Academy of Music

I visited to see «Once» with a pretty big group. As soon as I entered, my first reaction was «oh my gosh. It’s beautiful!» But that was just the lobby. Entering the theater, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the ceiling! We sat on the floor level, and was closer to the back of the room so it was a bit hard to see. The sound quality of the show was okay, I found it hard to make out what the actors were saying at some points.
The production of the musical itself was very nice. I really enjoyed it and would love to come back to see another show!

The most beautiful theatre I have ever been to! This is old world glamour at its finest. The room is covered in gold, from the walls to the fixtures. The Academy of Music opened its doors in 1857, which makes it the oldest opera house in the country. The New York Times wrote an article when it opened, describing the opera house as «magnificently gorgeous, beautifully lighted, solidly constructed, finely located and brilliantly ornamented.» I think that describes this space to a tee. No amount of words or pictures can capture the beauty of this place. My photos do it no justice. You have to see it for yourself.

Don’t let the outside fool ya – it’s a jewel box on the inside. Acoustics were fine and the staff was excellent.

I love a good theater production and the Academy of Music has hosted some awesome shows!
I’ve been here for Annie, Matilda, Once, Lion King, Dirty Dancing, The Illusionists, Wicked, and We Will Rock You, with varying seat selections and always had a good time.
My biggest tip is to GET RUSH TICKETS. My family and I used to do the whole Times Square tkts thing, wake up at 7am, get the train, line up with 800 other people, and still pay $ 200 a ticket. Here in Philly, you check the website the week of to make sure what night they have rush tickets, you show up 2 hours before the show (maybe 2.5 hours if you really are worried or have more than 2 people, but the window only opens 2 hours before), you bring $ 30 cash per person, you make sure you have a body for each ticket (although I’ve sweet talked my way out of this with a phone call to a friend and a pleading pout), you go get dinner/​lunch, and you return in 2 hours for a great show! The line moves fast and the tickets may be far up or limited view (just cock your head to the side and you’ll be fine) but for $ 30 it’s so worth it, the tickets you get full price are often $ 75 to $ 100 for the same thing.
A few pro tips:
–You can buy a sippy cup and bring booze into the show.
–Bathroom lines can get long so you better make a beeline for it at intermission.
–Sign up for their emails if you’re a student and you’ll have access to $ 10 tickets for certain shows.

I may have driven 2 hours to come watch Matilda here and I must say the drive was soooo worth it!!!
The ushers were so friendly and hands down HELPFUL! Doug (I think that’s what his name was) and Chris.
The top tier wasn’t so bad BUT be careful with the columns in the way. Place was clean (bathrooms too) and again staff was so friendly.
One CON if you want to get water… a bottle of water is $ 4 but you CAN’T bring it in the theater… you must purchase their own Kimmel theater water container for $ 8 and woo hoo (sarcastically) it’s a souvenir. This container can come in the theater with you. This is the reason for 4 stars. Come on a water bottle has a cap so what’s the difference.
Anywho, I would come back. Great spot and restaurants everywhere. Check with the restaurant first if they validate parking tickets. I know Max Brenner does and you pay $ 10. Not so bad!

Although I am still a big fan of this venue, I recently had a chance to experience the seats higher in the amphitheater/​family circle to see the Lion King. My fiancé and I received tickets from a co– worker that was unable to attend the performance in this area, and were uncomfortable for the majority of the show. There is much less leg room in these areas, and being less expensive, attracted a diverse crowd. There was one family that was particularly disruptive the entire time– arriving late, getting up and down and children generally misbehaving. We were not next to them, but the couple at the end of the row in which they were sitting, were clearly disappointed that they kept crawling across them to get in and out of their seats in the middle of the performance.
Overall, the Lion King performance was spectacular and we got our tickets for a steal, but, I now know to pay a little more for orchestra seating to thoroughly enjoy our performance.

Beautiful theater with good acoustics. We actually had some issues with ladies who had imbibed too much prior to the show and once alerted to the situation, the theater staff handled it very well. A great place to go catch the show. It’s worth just to pop in to see how pretty it is inside.

I saw a concert here last night. Stunning venue… Beautiful chandelier, beautiful ceilings, walls, pillars… Just fantastic. The sound was impressive as well. And the temperature was perfect.
Most of the ushers here were pretty cool, but a couple of them were annoying and came to the front, mid-​way through the set, while the artist was singing and tried to shuffle people around… and were pretty loud about it. The other people working there were professional though.
Lacking in the beverage category. For such a nice venue, the ‘bar’ set-​up was so weak.

Beautiful venue! I came here to see the Lion King, great show, especially for the young and young at heart. The beverage selection and service are definitely lacking though.

Great venue! Super nice and fancy-​feel inside! I’ve been here twice (Jason Mraz and The lion king). For both concerts I had nosebleed seats and I still had a good experience.
It’s an old school theater and obviously the floor tickets cost way more than the upper sections. You get what you pay for. The nosebleed seats were like $ 34 for the lion king. I think the floor seats costs ~100 plus. It gets crowded but it is still easy to navigate around. My friend had a twisted ankle so we took the elevator (they also had a separate entrance with a ramp) — convenient.
If you live in philly it’s def worth checking out! Just don’t expect to get any good views with cheap tickets.

I can’t be grateful enough for how affordable to see great musicals/​opera/​shows in Philly, and Academy of Music is one of my favorite theater. Seats in the family circle (3^rd floor)/Amphitheater (4^th floor) can be a little far away from the stage, but you get pretty cool overall view.
Surprisingly, even the lion King Musical offered Rush tickets. For those who don’t have the means to pay full-​price tickets everytime like me, look out for rush ticket on their website. You don’t need to be student to rush, however, student has other perks.

I also saw Swan Lake this weekend. It was gorgeous, thrilling, and breathtakingly beautiful.
As for the venue… This was my first time here and I’m going to state the obvious: It was way too hot in that bitch. I went on a balmy, humid rainy evening. It was 60 degrees outside and around 80 degrees inside. What is the reasoning behind this? It was stifling. My friend actually said she was falling asleep during the performance because it was just so hot. Not exaggerating. Hot hot. Like sweating hot.
Add in the fact that they ran out of water during the first intermission and you have yourself a mess. We finally snagged some water during the second intermission…$ 4 for a cup of Dasani poured from a 20oz bottle. No ice. Room temperature. Not good.
This isn’t a review of the ballet but the venue, so that’s how it is. HOT.
Otherwise, the Academy of Music is pretty. It’s fancy. I saw people in tuxedos. I had a lovely time there but only because of the show. Turn on the AC please!!!

The Academy of Music is a beautiful venue. It offers great performances to enjoy with friends and the loved ones.
On my last visit here, which was last night, I saw the «Swan Lake» that I always wanted to go. Somehow, never made it to. The Pennsylvania Ballet is fantastic. Last night’s performance was brilliant! So was the orchestra playing the symphonies of Tchaikovsky.
Tickets sell out quickly, and I’m referring to the good seats here. Make sure that you book way in advance and choose your own seats if you want to have a good view of the stage. I remember when I booked «The Nutcracker», my view was not the best one because I booked seats on the side.
Definitely, recommend if you’re trying to do something different for the night.

It is gorgeous venue, so classic and beautiful! I like their Broadway musicals very much. So much cheaper than Broadway in NYC and as good as them.
Watched musical Once, Phantom of the Opera and Cinderella.
I probably watched Phantom at least 7 times haha. I know it is lame but I just love that show. My parents and me are such a big fan so we both watched multiple times but we read this new version of Phantom will be showing in Philly so we were exited to watch. And so excited to see how they were going to use this classic old style theater. It would be just perfect venue for phantom without trying.
Setting was beautiful and music was great as usual. I just wasn’t fan of new version they did. I really like their dramatic ending when phantom is surrounded by flames. I cried with him every time I watched. Revised ending was less dramatic and was a bit disappointing. Not sure if they did it because the stage had less space than ones in nyc.
We did enjoyed Once and Cinderella as well. Very entertaining, great performance. They did not disappointed me.
One thing was odd that the actors usually asked for the donation for their charity work after curtain call. I thought that was very nice and also smart. The audiences were so happy after watching fun musicals and willing to chip in. We all got out and walked down the stairs and the exit just lead us to street. We did not see anyone collecting donation. I saw people actually wanted to donate a bit and that was little disappointing.

I feel so blessed to be living so close to the wonderful city of Philadelphia. Academy of Music is one of those places that make Philadelphia such a standout city. I’ve been here a few times for shows including Wicked, Jersey boys and the Nutcracker. The Hall is gorgeous and makes you feel like you’ve traveled into the wondrous times 1800s. I get lost in admiring the architectural beauty of this place.
It is one of the oldest operating theaters in the US and I’ve mistakenly thought all this time that the seats were rather uncomfortable due to when it was built. But then again, I finally got to sit on the bottom level for the first time and the seats there are quite comfy. If you have never been, I highly suggest you spend a little extra and try to get the seats on the bottom.
I really do wish more people would get dressed up for the show. It bothers me when people show up wearing torn jeans and a tshirt. Let’s keep going to a show classy and show some respect!

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! At 34 years old and having never seen «The Nutcracker,» my husband and I decided to spend Christmas Eve Day enjoying the performance. The ballet did not disappoint and I can see why people flock to see it each year.
Our seats were in the Family Circle section and although we were in the first row, we had to lean over the edge for the entire show if we wanted a full view of the stage. The stairs are scary steep and my husband had to help several older ladies to their seats. Definitely NOT high-​heel, child or elderly friendly! Other than trying to get better seats so we have some leg room, don’t have to strain our necks the entire show and most importantly, aren’t scared of our impending death as we walk up/​down the stairs, we’ll be back for other performances!

This theater is gorgeous. Yes, it’s old, but I think that makes it feel more special. The seats are pretty close together but not to the point where you’re uncomfortable.
I’ve seen several shows here and don’t have a bad thing to say about any of my experiences.
Many shows have «rush» ticketing, so if there’s a show you’re interested in seeing, look into this feature! I got to see «Wicked» with a couple of girl friends because two of us were lucky enough to win the lottery — BAM, amazing seats for a can’t-be-beaten price.

Cinderella! What a fabulous show! I have seen many musicals at the academy and I Cinderella is my favorite so far! The scenery was great. The costume changes/​effects were amazing! Other people that I have spoken to have said the same. This musical is a must see! Fabulous!

Great central location in Philadelphia with parking next door and flashing lights on the block – can’t miss it!
At a few points in the show, I had a hard time keeping my eyes on the stage since I would notice how gorgeous the theater itself is. There’s a very plush feel to the theater, and the ceiling and columns are gorgeous.
Views from the orchestra are great, and the incline helps so much that I barely noticed the people in front of me. The main downfall of the Academy is the view from any other place other than the orchestra… Then you’ll be straining your neck and watching sideways. And for that price? Boo. I personally would save up for the events you want to see most and splurge a little more on those seats. Balcony is all right, but anything else? Forget it. The high seats don’t make any sense and shouldn’t even be sold.

The Academy of Music is my favorite live performance venue in Philadelphia. Just the thought that people sat in those same seats in the same venue and watched live performances almost 150 years ago raises the coolness quotient thru da roof! Having a venue like The Academy of Music is one of the things that makes Philadelphia a world class city and deserves 5 stars on the basis of class alone.
I will agree with other reviewer’s opinion that the seats are narrow and the aisles cramped, but that can be remedied, by sitting in your seat at the last moment and taking full advantage of any intermissions to stretch and walk around. I have sat in many different places in this venue and personally find the rear of the parquet circle to be the best combination of good view, accessibility, and price.
Sitting in the upper balconies certainly takes some exercise. Others have complained about limited view seating and, while columns in front of you certainly limit the experience, the Academy does «compensate» you for most performances with significantly reduced ticket prices for those limited view seats. I have also found that the Academy clearly marks and is generous with which seats are limited view.
If you are driving in, be sure to leave a little bit of extra time to find a garage, particularly if there are events happening at any of the many other venues nearby. Parking in a garage near Market or Chestnut and walking will end up saving you time in the long run by avoiding the traffic snarls near Walnut and Locust.
Last tip for today — if you are looking to have a drink during intermission make a break for it as quickly as possible as the lines get long fast. Also, they only let adult sippy cups into the theatre so be sure to get your drink in one of those if you want to bring it in. Or better yet, save your cup when you are done and bring it to the next show.
Enjoy!