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    Marcus Performing Arts Center

    3.9 (80 reviews)
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    Michelle E.

    I went with a friend on a Sunday afternoon to see the Milwaukee Ballet Alice in Wonderland at Marcus Performing Arts Center. It was absolutely incredible! The costumes were amazing, the choreography was perfect, and the ballet dancers were so graceful and talented. I was in awe the entire time!

    Kimberly Akimbo
    Michaela R.

    Saw Kimberly Akimbo at the Marcus last night. A beautiful, vas theater. Seating is comfortable, views of the stage are great, and the sound travels well throughout. Pours of wine were perfect to casually sip as we watch. We won tickets through lucky steak and our seats were amazing - happy about that! Would recommend seeing any of the number of shows that travel through here.

    Meng H.

    MARCUS CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS Very interesting place. I would assume, all events downtown occur here. Has a small auditorium for outdoor shows. We drop by to see an art display "Lost" by Amanda Parer in 2025. Art. Art. Art. Art everywhere. Nice. Highly Recommended

    Don't say it three times!
    Warren D.

    We are near-die hard Broadway fans and visit the Marcus Performing Arts Center regularly. I say "near-die hard" because it never fails that every season there is at least one show that we aren't interested in seeing, and as such, have never bit the bullet and signed up for a subscription to an entire season. Thankfully we have access through Group Sales and have been able to get wonderful seats to many shows and are always excited for the next show in the lineup. Shout out to Chris in that area for all of his efforts! Within the last few years the main Uihlein Hall was refreshed and updated, including adding some more incremental aisles (always hated having to try and squeeze past 35 people to get to my seat!), which has been great in terms of accessibility. This improved the seats themselves also, which I appreciate given that every time we come, it's nearly a three-hour commitment! My only issue is that for some shows, the sound is off; the sound of the orchestra often overpowers the singers, making it difficult to follow the lyrics. It isn't every show, so I don't think it's me but instead a technical challenge to overcome.

    Daniela B.

    A good theatre, although it needs more signs to help attendees to get around. The same applies to the parking lot. It's easy to get lost. Signs for the skywalk are necessary. I wasn't the only one lost looking for it. The seats are very comfortable; and the theatre is very well located.

    Soul mix art
    Holly W.

    The Elysian Alps drew me in. I drove by and saw them. It was dusk and they were irredescent and glowing! I knew I had to see them up close. Back at our rental house I delved into where were they...the Marcus Performong Arts Center! I was in town for 3 days, the exhibit was there for 7. What luck! Even better luck... when the kids and I showed up on Saturday the Wisconsin children's hospital was throwing a free event! Free bounce house, cotton candy, etc... but soul mix was there where old records are placed in a dj mixer and spray art occurs! The kids loved it! The Alps were cool.

    Jeff R.

    The PAC is always a premier location. My party thoroughly enjoyed tonight's performance of Clue. Though I have to admit, I was less than impressed, but then again, the Monty Python type humor is not my cup of tea. The actors spoke so quickly it was difficult to hear and understand, and the French maid spoke with such an accent, we all would've needed subtitles to understand.

    Allie E.

    Love having a vibrant and growing theatre scene in Milwaukee! I grew up watching and performing in musicals, and the Marcus Center is a great place to add more to the list! Their recent remodel is beautiful, and the new seats are comfy. Big fan of the addition of cup holders, and the mobile ticket option. If you can splurge for the orchestra seat, you will love the experience! But, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. We'll be back again in a few days to see Frozen and cannot wait!

    Patti G.

    I'm going to be brutally honest here. The theater is quite pretty. The view from the 3rd level walk across from the parking structure is pretty. The show we saw was LION KING and it was amazing and gorgeous. Disney does it right with extreme talent and eye appealing costumes, sceneries and scores. Back to the theater. We were in the first row of the upper balcony. We went with someone who needed assistance and the elevators were broken. We had to walk to an opposite side and go up and down a flight of stairs each side to get to a working elevator. In the balcony area, the woman's restroom has 2 TWO stalls. They were flicking lights to get back into the theater and the line was still extremely deep. There was no way for everyone that needed the bathroom to have the ability to go. The line at the bar areas was inaccessible for a drink as well in the time allotted. There are many many people when the theater is full and the services can not handle the flow of people. We also had to lean all the way forward to be able to see the whole stage. Otherwise the railing bar was in our line of vision of the stage. Luckily the show itself was stunning and made it all worth it. My overall thoughts of the theater itself range between 2-3. Not ever sear is a good seat. And the prices are high- so you expect to have a good view from wherever you are but this just isn't true. Luckily the show and the company we kept at the show made it very memorable.

    Stage row D orchestra
    Selma L.

    This is a hidden gem! Being from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, we often have to take the blue line to the city to see a broadway production. Parking is expensive in downtown Chicago and driving is a pain. The train is also gross at times and it takes away from the experience. Traffic was so much better in downtown Milwaukee. The theater has its own parking garage which is super close and convenient. Rush tickets were offered making it affordable and there's plenty of close by dinner options before the show starts. The theater itself is beautiful and expansive. The orchestra seats were perfect and the show and sound were amazing. Though there is no glimmering marquee or glitz that the Chicago theaters have, the convenience factors make me definitely want to come back here for another show soon!!!

    Full house and no distancing. It made no sense.
    Christine F.

    This was our first show (Mean Girls) since the pandemic. We were required to show vaccination cards at the entrance. My daughter just turned 16 and doesn't yet have a state id. Her school never issued school ids. I had to show an id. Do they really have an abundance of kids faking vaccination status! Even though my kid is fully vaccinated she still got Covid! There's no distancing inside. Every seat was filled! The notion you can't pass or get Covid when you eat or drink is the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Why have a requirement of no enforcement inside?

    Seeing Jesus Christ Superstar from center orchestra! Great seats!

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    Ask the Community - Marcus Performing Arts Center

    How much do season tickets run usually?

    It depends where you sit. We were in row H of the mezzanine for around $500 (2 seats) pre pandemic. Half my shows got cancelled but they refunded them. The closer you get, the more expensive. There's also add ons like The Lion King.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Marcus Performing Arts Center

    I've been to the Marcus Center on many occasions and have always walked away feeling happy about my experience.

    Mentioned in 22 reviews

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    Miller High Life Theatre

    Miller High Life Theatre

    3.8
    (38 reviews)
    $

    This review is more about Blue Man Group than the theater itself. However, I do believe The Miller…read moreHigh Life Theater is too large a venue for this show. Blue Man is meant to be big on facial nuances, which are easily lost to those in the second sections. While the show was generally entertaining for all ages, it felt more like STOMP, with lots of drumming and fewer small humorous stories. The drummer was great, but I was left waiting for more physical entertainment by the Blue Men. I was disappointed, however I did hear that many in the audience are rabid fans and attend this show often. Maybe my feelings are colored by having attended BMG in a more intimate setting in Chicago, which really made the stage work pop. The theater is beautiful for larger productions, but maybe BMG can come back in a smaller stage and recapture that magic of nuances.

    I recently caught my first show at the Miller High Life Theatre. It's a medium sized theater…read more(seating for 4000ish) and we were there on a snowy eve for the Cirque performance of Twas the night.. Parking near the theater is plentiful with street parking and a parking garage right across the street. A word of warning--when we parked in the parking garage, there was the show we were there for and a Bucks game that evening as well which resulted in $30 parking fee. That said, it was money well spent to be able to park inside and right across the street during a snowstorm. Once we got to the theater, there was no waiting at will-call and we were able to get our tickets in a snap. The line to get in also moved quickly and there ushers waiting to direct us to our seats. All the workers made the experience easy and were friendly to boot. Our seats were on the left side in row L and no complaints about the view from there at all. Due to the storm (and possibly the economy) the theater was only about a third full so we had plenty of room to spread out. The stage is large and the sound was great throughout. I wouldn't hesitate to see another show here. Get to it!

    Milwaukee Repertory Theater

    Milwaukee Repertory Theater

    4.4
    (66 reviews)

    Another update because this theater continues to update their accessibility! Today we loved "And…read moreThen There Were None" at the Checota Powerhouse Theater. As usual the production was done wonderfully, with the actors giving us laughs as well as suspense in this great Agatha Christie mystery. The stage set is wonderfully interesting and visually exciting. Very well done. But today I was able to watch the show with subtitles, which is incredibly helpful for someone like me who wears hearing aids, but I still need a little help in live performances. Milwaukee Rep here offers the closed captioning of the shows, all in your own phone. If you prefer, you may also borrow a tablet for this service. By using the app GalaPro on your phone, you can have all the words in front of you without getting in the way of the actors or your seat neighbors. We were using our own phones, but borrowed a seat holder which kept the words in front of us but not in the way. Thank you, Milwaukee Rep for regularly updating your accessibility options. This new one is so helpful!

    Nice, big, open building. Smallish medium sized theater with a good incline and good view of the…read morestage throughout. The view from the very back row (not on the balcony, but main floor) was still good and very visible. We were on the front row, which is usually not my preference, and I would say row 3 and back would be much better. That said, the first row (DD, on stage left) was still not uncomfortable. I had a great view of the stage and not at all uncomfortable during the show, and did not have to crane my neck.

    The Dinner Detective

    The Dinner Detective

    4.2
    (24 reviews)

    Date of visit: Saturday, February 10…read more This experience was a gift from a friend that had always wanted to do a murder mystery dinner/party. I too, have always been interested in this concept though the results were a mixed bag. Check in was a bit of a cluster as there were two tables next to each other, but no signs and that resulted in people shuffling back and forth because there was nothing to guide us. Once we got in the right line, we were asked to come up with a name for ourselves for the evening. Wish we had known this in advance so we could have been more creative. We then were checked in and given tickets for our food choices. There was a color-coding system that almost everyone forgot as soon as they found their table and wish they would have just labeled the damn things, "pork," or "chicken." Speaking of pork, the food overall was just okay. My apple pork was pretty good but I didn't care for the green beans. The salad was pretty good, as were the rolls. The cheesecake dessert was pretty pedestrian, likely Sara Lee or the like. After you were seated, the "host," Sue came in to lay the ground rules. I think much of my dissatisfaction stemmed from her and the two police office actors who were just a bit over the top for my tastes. Sue did not have the qualities of a good host, in my opinion. She was efficient and knew her stuff, but wasn't charming or gracious. I found her a bit grating, unfortunately. I am sure she's a lovely person she just didn't set the scene for me. I also didn't like the "interactive" portions of the event where we were encouraged to mingle with the other participants to see who was "suspicious." For those more introverted folks, this was not great. Given all that, kudos to the rest of the acting staff for injecting some fun and mystery to this event!

    A mixed group of 10 of us bought tickets to the Dinner Decective. We were getting together to…read morecelebrate a friends' birthday. We were very excited for a night out to dress up and have fun downtown. Before the show, we had a couple of drinks at the Hyatt lobby bar while we discussed our undercover names for the evening. It was time to gather for the show & we walked in & we were seated in the conference room. It was not really decorated to set the mood, theme, or ambiance for the evening. There was just a little time to mingle to get to know each other people/tables & their stories or cover up. The actors were pretty entertaining, but not dressed as I thought they would be in dinner show. They were pretty casual & barely any props. There was also a lot of reading for clues, which turned me off. We weren't provided the wifi at the beginning & we had to download all these articles to read as detectives. I wanted it to be more interactive, entertaining, and exciting, but it just wasn't. The chicken was rubbery & the food was just ok. My vegetarian friend had the pasta, which was very delicious. The service was professional & prompt. I won't spoil the outcome, but I was not really stumped! For $77 a ticket, per person, plus $25 to park per car, I was expecting so much more.

    Next Act Theatre

    Next Act Theatre

    4.7
    (15 reviews)

    Although I thought the play Circle Mirror Transformation was done poorly, I loved the theater…read more Intimate, the audience on three sides, there isn't a bad seat in the house. Acoustics are good and the lighting excellent. As for Circle, the casting was ludicrous, especially the younger women who didn't fit their roles at all. Their performances were less than high school level. They played into over-acting, exaggerating every facial expression and movement. It was embarrassing. This play's staging is all about mirror placement. The audience should be able to see the reactive expressions of the actors from different angles. This director placed one mirror at the back of the stage, barely reflecting the audience. What the heck was that? It served no purpose. I understand the Next Act Theater has a low budget, but hire actors who look the part of the characters they play. There are hundreds of wonderful theatrical artists in the Milwaukee area who would give anything for one of these parts. There is no excuse. All that being said, the Next Act Theater is still a fantastic venue to see a production, most are much better than this version of Circle Mirror Transformation, an Obie award winning play.

    Milwaukee's theater scene is really strong, but don't sleep on this small powerhouse of a theater,…read moreNext Act Theatre! I loved my subscriptions in 2021, 2022, and can always count on Next Act to give me a play that makes me think, laugh, question society through the lens of a new play written in a Shakespearean style or through a multicultural lens. So far in 2023 I've enjoyed Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" the West End's longest running play, and am looking forward to another in 2024! The art in the lobby is curated to reflect the current play, as well! Seats are easy to purchase online or by phone, and there's even an audio service during performances for the hard of hearing. Next Act supports the best in acting talent in the Milwaukee area, great playwrights and I recommend you check them out!

    Broadway Theatre Center

    Broadway Theatre Center

    4.8
    (8 reviews)

    This theatre is a hidden gem in a great part of Milwaukee. I realized it happened to be right down…read morethe street from my apartment on Broadway. What a great location! When you walk inside it is so much more magnificent than expected! The people are friendly and helpful in directing you to the right place. There is a full bar on the second floor that allows you to bring drinks into the theatre. It seems as though they usually have two shows rolling at once -- one to the right, one to the left. Lots of people and so much fun! The play was awesome and I'd love to go check out others.

    All the Stars!! Nothing is more classy than a night at the…read moretheater. I am a musician and I appreciate all types of musical performances. Being a percussionist, I was totally amped when a band mate suggested we come here for "Things that go Ding!"; a humorous performance of percussion-based vaudeville, musicals, and classical music genres. You haven't heard anything until you have heard the Aria from Carmen played on a two-octave set of taxi horns. For a percussion based musical performance, the sound in the Cabot Theater was just perfect. No matter the volume level, it was always perfectly clear and balanced. This theater seats about 350 seats with two level of boxes. It's a beautiful homage to an 18th century European opera. I was very happy with how roomy the seats were. I'm 6'4" and had plenty of legroom. Upstairs has a very nice bar area and the "black box" theater for smaller productions. I've been in there for two "Theatrical readings of Yelp Reviews" events in years past and have always thoroughly enjoyed being here. The staff is very professional, very talented, and very friendly. Prices are very reasonable and there are tons of great restaurants within walking distance. Class up your life and check out the latest events here!!

    Vogel Hall Marcus Center

    Vogel Hall Marcus Center

    4.5
    (13 reviews)
    $$

    It was my first time at this venue and the seats were comfortable enough to enjoy a show…read more It is well located in the downtown area, close to restaurants like Vagabond. The staff was welcoming. The drinks at their bar were good. I just wished I had located the coat check beforehand. The space was limited with my winter jacket on my lap. Tip: Locate the coat check!

    Intimate theater is so different from full stage productions. Seeing Million Dollar Quartet in…read morethis venue was perfect, from the sound to the seating. This is a big energy show and the music and performances filled the theater and allowed us to fully immerse in the storyline. This was the last night of this production so we were allowed to take photos after the program, when the cast and director took questions from the audience. This was a nice way to hear from the actors themselves and also share the audience's feedback on the production. And the review is GREAT! The ticket pricing is appropriate, parking is readily available in the area and restaurants are plentiful in the theater district. The choice of MDQ in this intimate setting was brilliant. Not all shows can be done well in this setting but this program was spectacular and we left feeling fully entertained. There are no bad seats. We were in the balcony and it made for full view of the stage and all the activities. The main floor does the same. There is an elevator for accessibility.

    Marcus Performing Arts Center - theater - Updated July 2026

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