Olympia Theatre

Went to my first gig here last night. Was seated in on the first level. The view was good but the seats are tiny. Other than that had an amazing experience. Saw Jack Garrat the. He was amazing.

I’ve been here a number if times for plays and concerts. It isn’t a huge venue so you feel involved in the show. You have to be careful when chosing seats as there are a few pillars that could obstruct your view of the stage. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The bar has recently been refurbished and it looks great full of great pictures of great irish actors, being served can take a while though

We went to see Gavin James on January 22^nd. We had a great view of the stage — Though some of the lights did blind us in ⁴⁄₅ songs as we were in the centre of the aisle in the centre row.
Lovely looking venue. A couple of health and safety issues I would think (Stairs and steps are all different shapes and sizes) but that’s to be expected with such a lovely old building.
I would return

The double entendre ‘do you come here often’ can range from Homer’s odyssey: ‘no-​one has hurt me’ after Odysseus has attacked a Cyclops to a cheap risqué joke. In this case it’s a truly wonderful live show featuring stars from the golden age of the Irish Show bands that brought us to Dublin’s truly wonderful Olympia theatre. Like me it’s seen better days, unlike me its cultured, stately and really quite grand. A cultural heart beating each time there’s a performance. A delightful throwback to a more genteel time we could all benefit from revisiting. As the old song says ‘don’t change a hair for me not if you care for me’. I’m tired of reading comments in reviews that moan that the theatre is cramped, the sound could be better, hand dryers can be heard from restrooms and the like. Good grief are these sad people for real. Stuff of nonsense. As we walked into the theatre we walked under a faded poster of David Bowie from his concerts there half a lifetime ago, a pointed reminder that life is brief. This theatre is living history. Now I’m 6′ 3″ and yes I was welded into my seat (thought I was on a Ryanair flight) but I was captivated from the show started until it ended. The Irish audience is a thing to hold in awe. They’ll sing to the performers on stage all night, entertain them and go home saying they had a great night. Now this isn’t up there in my musical choices but the performers were truly impressive. The performers to a woman and man had more talent in their little fingers than I have in a large torso. A few of them had several number 1 UK hits in the 1960’s charts along side the Beatles. The show ended with a true Irish legend Dickie Rock 77 years old. His was a stunning, electric, fast paced performance. A powerful voice. Honestly he must have been replaced by a 20 year old actor. I’d hate to see the portrait in his roof-​space. He makes Cliff Richard look like an old man. I didn’t know the show bands originated in Strabane Northern Ireland and at one time over 800 working bands performed in Ireland in the toughest time the Northern Ireland statelet had it what now is understated as ‘the Troubles’. The average age of performers was 70 something yet they all sang like 30 year olds. They had the energy of 30 year olds too. The audience was mainly groups of pear-​shaped old ladies, many slowed with arthritic walking difficulties. There’s always a Mary and a Beda. You know it’s Dublin. We were among the youngest and able bodied in the audience. Men were well out numbered too, maybe reflecting that women outlive men or just maybe the old men stayed home. My mind wandered as I listened to their humorous, terse laconic conversations among themselves before the show began. What great magical black humour flowing from hard lives. I smiled. I thought what’s a collective term for a group of females? There’s a pod of dolphins, a murder of crows, and as the lights dimmed for what would be a memorable showtime, it went momentarily quiet and I thought a gossip of ladies.

I have always been satisfied with the Olympia as a venue for theatre, gigs and much more. From the perfectly slanted floors to the small and intimate surroundings it enchants the viewer before the music even begins. The beautifully set up stage with coloured boxes all around it gives an awesome backdrop to whatever you might be about to experience.
The only issue you might have would be the overpriced drinks and snacks as however this is an issue in literally every venue I didn’t feel the need to dock a star however!

I saw a rock concert here a few days ago.
The sound and the lighting were very good. The space itself is nice-​looking… It’s very old-​looking without being rundown.
The size of the stage was perfect for a rock show. The barrier was a little far from the stage though.
Staff here were nice and pretty mellow… Mostly old-​boys.
I found the bartenders at the back-​bar to be inefficient… Doing a poor job seeing who had been waiting around and who had just walked up.

I came to the production of Once at the Olympia and it was a very enjoyable night.
When booking, I was a bit unsure how things were going to go down, because there seemed to be an issue with the restricted-​view seating plan. The front few rows are all limited view, especially for the staging of Once, as it’s slightly higher than usual.
I ended up going for the 5^th row back: row E, and it was pretty good! I was torn between that and a few rows further behind but it worked out ok. It did feel a little like the stage was tilted away so that you couldn’t really see everything on a flat platform but we didn’t miss any of the important parts on stage.
The sound in the Olympia was a bit disappointing. We were right up the front so could hear the performers true sounds, but it seemed like there wasn’t a whole lot of amplification aside from that!
Some parts of the music are supposed to really rock your seats and I didn’t feel like it had that impact. Some of the voices on stage were very powerful, but others really needed that extra lift, and they didn’t really get that, so it was a bit of a strain to hear.
That said, everything was audible and it was still a beautiful production.
I heard complaints that there isn’t a lot of legroom in the seating, but I didn’t find that to be a problem and I’m 5’8″ with fairly long legs. It was a bit annoying to have to get up for people to come in– one hilarious couple of women didn’t know where they were at, and went through two rows before they went back to a different section altogether– this caused a fair bit of laughter and commotion in the crowd, all while one performer was singing alone, a lovely rendition of On Raglan Road, so I felt bad for him!
The rest of the theatre is nice enough, there are two ladies bathrooms (much appreciated), and the place is clean and old-​school. The staff were all very pleasant. I’d definitely come back for another production.

I love coming to the Olympia. Such a unique gorgeous venue that Dublin is lucky to have. Rather well preserved too. The only issue I noticed on my last visit to see a play (Once the musical) is that due to the age of the venue some of the chairs creak if you move. A little distracting during quieter parts of the show but don’t let it put you off. If you’re over 6 foot tall you might find you have very little leg room too I’m afraid

Beautiful theatre however a little dated. There are only 3 women’s toilets on the main level– noy enough for a full house! and the seats are very close together… but definitely worth a trip.

I’m giving it a five star mainly for the performance [The Wallworth Farce] which was BRILLIANT funny and sad and depressing and entertaining all ay once. My seat… not so brilliant, it was a restricted view seat which I didn’t realise until I collected the ticket at the box office on the night… A great big bloody pole blocking the centre of the stage where most of the action took place. It didn’t bother me too much but the lady beside wasn’t too happy as I was constantly invading her space plus the two ladies behind me constantly tutted as I obscured one view then the other. So, moral of the story check your tickets before you hit the confirm button. Love the Olympia, it’s old worldly charm makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time and think about who has watched this little stage before you.

I’m not sure if it’s correct to review the current production at the Olympia through this forum — the Walworth Farce — but perhaps, it might be a little helpful to those intending to go or intending to buy tickets.
The Theatre itself is a truly wonderful venue, we had seats in the upper circle and had a fantastic view of the stage. Sound and lighting equally good.
Just a word of warning to anyone intending to go and see the Walworth Farce — the storyline is very dark and depressing and could upset some people (set in a bedsit in London where the Irish emigrant father (from Cork) has total control and dominance over his two sons — I wont say anymore at the risk of ruining the scene!). HOWEVER, it is an fantastic production with the three members of the Gleeson family proving their absolutely brilliance as actors, especially Donal Gleeson, who’s unbelievable energy and dramatics during the whole show are outstanding.

A lovely intimate venue for theatre and music. I’ve been at many special events here. Starting with Christmas Pantos as a child. From that point of view it will always have a special place in my heart. It’s hard to find a area where you’re not right beside the stage. If you can avoid it try not to end up in the upper circle.

The Olympia is a wonderful oid building.
Its a really good venue for gigs and shows. We have had some great nights here.
To be honest it could be a bit better maintained, but its still very nice.
The men’s toilets can get very crowded at a big gig and it can be a bit pushy shovy!
However generally its fine. Another great live music venue in the heart of Dublin.

I was here the other day for an Opera show but sadly didn’t enjoy the experience much.
Theater itself is from an old era– Elegant and royal looking from the inside. However there are somethings below that need a desperate fix.
Seats and interiors — The seats were hard and uncomfortable (if you are tall — more problems, you would feel like sitting in a flight) everyone in a row had to get up/​out to have people sit/​go to the restroom.
The carpet was smelly and needed a thorough wash. There were exposed wires at the back of the circle section.
Acoustics — The acoustics were bad. I could not hear and understand the opera singer despite it was in English and I had the front row (row B) seat in the circle section. I wonder how the experience was for people in the upper circle.
Premier seats — Specific to the play; they had premier (?) seats on the stage itself, You can tune people out after a while but I found it visually odd. Also, what’s the point of paying more for premier seats if most performers are facing away from you?
The theater has a lot of potential and I honestly feel they should spend good money in redoing the interiors and the sound system.
Currently they are just ok for a play but not equipped to handle an Opera or a big music performance.

I won’t lie. I thought this venue was AWFUL. I will certainly not be going back during the summer months anyway. It is dire how warm it is in there. My friends had to take off his jumper and everyone was fanning themselves. No air conditioning… And lack of ventilation… Bad combo.
Also really irritating how any time someone has to go to the restroom, everyone in that row has to stand up to make room. It made to be a very disruptive show…
I was there last night to watch the Chelsea Handler show… The sound system must be archaic as sitting on row N, (last row of the circle section) I had a really hard time hearing and understanding the comics on the stage. It was really annoying to have to strain to listen to what everyone else was laughing about.
Also never sit on row N as there’s restrooms in the back of the theater, and the noise hand dryers is extremely loud and will become an issue to ruin your experience… Especially if you straining to understand the performers to begin with…
It is a beautiful old fashioned theater but I won’t be rushing to go back there ever again…

As a live music venue this is definitely in my top 5, possibly even my number 2 since the ambassador stopped live music shows. It’s the perfect size and layout so that if you have a standing ticket you’ll have an excellent view of the stage no matter where you stand!
The only reason i cant give the Olympia 5 stars is because as a theatre venue the chairs are just too close together. It can get super uncomfortable sitting for a full show.
That said the beauty of the place is something to behold too!

My husband and I came here all the way from Vegas and bought tickets for The Pixies. This theatre has so much history and charm here. It has the coolest look with red velvet curtains and ornate wall décor. The music sounded awesome and it pierced the small venue walls and vibrated through me,
Needless to say this venue kicked ass. I loved the fact that there were ladies restrooms on each floor, which was convenient. The flooring is a little sketchy since I was wearing heels. I almost buckled out from under my step on the uneven bumpy, creaking flooring. Ladies– take caution when walking. This place was fantastic! We had a great time. The only thing that kept me from ranking 5 stars is the very mediocre bar/​snack area. It was also freezing in the place and I had to weary parka and gloves to hold my beer.

Saw the Of Monsters and Men concert here a few weeks ago and was pleased with the venue. It is obviously in a great location, easy to get to, and very historic feeling. You can tell walking up the stairs that a lot of great acts have played there. It is a little old inside, but I think it adds charm. There are definitely some places that have restricted views up top, but just make sure you get there to pick a seat early. We were in the unreserved seating in the second deck, but had no issues with the sound or sight.
It is very steep stairs, so be careful. There is a bar upstairs and a couple of restrooms that are handy enough. I can’t speak for the standing area at the bottom floor, but didn’t seem too crowded if you don’t mind standing for a show. Will definitely go back to other concerts here.

This is my favourite venue in all of Dublin. The lighting is supreme. It’s a wonderful place to photograph, and there is a majestic atmosphere to the old and beautiful interior. The place serves as great a venue for music gigs as it does musicals/​shows etc. It’s just the right size, with a capacity of about 1600 you’re never too far away from the stage ;)
Lovely old bar there too, with lots of photos of iconic moments through the years adoring the walls.
Great place, well recommended !

The Olympia is a fabulous venue. I love the old fashioned décor and signage.
The layout is excellent too, the ladies can be found on either side on all levels and the gents can be found at the back on all levels. Simple!
Regarding the bars on the ground level, they are both at the back and as you look at them, the bar on the left is usually less busy.
If you see a favourite band or performer down to play here, don’t hesitate and get your tickets quick. It’ll be a great experience.