i saw the tuneabomber here and had a great time. staff were very nice, my view was great, and it's a comfortable ambiance to enjoy performances. i didn't have any of the food so i can't speak on that! not too difficult to get to as it's fairly close to the red line! read more

The Rockwell - front row center for the tuneabomber - Performing Arts Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Came to this venue while running merch on a short tour. All of the staff and security were so kind to us all, and they made everything a breeze. I will remember to come back here and recommend this venue any TM and musicians that I know are looking to play the Boston area. read more

We came to see Sh*tfaced Shakespeare. It was an interesting show that was a new take on the classic. The hour long show was the right length as anymore would have got tedious. The venue itself was ok. Definitely a small venue vibe but be forewarned that the bar was drastically overpriced! Grab a drink at one of the bars or restaurants nearby before or after your show. read more

The Rockwell - Performing Arts Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I used to attend shows at The Rockwell at least once a month. It was a dive-bar of a venue, but it had heart. That, unfortunately, has changed over the past several years. Attended a show there in the summer and while the show was great, the venue is in horrendous shape and they don't care. First, they claim to be ADA compliant. That's pretty much a lie. They're wheelchair accessible, *IF* they remember to open the door that leads to the elevator, and ALSO to unlock the door that leads to the venue, HOWEVER, they very often forget one or both of those, but also, they do NOT have an accessible restroom!! Saloon, down the hall, allows use of their accessible restroom, *IF* they're open, but they have cut their hours, and were not open during the aforementioned show. No warning, just no ADA-compliant restroom. This is BAD. I have emailed the venue FOUR TIMES and have been completely ignored. So here we are. A place that used to be quirky but cool, is now just a little craphole that sometimes manages to book good talent. I would definitely advise my friends who produce shows to find elsewhere. Communication is important. So is accessibility. They do NOT care. I was going to be nice and give 2 stars, but you know what? With their willingness to refuse to talk about/include accessibility, they can take their one star and shove it. read more

Cool little venue. Fairly nice vibe. Food. Beer. Okay. Acoustics were good. Didn't know much about Rockwell. Cool that it is next door to the Burren which I have been to numerous times. read more

This was my first time going to The Rockwell for my 30th birthday. I had an issue purchasing tickets due to a system transfer they had. i also suffer from anxiety, so of course I was a little stressed. The artistic director Deby Xiadani was not only absolutely tremendous in her response time and helping me figure it out, but she also made it a point to find me at the show and wish me a happy birthday and even offered to buy me a birthday drink. The absolute professionalism and kindness went above and beyond what I expected. And the staff and venue were absolutely nothing short of AMAZING. Thank you Rockwell & thank you Deby for the amazing experience. Will absolutely be back! read more

I visited the Rockwell a few weeks ago to watch the Shitfaced Shakespeare play. The play was good and ....different. My review is for The Rockwell. I thought it was a super nice venue. If I lived close by I would be on the lookout for what was playing. The Rockwell is small and that was maybe the best thing about it ... there are enough seats to make it interesting for acts to go there and small enough that all the seats are intimate. The service was good and it was easy enough to enter. The Rockwell is in a hip area and there is plenty of places to go to when your show is over. You can also stay at the bar on site. I would totally go back and see something here again. Two thumbs up for you Rockwell. read more

See all

Blonde bartender is extremely rude. Sat down for a drink and he was so rude we went next door. Would never reccomend

I came to the Davis Square Theater to see Shitfaced Shakespeare. The theater itself is fairly small - you enter and go downstairs to a saloon-like area, with big oak barrels, which serves as a bar. We were told that we could bring as many drinks as we wanted into the performance, but that getting up to use the bathroom would not be allowed (I think you are not allowed back in if you leave during the performance to go to the bathroom). The show itself was a lot of fun. The play was "Much Ado About Nothing", and the premise is that the actors and the audience members should be drunk. There is audience participation both in the form of audience members pulled up to the stage to act out parts, and audience members that are asked to hold a gong or a bugle and to play their instruments when they feel that an actor on the stage needs to take another drink. The acts were quite faithful to the original Shakespearean play, with some bawdy drunk-themed jokes thrown in for fun. Everyone had a great time. Overall I thought the tickets were a bit expensive for the length of the show ($29 each for a one hour show), but it was a nice experience. This theater appears to do several shows that offer a different take on well-known plays or operas. For example, they were advertising "La Zombiata", which I assume is "La Traviata" played by actors pretending to be zombies. I love the creativity of their shows! read more

The Rockwell - Outside of the theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Great intimate venue!! Saw a comedy show there that was awesome. I have got to mention the only downside was the lack of parking. Other than that great place to unwind and have some fun. read more

This is a pretty small venue for local events with a wide variety of performances. I've seen maybe 4 shows here in the last few years, and each one I've seen has been pretty decent. The most recent show I saw was a burlesque variety show, and since it was a Monday night, it was not sold out. I enjoyed all of the performances, and I'd like to see that show again sometime. Overall, if you're looking for an affordable night out, most shows here would easily fall into that category! read more

A great place for live entertainment! I love that it's a smaller theater, therefore providing a more intimate setting. They have a variety of shows including a monthly burlesque show, comedy, live music, and plays. Very nice staff and I love that Saloon is right upstairs as well for more cocktails and late night food. read more

Came here for a small concert. The venue was a bit confusing for a concert since the stage isn't raised, so unless you stand at the very front it can be very difficult to see. However, since the stage area is so small you can get really close to the artist, and there aren't any dead spots in terms of sound we noticed. The space is a theatre format, with a large open space and tiered seating in the back. There's a small bar outside the stage that has liquor and beer, mostly by the can, that takes credit card. No signal but they do have wifi if you ask for the password at the bar. Generally everything moved on time and the show seemed very well run. Location itself in Davis is convenient - right by the red line with plenty of late night options. read more

Awesome space! Great size theater with plenty of seating and the bar outside serves a good variety of drinks. Saw a great show here recently and am looking forward to coming back for another. read more

My family and I, after spending the day in Boston checking out the local restaurants and breweries, went to The Rockwell to see Shitface Shakespeare rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I wasn't all that sure about seeing a play written by Shakespeare, however the idea of an actor drinking themselves shitface before and during the performance did intrigue me a bit. The Rockwell is a fantastic location for a performance as the stage is surrounded on three sides with several rows of stadium seating with enough wiggle room. As we entered and found our seats my wife pointed out the beautiful tree decorating the stage. As I casually noticed the craftsmanship my wife noted that I should take a closer look and when I did I immediately noticed that the trees were made up of naked twisting bodies with leaves made of, well lets just say they weren't bananas. I certainly knew at this point that this play was going to be one like I have never seen and that is what I saw. It was clear on the onset which actor had had more than a few prior to the beginning of the performance. She did very well carrying her lines and on a couple of occasions did retakes. The actor who played "Puck" in the play really did a spectacular job. This is probably the only time I will see a performance of "Shitface" Shakespeare again, however I certainly will come back to The Rockwell again to see another performance. read more

The Rockwell - Shitface Shakespeare - Performing Arts Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

This review is for Shit-faced Shakespeare. I went to Taming of the Shrew on a Saturday night. Do you want to spend $14 for a tiny and incredibly weak (possibly not even containing alcohol) mixed drink? Do you want to watch 45 minutes of a shakespeare play that doesn't resolve at the end, while one cast member PRETENDS to be drunk? Then this show is for you! Dishonest advertising. ZERO cast members are actually drunk, though one will very slowly sip some beer and do stereotypical "drunk" things for effect. Don't get me wrong...its an entertaining show, and the shakespeare is decently presented, but if you are here for the novelty of a drunken cast member and the prospect of actually participating in the show, look elsewhere. The host makes it sound like it will be some racy and unpredictable evening while in reality, aside from some swearing you could almost bring your 14 year old sister...because it is so controlled. I don't know why they even pretend that a "bucket" might be necessary. Hahaha! He also claimed the audience would be involved in this drunken revelry...but at my show, nobody used the provided "gong" or "horn" which would force the cast member to have another drink. Maybe my audience just sucked. But maybe, also, 45 minutes is not long enough to really find a good moment to use your one "drink ticket"...especially when the cast member is still holding their first beer, given to them by the host, 30 minutes prior... I would have had a lot more fun if: 1. This show was two hours long instead of one, and the play actually resolved instead of being interrupted with "Well it's time to dance now! Okaythxbye" 2. There was an actual drinking aspect. Maybe if they were given shots instead of beer. Even if they were watered down shots the effect would be far more believable. Honestly...as theatre folk you should know that. 3. If the bar wasn't absurdly priced. I still can't believe I paid $14 for the smallest drink I've possibly ever ordered, and that it was 98 percent fill with juice and soda and ice. Great concept, poor execution. Save your money and do something else. Maybe invite some friends over and have a murder mystery party. You could BYOB, and it would probably be a lot more hilarious and satisfying! read more

This is a fantastic venue to hear music. I saw Scars on 45s there a few days ago and had a great time. The sound was good and the 'action' is so close! It was very personal and the band was able to talk with the audience. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because of the bar tactics. If the rest of the venue wasn't as enjoyable as it was... I would have given it fewer stars because of the bar tactics. I ordered a few beers and was told... "$15".... so I paid $15 and left a $2 tip. I thought that was a bit expensive... but was having fun.... and paid it. I ordered a few more beers later... was told "$15"... and again paid $15 for the beer and $2 for the tip. I went back later and ordered one beer. I was told $7 in which I only had $6 in cash... so I asked to put it on credit card. When I looked at the receipt, it said (and the numbers may be off a bit) something like "$5.18 beer. $1.82 gratuity"! I asked if my previous bunch of drinks was the same way... with gratuity added and was told yes!! For two beers!! For one beer!! The gratuity was already added and not told to me!! Who ever heard of a place adding gratuity to two/one beer!! And not posting it anywhere!!! What a rip off!!! Even after I left the extra $2... I was not told!! Is that even legal? read more

First to review? Really y'all? I guess that my life takes me in some pretty offbeat places; even when those places happen to be right in the middle of everything. This place does feel a little bit secretive, like any good underground theatre should. Take the hidden staircase towards Saloon. At the bottom instead of turning left, go right and down another hallway. You'll find the closet sized box office entrance on the left. Once past that you'll be in the lobby where a closet sized bar boasts a single bartender who will be happy to hand you a beer, pour you a strong drink in a plastic cup and/or sell you candy. Enter the theatre stage left, and find a few rows of seats on three sides of a stage which has, literally, been in a different configuration every time I've been there. Apparently they like to keep both audiences and performers guessing. If you're looking for a theatre experience that is something different than mainstream, you should be checking out the options here. Now and into the foreseeable future they are running The Teaseday Club, a cabaret/ burlesque/variety show, on the second Tuesday of every month. read more

I don't know a whole lot about this place, but my experiences have been good. From what I can tell, the space is used primarily for performance art. Warning, no cell service. If you head downstairs toward Saloon, turn left instead of right, and walk down a nondescript hallway until you find what you're looking for. I've been a couple times, once for a play and once for a concert. Great news: they take credit cards at the snack bar, and they sell tall boys of Narragansett. Less great news: they don't take credit cards at the ticket table, so bring cash. If you're coming by for a concert, also consider bringing ear plugs, because it gets really loud in this little space. The space is perfectly situated for revelry, sandwiched right in the midst of Davis Square. You can drink there, and then get some post-show nosh at Mike's. Or anywhere, really. The world is your oyster, man. read more

Bartenders were on point. Some of the best mixed drinks I've ever had. These drinks were crafted, not thrown together. Bar gets very crowded very quickly. read more

I hate writing reviews when they're not 5 stars :( I try to give businesses good feedback so I will do that too... The overall ambiance was good and chill. Staff was nice and organized. I saw my favorite band Blue October's lead singer Justin Furstenfeld. It was small and that's always great, but only when the audience doesn't ruin the show.... Justin really puts on an awesome show. He's heartfelt, fun and hilarious. But just because he is talking to the audience doesn't mean he is waiting for people to scream inappropriate and ridiculous things out while he's trying to tell his very powerful and emotional life story. The audience was loud and distracting. I feel like there should have been a staff person inside the theatre to keep the crowd quiet. The other annoying, and probably the most important, part was the noises coming from above the theatre. It was really loud and distracting. Sounded like someone was maybe sweeping upstairs and then banging, not sure what was going on but it was off and on throughout the first half of the show. Annnnd not that big of a deal I guess but the Bathrooms were dirty. And last but not least the bar tender only filled up my drinks half way Overall I was still able to enjoy the show even with the distractions but that is because the artist was so great and he was able to keep focused and keep our attention on him. I just wish it was at a different venue... read more

Shit faced Shakespeare is hilarious. Went to see taming of the shrew- was a great time!

Power-tripping bouncer ruined the night. He left his post for several minutes to track us through the bar and ask us to leave because he thought we were trying to buy alcohol for a minor (our friend who is not a minor, is 23, but presented an Illinois ID the bouncer wouldn't accept). Only when we talked to the manager were we allowed to stay, have the beer and watch the show we paid for. Our friend came with her temporary Illinois ID. (For context, the TSA and every other bar we went to in Cambridge and Somerville accepted the ID without trouble. Had the bouncer examined it under a white light or black light, he would have been able to see the watermarks that prove its authenticity.) Further, the bouncer held up the line to insist everyone else in our party, age 21+ patrons who had already entered the bar with valid ID, get marks on our hands so we couldn't buy drinks. A few minutes later, he left his post at the door, came back to the bar, and told the bartenders not to sell any alcohol to anyone in our party. But the bartenders let us buy beer, of course, because we could prove we were of age and the Rockwell's policy (you would hope) is not refusing service to paying legal customers. As we sat in the theater waiting for the show we'd come to see, the bouncer, still away from his post at the front, searched the bar, found us with beer, took it away, and asked us to leave the building. We asked to speak with his manager, who gave us our beer back and let us stay. But in the meantime, we'd lost our seats and had to sit on the stairs to see the show. Completely unnecessary treatment. You don't need a bouncer who thinks he's The Law (but doesn't have the proper tools and training to verify valid ID) leaving his post to harass customers. They lost our business. Won't be surprised if others are similarly turned off by the security staff. read more

The Rockwell is the perfect venue to host Sh*tfaced Shakespeare. We saw Taming of the Shrew on Friday evening. Thanks to a Groupon deal the place was filled near capacity. My only suggestion is to get there prior to showtime (not sure what time doors open) if you want a center seat. We had to sit on the side since we arrived just prior to the 10 pm show and it would have been more enjoyable had we been able to secure premium seats. And the show? Anything goes- it's a lot of improv, and one cast member is indeed drunk- swearing, sexual innuendo, and partial nudity all to be had for the price of admission. Age 21+ at this location bc there's a speakeasy bar upstairs. .............And don't be one of those drunk audience members that tries to sneak their plastic cup drinks outside-the burly, bearded bouncer will stop you in your tracks. read more

Came for the first time tonight to see Sh*tfaced Shakespeare (also my first but hopefully not the last), and it was all brilliant and hilarious! It's a smallish space downstairs in what appears to be an older building, but the staff were super friendly and clear and helpful from the start, and seemed well-trained and experienced. The show was also fantastic and really well done, and the cast were talented and seemed to be enjoying what they were doing, which is always a plus, and it was just totally fab and completely hysterical. Absolutely recommend! read more

2 stars because the venue itself is nice - it's small and intimate, perfect for the acoustic sets I went to see. However, I am BEYOND pissed at whoever does the advertising for this venue. I came to see my favorite musician perform here. He only comes to my area once a year and I always make sure I get there to show my support. Somerville is an hour drive for me; if I drive all that way to see a show, obviously I'm a big fan. So the musician posted a link to the event through the Rockwell's website/facebook page and it stated that the show started at 8pm. PERFECT, I thought. My boyfriend, his friend and I had plenty of time to grab a bite to eat before the show. We get there about 10 minutes early, or so I thought... I heard the musician I had been dying to see talking on stage. As we're getting our tickets I say out loud, "Oh, they started early?" to which the girl replied "Uh no, they started at 7:30..." 7:30?! WHY, oh WHY would the start time on the website say 8 when it's actually 7:30?!?!?! Naturally I panic and state how the start time was posted as 8pm, and a guy standing nearby goes "Yeah, we're working on that..." Working on that? What's there to work on?! If you're putting the opening act on at 7:30, POST THE START TIME AS 7:30!!!!! The headliner didn't even go on until 8:30/8:45, so even if they meant the 8pm time as the headliner, THEY'RE STILL WRONG! I drove 100 miles round-trip to hear my favorite musician play 2 songs. I hope he doesn't play at the Rockwell in the future. read more

So Davis Square Theatre (DST) and the Saloon, a restaurant and bar on the same floor, both occupy the same building, but are separate businesses. I could see people easily getting confused by this. I came to DST with a few friends to see a friend's brother perform, which we did, and afterwards, we were led to believe that another band would follow soon after, but we were not expecting that it'd be an hour later. There was no communication by the staff to the audience about this. Also, the bathroom in the far back of the building was flooded, and even though they had wet floor signs up, there were big puddles, and it didn't look like there was any attempt of the floor being mopped. I heard my shoes splash in the water before I noticed the wet floor signs. They should have either mopped up the puddles, or block off that bathroom until fixed. Fortunately, they had another bathroom nearby. I was not impressed with the venue, but I may come back again to give them another try. read more

My husband and I went for the first time to The Rockwell last Saturday to see "The Winemaker." A dark Irish Christmas comedy that I could see over and over again. So impressed with the venue, bar, bartender, staff, but especially the show. Hilarious! We will be frequent flyers to "The Rockwell" henceforth. read more

Do you understand that Yelp allows corporations to pay to remove bad reviews? If you use Yelp, you are essentially a corporate schill. Why not just get a job working for Loews - if you give this movie theater a bad review? It is the chain stores who have huge marketing budgets that can afford to pay to remove bad reviews., after all. read more

The theater itself is nice. Small, but it makes it so everyone can see and hear okay. I went last night for a performance of Sh*t Faced Shakespeare. The performance was fantastic! They don't like it if you use the bathroom during the performance though. After I came out they wouldn't let me back in and kept hissing at me for having a low conversation with the other folks they wouldn't let back in. Speaking to us in rude, patronizing voices and telling us "a play was going on." Um, duh. We know about the play, that's why we're here. Anyway, they were annoying enough that I eventually just walked in anyway. After the performance they took my picture and asked me not to come back. Who would've thought it mattered when both audience and cast are drunk? I would give this theater and performance five stars but for the self-righteous hipsters who work there and take the whole thing a little too seriously. read more

this place would be great if they didn't charge you a $15 cover, or even if they didn't have a TIP BASKET after secretly including gratuity in the bar prices as well. read more