Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Nice venue with plenty of parking

Smaller venue, nice parking lot. All seats seem to be pretty good. There is room for improvement. They only opened the doors about 30 minutes before the performance. So it is hard to get through the lobby with the security screening and people trying to buy merchandise and beverages. The setup of seating in the auditorium is strange. There is no center aisle, so you either approach the seats from the left or right. The seat numbers are also duplicated. So row 22 would have a seat 12 left and a seat 12 row right. If the usher does not catch this, the person in the wrong seat has to walk past 40 plus people to get to the correct seat. Then if someone gets up to go to the bathroom, you all have to get up to let them out. If the seating arrangement was better I would rate it a 5

Nice venue with plenty of parking

Smaller venue, nice parking lot. All seats seem to be pretty good. There is room for improvement. They only opened the doors about 30 minutes before the performance. So it is hard to get through the ...

Go for the show, not for the venue

Much like the image that comes to mind when picturing a retiree in Florida, the Van Wezel is showing significant age that is attempting to hide under injections, fillers, lifts, and other stop-gap measures. It serves a purpose, but a younger, more modern replacement, would be more beneficial in the long term. The venue is located right on Sarasota Bay, with its own dedicated exit from a roundabout on a major highway (more on this later). The view is fantastic, and the breeze provides significant relief from the heat as you walk to and from the auditorium. There are walking paths around the building, and attendees are able to enjoy their snacks and drinks under umbrellas on a small patio around back. There is more than enough parking, and the signs that identify where you are parked are numerous and clearly marked. The building itself is purple. While this might be chic, considering the purpose of the building, it presents itself as dated. The process by which audience members enter and exit the building further confirms this. Tip #1: Try to buy tickets on the RIGHT side of the auditorium. Why you ask? Well, should you have anything designated for the 'left' side, your entrance is around back, past the loading docks. Add in a couple of odoriferous dumpsters, and the setting would be complete. Visitors entering from the right actually get to enter into the main lobby via the front doors. You are able to walk from entrance to entrance once inside; the public areas are actually under the seats, and it's a large semicircle of hallways and rooms, as well as significant level changes. There are elevators available for handicapped, though. The design causes an unconscious feeling of being in an attic area, with close quarters (often blocked by loiterers), slanted ceilings, and not enough space to stand vertically. Speaking of uncomfortable feelings, remember the comment earlier about how the building was purple? This theme carries into the building as w

Go for the show, not for the venue

Much like the image that comes to mind when picturing a retiree in Florida, the Van Wezel is showing significant age that is attempting to hide under injections, fillers, lifts, and other stop-gap mea...

As Good As Theater Gets!

We saw the show "Ain't Too Proud" the story of The Temptations. It was an incredible theater experience. Magnificent singing, dancing and a complex interesting story behind the group.......the pain...