We were told they "held the show as long as they could" with a bit of annoyance. They had open seats, and, after we went back down to the parking garage, paid the parking and came back up, 10 min later they had still not started. Perhaps they do something special that no other production does, that absolutely requires people be exactly on time. Or maybe it's ran by pretentious so-and-so's. Who knows. **note: I was asked about the location. This review was in reference to a production they were putting on down town**

I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the Zoom Event for Head Over Heels. The process to get me…read moretickets to the event was super easy and several people reached out to make sure I had all the information to view the event. The show consisted of a variety of acts, plus 3 women who were the emcees of the event. I think the emcees had more fun than anyone!!! Because of the way I logged in, I was able to comment on the acts, which in this new world, made me feel a little like I was there. There was even an act that requested audience participation, and it was fun to see others chiming in. I must say that this isn't my favorite way to see a show, but I totally admire all the participants for putting their all into the show.

Without getting too involved in the history of this company, which likely isn't why you're reading…read morethis review, I want to say that I first encountered this theatre company back in, oh, maybe 2009. Two founders of Duke City Rep, Amelia Ampuero and Frank Green, made cordial, friendly small talk in the black box of North 4th about how they'd chosen Albuquerque as their home because they felt our city was the perfect hatching ground for a more mature theatre scene. Green, in particular, struck me as a passionate dude with a "look" that stuck, he was simultaneously wily and steady, the kind of guy I wanted to see on stage. Since that time they've filled their resumé with winning productions at The Filling Station and the polished, Union-supporting company, The Cell. This year I had an opportunity to catch their Halloween thriller, "Night of the Living Dead". Set in a basement during a zombie apocalypse, Duke City Rep managed to suspend my disbelief for the better part of 40 minutes. I finally got to see Green in action, too, and he didn't disappoint. This company has the gritty, ambitious feel that founded another Burque performance ensemble, Tricklock. There's no time like the present to catch this crew in action -- they're gelling and connecting, there's an energy on stage that typically won't stick around too long, that's just the way the theatre beast rolls; like bands that get signed to major labels, eventually that chemistry splinters. So right about now, you're looking at a really good garage band, you best see a show.

What a great find! This little musical theater features well-known musicals with great local…read moretalent. Tickets prices are extremely reasonable and, due to the size of the theater, every single seat is perfect. This is a clean facility (restrooms and all) and they make good use of the small space. Seating is comfortable, which is not always the case in small theaters. If you are a fan of musicals, give them a shot. You won't be disappointed!

My expectations were pretty low after googling the location, but I saw Newsies here last night, and…read moreI was so impressed! That particular show is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it! The theater of course has new shows constantly, but they are clearly of much higher quality than I expected - I thought I was in for some real cringe-worthy amateur theater. The venue is small and intimate, but it works. The orchestra is excellent. There are very limited snacks available for purchase. Small parking lot, but lots of street parking available. Definitely check out this venue and consider supporting the arts by becoming one of the Musical Theatre Southwest Amigos who do everything from ushering to set painting.

I really enjoyed the hot sauce festival! We rolled up Saturday just before 11 and stood in line…read morefor about 5 mins. When we left just before 1, the place was at capacity and the line was stupid long. There were a ton of hot sauce companies, too many to sample tbh! It was nice to mix it up with rubs, salsas, popcorn, chocolate, cheese and pickles. Our favorite was Down to Ferment, they make all their hot sauces with kombucha instead of vinegar! Also got some bomb chili crisp with seaweed that I didn't think I would have liked, but it's super good! If you come earlier, they give our tote bags, but we missed that, so we were happy to have a backpack to lug around our purchases. You can buy tickets in advance for $12 cheaper. We bought ours day of for $16 each plus online fees. You can buy them at the event with cash and no fees. All the vendors I bought from took credit cards. Didn't feel too packed, didn't bump into anyone and hardly stood in line. Also, they had free beer tasting too! But the line was too long for us.

This is THE event for me every year. No matter what, I always ask for time off to attend. Several…read morebooths with vendors from all over the country letting you sample and purchase their products. If you're a spice or chili (or chile in NM) head, this is perfect for you. There are a handful of vendors selling products like clothing, accessories, etc, but I come for the hot sauces, salsas, and other spicy snacks. There's alcohol to purchase that you can drink while you walk around. There are cooking demos outside. I look forward to it every year.