The Sound of Music (Broadway San Jose) --…read more We saw this yesterday and it was beautiful. The sets were absolutely stunning -- genuinely took my breath away a few times -- and the singing was extraordinary. So much talent on that stage. If you know the movie by heart (I do), there are a few differences. A couple of songs that aren't in the film, and "I Have Confidence" doesn't appear at all. There are some small changes to the story too, but nothing that took away from the show -- a few of the twists I actually liked better this way. One tip: take an Uber or Lyft. Getting into the parking garage took forever because there's only one lane in, and someone at the front couldn't work the machine and held everyone up for about fifteen minutes. Not the theater's fault, but worth knowing. Wonderful show. We'll be back.

Pros: Getting there is pretty easy. There's quite a few hotels closeby for walking distance. The…read morestaff is super friendly. Felt safe. Seats were comfy and spacious enough that we didn't feel packed like sardines. Cons: not ADA friendly at all. If you're ok sitting far away from the stage, there's a couple limited seats way in the back but make sure you sort that out well before a show. It's not something I ever had to worry about before, and it wasn't a problem when I bought the tickets months ago. I had seats in the center of the 4th row and there's no way down other than stairs. The ADA spaces were all sold out and the only thing they could offer was a refund which, no...we'd been looking forward to this for months. So my friend had to hobble down quite a few stairs wearing a boot since she broke her leg a couple weeks ago. The other con, and to be fair I don't know if this is the venue's fault or the artist's, is that the whole time, the tickets said the show started at 7pm. I read every email from Ticketmaster to make sure we didn't bring the wrong kind of bag, what time the doors opened, all that. I planned the drive to the venue based on that. I had VIP Q&A tickets for the artist, which in the past, he'd usually done after the show. Tell me why we sat down for dinner across the street at 525 pm, I checked my emails while waiting for the food, only to see another email that Ticketmaster sent at 9am that the doors to opened to VIP at 515 pm, with the Q&A starting at 530pm. WHAT KIND OF PLANNING DOES THAT ALLOW?? And we weren't the only ones who had this problem. By the time we cancelled our food and paid for what we already had, it was 537pm and I zoomed my friend across the street, trying to find the wheelchair ramps, then having to hobble down all the stairs because this place was built in the 70's and didn't give af about ADA, we missed more than half the Q&A. So that was annoying.

There's so much talent here. I love the dynamics of each and everyone here . There's some great…read morewonderful plays here . I saw the nutcracker here and it brought smiles to my face.

Needing to really improve her ballet technique, my daughter attended SJDT's summer open classes and…read moreanother ballet academy's summer camp prior to her senior year in high school. She then accepted Miss Linda's invitation to join SJDT for her entire senior year. That was absolutely the right decision! My daughter's ballet skills improved to the point where she won an award for ballet at a multi-genre dance convention and was accepted into multiple college dance major programs! My wife and I are grateful to amazing instructors Miss Sian, Mister David, Miss Mariana and, of course, Artistic Director Linda Hurkmans for helping our daughter succeed in her dance goals. My family and I highly recommend San José Dance Theatre!

If you ever have the chance to have your child participate with CSPA, do it! We were lucky enough…read moreto catch up with the winter production of The Little Mermaid, and my daughter loved the experience of singing and dancing on stage! She had a great experience being a part of the younger cast. All the cast members were great and the costumes, set and lighting were nicely done! Of course we love the music too! It was a broadway adaptation of the show. My family loved the show and came from Sacramento and Gilroy to see it. Seniors and babies were in the crowd so it truly is a family show. The tickets are a great value for the quality of the show and live entertainment, comparable to what you would pay at the movies now. The expressions on my niece and nephews faces were priceless! Their parents said their couldn't stop talking about the show so it's such a nice way to introduce children to performing arts and theater because the cast are their generation! Not all schools offer this so it is such a wonderful experience to share with my family. The parents help and volunteer so it also builds community. I was appreciative of the parents who answered my questions. The director is amazing bringing it all together while staying calm and collected. They have so much talent! There are cast members that have been participants for several years and help the younger kiddos, and they are awesome performers and put their own choreography together. Follow them on social media so you know what shows are coming up. They have their shows at the Milpitas community center so parking is easy. Seating is first come, first serve so plan to arrive early. Enjoy the show and support community youth theater! I hope you leave with new show tunes stuck in your head!

California Theater is a gorgeous old historical theater with distinguishing beauty and exquisite…read moredetails. It's the type of place you go to where you spend just as much time ogling over the venue as you do the show itself! I went there for a film festival and loved it. The location is also pure perfection because it is within the same block as several restaurants and bars for those who want to grab a bite or drink before or after their show. The only (small) downside is finding parking. We parked in an outdoor lot 2 blocks away for $20. It is about the average rate for the area but still seems steep to me for a 2 hour show. *breathe* Trying to not sweat the small stuff, so I say pay for the steep parking and enjoy the gorgeous theater and watch a nice show! It will be worth the experience.

It looked like it got a 4.6 star review but they say doors open at 6:30 and it didn't. I thought I…read morewas in the back of the place so I walk to market street to find the front but it turns out I was at the right place. It is at first street. I didn't think I showed up early but then someone told me they changed the time and they'll let everyone in at 7 pm. I waited and we didn't get in until 7:15. I don't know; maybe I'm strict with time but it threw me off. We had plenty of time to get to our seats so we got beer for one of us. I was expected an open space to get to my seat because I had a cane. They blocked the open space so I had to scoot in to the aisle to get to my seats. I guess the show was packed and they had to add seats. Seats were not bad but not comfortable. I did have good seats so I can see the people performing.

I love this dance school is similar to The Joy of Dancing studios, including ballet, jazz, tap,…read morehip-hop and the other dance genres!

Finally putting a review after 6 years and its with mixed feelings as I finally pulled my daughter…read moreout. The Positives that kept me re enrolling for 6 years: Staff: I always loved the staff especially the person who always helped fit my daughter dance shoes. They were friendly and always responded to questions. Location: Close and easier to find drop off in a safe neighborhood. The Costumes: For the Most part the costumes are beautiful and it even got better this past year end performance. The staff puts a lot of thought into this. Dance Teachers: kids friendly not strict at all (could be good or bad) The Venue:Santa Clara convention center is a great venue. Many other dance studios can't afford this size venue. Negatives: Repetitive program. You will hear the same songs after 2 years. Simple moves: If you are not in the comp team, you won't learn much after 2 yrs. My daughter said 3 years ago, she learned 3 new moves, 2 years ago she learned 1 new move. Last year she didn't learn ANY new moves. Now as I search for other dance studios, she's already behind for her age group for non comp classes. It's hard to continue paying increasing fees without seeing progress. All I wait for is one fancy year end show with beautiful costumes.... I hope they hire new dance teachers that can dance like their star comp team girls.

I booked SF Hula for a corporate event and was extremely pleased. Theresa was a pleasure to work…read morewith and she delivered two wonderful models to pose with guests at our golf tournament. For great personality and a successful event, call Reese.

Do youreslf a favor, and DO NOT hire these people for any sort of entertainment. I have seen and…read moreused various Polynesian groups over the years, and I can safely say that this is the worst I have ever seen. The girls had no personality, and didnt smile (which is a must in Polynesian dancing). Also, the girls looked disheveled (like they just got out of bed, and threw on a cheap halloween costume- no authenticity whatsoever!), and were completely out of sync with eachother. If you plan on using Polynesian entertainment, there are other great groups to go with (ie. Tahiti Nui, Otea central, Aloha Hula..)! But in a nutshell, stick a bunch of Apple store geeks in some grass skirts, and they could do better than SF Hula!

Although I can't speak for the plays and musicals, I love Broadway San Jose's film concerts! So…read morefar, I've seen the film concert productions for Across the Spiderverse Spiderverse and Avatar: The Last Airbender. They were both FANTASTIC. The audience is always very enthusiastic, cheering on their favorite characters and scenes. The orchestras are also very passionate about the films as well, earning their standing ovation at the end of the show. My favorite seats are in the orchestra section. Only issue would be parking, but there's a garage about a 5-min walk from the venue that I usually go to. I'll definitely be back again!

Show: MJ The Musical Venue: San Jose Center for the…read morePerforming Arts, a.k.a. Broadway San Jose 08/02/25 Matinee Performance 2pm Breakdown: The Musical (SPOILER ALERT?) The choreography, imagery, mutimedia, lighting, sound, costumes & visual effects were wonderful. The performance did not start exactly on time. Many of Michael & the Jackson 5's hits are featured, but due to show length, the songs are shortened. The songs are stitched together with a narrative, and there were a few parts of this that were a little draggy. I almost would've preferred just the full-lenth music selections alone. The play--while upbeat & exciting overall-- portrays Michael as somewhat a victim: A victim of his global success, victim of his handlers who were profit-motivated, and victim especially of his father Joe Jackson who is cast pretty much in the villain role. There is a brief 15-20 minute intermission in the approximate 2 1/2 hr. show. The Venue First time visit for me and the Center did a fine job. The workers--ticketing folks, ushers, merchandise folks--who I interacted with were great. The matinee show was packed to it's 2,600+ seat capacity. And of course with that many patrons, you're unfortunately going to see a handful of clueless one's with no theather ettiquette. Such as, but certainly not limited to, arriving on time, not silencing their mobile devices, holding conversations and blocking entrances & exits to the theater (pre & post show + intermissions), getting up multiple times during the performance, etc. Can't blame the venue or performers for this of course. Add the usual cluster mess when a good portion of 2,600 patrons need to all use the restroom during intermission. But the latter is pretty much standard procedure at most performances such as this. Ticketing & Parking Tips Smart theater enthusiasts would be very wise to look into 2 very favorable ticketing options offered by this venue: Digital Lottery & Rush Tickets. For digital lottery, download Broadway San Jose's mobile app to start. From there, you can enter a day-before lottery to score a pair of tickets at greatly reduced rates (they were $35ea for this musical). The digital lottery option is typically only for evening performances though. For the Rush ticketing option that I used, covering both matinee & evening performances, show up at the box office day of show 2 hrs. before the scheduled start time. When I got there around 11:45am, there were less than 5 people in line and I was able to score a single Orchestra ticket for $40 (inclusive of fees). Same ticket that Ticketmaster was trying to sell on their site for $445! lol. Parking can be a little bit of a challenge here. The closest major garage that most patrons seem to gravitate to is the Ernst & Young or "303 Garage" @ 303 S. Almaden Blvd. It's maybe 150-200 yds. to the main entrance of the theater. It's got some accessibility quirks, and is a $20 flat rate as of this review. This will typically cover you for several hrs. time for the show + exiting. In my case, the rate covered me 7 hrs. from 12pm to 7pm. I puchased this pass thru mobile parking app SpotHero, which charges a small processing fee, but tends to allow for an easier entrance & exit process. You can also pay directly at the garage. Driving in San Jose is akin to driving in Los Angeles for those familiar. So, be prepared for congestion, rude drivers and the frustration overload + ugliness that typically accompanies this. Not the theater's fault again, but just a word to the wise. Also, San Jose is usually known as a great restaurant destination, but there didn't seem to be a plethora of these options within comfortable walking distance to the theater sadly. Conclusion If you missed the relatively short run of MJ The Musical here in San Jose, don't worry. As it's returing in early 2026 to both San Francisco & Sacramento. Check it, it's a winner!

Both my boys attended Sunshine school from age 1-4. We love Sunshine school! My youngest just…read moregraduated from Sunshine this past summer. He was at the Vinci Park location with Mrs. Emily. She, along with the other teachers there are all very caring and kind. Mrs. Emily is the head teacher at Vinci Park. She is very attentive and willing to speak to me via text or phone at any time when I had questions or concerns. The students learn to sing English and Chinese songs, they do various arts and crafts, and their activities are diverse and fun. My son enjoyed going to school every single day! I am very appreciative of Sunshine school and will alway have fond memories of my boys growing up at this school!

My son has been at sunshine school since 8 months to 4 years old. Overall experience was very good…read moreas he was mostly very happy and healthy, and academically learned what I had expected. Last year he was at the Vinci Park campus where he is in the orange class. The staff at this campus are super loving, caring and friendly. My son was able to quickly adapt and love the teacher here, and he is especially fond of Ms. Huang and Ms. Emily. At one point he refused the idea of going to a school without Ms. Huang lol... One of the reason we picked this school was that I wanted my son to speak mandarin in early childhood. Most of the teachers here are native mandarin speaking, and this is a bi-lingual school. So if you are looking for mandarin immersion experience for your kids, this is a great choice! My son so far is a fluent mandarin speaker and he speaks some basic English too -- I am sure he will pick up that very fast later. My son learned letters, numbers, and some basic Chinese characters read and write by age 4. I am not academic focused and I am very happy with the progress. The school has plenty of outdoor time, and artwork time -- every day my son brings home a piece of work he made at school which is really nice. Last but not the least, the staff are super flexible and supportive of working parents. My drop off and pick up hours are based on my work meeting schedule, and they were always understanding and supportive. One time we went on international travel and after we got back, my son was jet lagged and super moody when I drop him off, Ms Emily gave us a few minutes to work it out, and told me if you need to go, we got it. If you like to spend more time to calm him down, feel free to do so. She checked with us multiple times to check my son was ok as well as I was ok with the delayed drop off. Super appreciated as a working parent!

These guys are amazing, I went to learn Garba and Dandiya and loved it. I think if you want to…read morelearn folk dance like Garba this is the best school in Bay Area. Thank you Sanedo for teaching me Garba.

I grew up attending the theater and I consider myself very lucky. Community Little Theater in…read moreAuburn, Maine is still around today. I had two brothers who both performed in the theater and one of them is still teaching theater arts now. I usually attend the Broadway musicals at the San Jose Performing Arts Center a couple of times every year and I go alone. John is not a fan of musicals. But he agreed to go to a play last year in SF with me and he enjoyed it. So, when we saw the synopsis of "Running After Shadows," we decided to check it out. The second I walked inside, City Lights Theater reminded me of those wonderful memories I had as a teenager at Community Little Theater. City Lights is smaller than I'm used to but I loved its compact, intimate space. Every seat seems to be a good one and comfortable as well! I loved that the manager spoke to the audience before the show and that they pick a non-profit to donate to that matches with the theme of the play. They also have a little get together after every performance. They have refreshments and you have the chance to talk to the actors. We didn't stay afterwards but maybe next time. John surprised me by wanting to get tickets for the next show. Maybe I can get him to try musicals one day...

It's All an Act…read more Foreword: So, it turns out I kind of like plays. I mean, I recall enjoying watching theater friends perform at school and college back in the day, but I've never actually gone out to see a real live play with professional actors. Anyway, if you're on the fence about coming to see one, then you should definitely do it once. And if you really dig it, do it twice. :) OK, onto the review... The City Lights Theater Company has been supporting local actors and theater makers for forty-five years (ca. 1982) now, and have been in this space since 1991--despite a looming threat from developers... The Good: *Very small intimate venue of ±100 seat theater. There is no bad seat in the house, as even in the back row you still feel like you're practically front row. *Tickets are fairly inexpensive at ±$50-80/ea with season passes available. There's also afternoon matinee shows available for us old farts. *Staff was very friendly *They have a small snack bar and even serve wine *A chance to interact with the performers at the end of the show. *We watched "Running After Shadows" by Vincent Terrell Durham and it was excellent. Great story telling, fantastic acting, and it takes the crowd on a wild range of emotions. The Meh: *Street Parking only but it's free on the weekends. The Ugly: *They must start cutting onions in there at some point, cuz I swear my eyes started watering for no reason. That's right. No reason whatsoever. Conclusion: Intimate venue with great storytelling means a great time out by all. Good spot for a date nite or afternoon (see aforementioned "old farts" mention above).