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David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
Categories: Arts & Entertainment Performing Arts Arts & Entertainment Cinema Performing Arts, Cinema [Edit]
1010 N WC MacInnes PlTampa, FL 33602
(813) 222-1000
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
13 reviews for David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
13 reviews in English
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Review from Dana U.
1/22/2012
I went to the Straz for a free night at the symphony due to an organization called Young Philanthropic Tampa. All I can say is beautiful place with extremely nice people working there.
The acoustics were also fantastic and I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. I will definitely be returning for many more performances. -
Review from Danesh J.
The Carol Morsani Hall is pretty nice, very large. Saw Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) perform here. Pretty surprised to see them perform at the Straz, but it worked. Acoustics were pretty decent for this show. I hope they come back. The pre-function area is large. They have drinks there as well.
Overall, this is a good place to start if you want that New York Broadway experience or if you want to prep for it before you go.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/13/2011
Went to see Motherhood in the Jaeb Theater. It's a black box. Very intimate seating (tables and… Read more »
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Review from Kelly H.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've only been here once to see A Christmas Story, but I really liked this venue. I'm used to going to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center here in Orlando, which is very similar to the David A. Straz Center, but I think that the seating arrangements at the Straz Center is set up much better and allows for a better viewing experience. I did not like the parking situation though. I parked in a lot that charged me $5 which was on the complete opposite side of the front of the building and took a while to walk to where I needed to be. That was the only negative experience I had at the Straz Center. So all in all a great place to go see a show.
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Review from Marianne C.
Hudson, FL
10/7/2011
I am a bit behind in reviewing this but 3 of my friends and I went to see Motherhood on Friday, August 26 at 8PM at The Carol Morsani Hall . The theater was FREEZING and they stuck us at a table so far to the side of the stage that we could not see anything that was going on during the performance on that side of the stage. We booked over the phone and asked the woman specifically if we would be able to see well from there and she assured us we would.
They absolutely should NOT have sold tickets for that table. The show was very good but the venue should be ashamed that they would sell those seats. Oh and when you think about spending the money for tickets, don't forget the $8 parking fee. -
Review from Collin S.
5/31/2011
As good a facility for Broadway touring companies and other stage productions as you'll find anywhere in the South. Acoustics are outstanding, and large enough to accommodate a good sized crowd.
The quality of productions is always top rate, and rare is the major company that doesn't stop in Tampa. Morsani Hall, the biggest of the facility venues, compares favorably with any of the great halls in the region. I've been to similar facilities in Durham, Atlanta, Miami, and others, but this is the best I've seen.
What makes it such an outstanding landmark for the area are the other venues in the complex. The Shimberg Playhouse is just 130 seats, but I've seen a couple of really good small community theater style productions there. I also saw one musical act in Ferguson Hall, which is almost a mini version of Morsani, and it was just as comfortable and appealing as it's larger neighbor.
The Patel Conservatory does great work with arts programs for young people in the area for both music and theatrical performance. Having an option for students to pursue this in the area is invaluable.
Tampa gets a rap as not as culturally aware as other cities of the same market size, but I don't think that's fair. There's many good museums in the area, but TBPAC is probably the best evidence that Tampa is a great city for the arts as well. -
Review from Will R.
Sarasota, FL
11/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Visited the Straz center to see "Wait Wait....Don't tell me". Much much bigger then I expected, great place to see a show!!
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Review from Justin M.
Orlando, FL
6/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
We drove over from Orlando to see Mary Poppins. Coming from the Bob Carr in Orlando, this place was Radio City.
It's comfortable seating with ample concourse areas make it a nice place to see a show. It's easy to get to and and only drawbacks are parking and surrounding restaurants being too far away. -
Review from Tiffany B.
Tampa, FL
Love! The classes definitely aren't cheap, but the facility and instructors are top notch. Totally worth the price!
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Review from Jodi M.
Valrico, FL
Tampa is lucky to have such a venue. I've been coming since it opened and always enjoyed myself. I've seen fabulous shows here.
They have got parking down. You can valet park or get there a bit earlier and park in the garage (with a covered walkway) or in parking lots right around the building. Also after the show exiting is not bad. -
Review from Mark K.
Brooklyn, NY
12/10/2009
I was here for Wonderland tonight, and fell in love with the theater instantly. It was filled with lovely people who greeted and seated me in the friendliest manner possible.
The seats were very comfortable and not too close together for tall people. I wish all theaters were this comfortable.
The restrooms were clean and stocked with towels and toilet paper. -
Review from Vincent W.
Tampa, FL
4/6/2009
You can see this place next to water while driving on I-275. It is very easy to find and parking isn't as bad as one might think. Every time I came here for a show, I parked right next to the building. The overall feel of the place is kind of casual/formal, depending on your showtime and the audience you will be watching it with. Usually afternoon shows are more casual and evening shows have more formal feel. The seats are pretty good or maybe I just been lucky. I was able to get seats right in the middle every time so far. I was able to see the stage pretty clearly, obviously if you have a person with big head in front of you, you might have to adjust.
The only thing that kind of bothered me a bit, the armrest kind of sucks. -
Review from Mariana M.
Leadville, CO
12/25/2009
My family has had season tickets to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center for as long as I can remember. It was here that my love of the performing arts was developed and fostered, and so this place will always hold a very special place in my heart. All of the venues at TBPAC are amazing in their own ways and for their own purposes, but nothing makes my heart flutter like a seat at the center of the giant, majestic, Carol Morsani Hall. It is this facility that attracts most of the major Broadway shows that pass through here, and there is nothing like the energy of that room during a packed performance.
TBPAC also self-produces a few shows a year, which are usually top notch. My favorite of these are the operas, which are presented in the Carol Morsani at the same level of production and performance one might see at Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall. These events are truly spectacular and I would recommend them to anyone who might be able to catch one.
Their most recent foray into internally-produced productions is a new original musical entitled 'Wonderland,' which I paid an unfortunate $79 to sit through last weekend. Words cannot express how disappointed I was by this show. The dialogue was unoriginal, the characters undeveloped and the music uninteresting. The show simply did not reach the high standards I have learned to expect from TBPAC.
However, a lifetime of quality productions is enough for me to let this one pass, so long as it doesn't happen again, and I will happily award TBPAC the 5 stars it deserves, despite 'Wonderland.' -
Review from Celeste C.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2007
I was impressed by the theater. I went and saw Chicago the musical there when Alan Thicke played the defense lawyer, Billy Flynn. I saw some other ones but I remember this one the best. I enjoyed it. The seats were comfortable.
