Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric

Let me preface this review by saying that I actually like this theater due to its seating, close proximity to my house and parking is usually not an issue. Ticket prices are usually moderate to expensive but obviously that’s based on the event and not the venue; still cheaper than First Mariner Arena. However using the groupon deal for the Wendy Williams show was a bit unorganized. For starters there were no signage as to where to go to redeem the groupon and get tickets so everybody just lined up at the windows anyway. I purchase 2 tickets through groupon and when I went to redeem them it was only 1 waiting for me. When I informed the attendant she gave me a handwritten ticket to seat 2 people. I asked her would we be seated together and she said yes. When I got to the door to enter an usher told me that my seats had been upgraded so «go over there and another usher will help you.» So I went over there followed by another roughly 50 people who had been upgraded and about another 20 in front of me. Well that usher really had no idea what we were talking about but just went with it anyway. Because the show was starting and we all were just standing in the aisle I asked if we could just go to the balcony to our original seats and were told no because lighting or equipment must be in those seats. At that point it was kind of a get in where you fit in type of thing. After scanning the already seated crowd in the dark, luckily the usher found us 2 seats together. All in all the evening turned out well it just seemed as though there was a huge mis/​no communication amongst the staff which left patrons standing and hoping to get a seat and that is unacceptable for an already paid for ticket, discounted or not.

Went to watch Madea on the Run last night — first time at this venue. WELL, Madea did not disappoint — Tyler Perry was amazing as always and the show was great! HOWEVER, I will never attend a show at this venue EVER again. First, 20% of the attendees were herding in after 7:30pm (when the play started). Now I have been to many plays, on and off Broadway and usual with people are running late, ushers Do NOT allow them in the theatre until the end of the first act. WELL, people where walking around in the dark, looking for the seats, blocking the people that were ON TIME trying to watch the show — very distracting and made it impossible to watch the first act! Second, the air conditioning was not working as it should have been and it was HOT in the theatre though out the show (even Madea made a comment about it on stage)! Third, I am not sure who the seats were designed to hold but it was not a normal size person — so uncomfortable! Finally, there was no indicator (flashing the house lights, announcement, etc.) when intermission was ended so again — act starts and everyone is trying to make there way back to the seats! It is unfortunate that the play itself was so amazing but the venue took away from the overall experience — NEVER AGAIN!

4÷18÷14 comedy show featuring Gabriel Iglesias. Quickly on the show… FABULOUS…it opened with 3 other comedians and all were funny. IF… you see «FLUFFY» live know that he is family friendly but the other comedians **NOT** so much. With that being said, there were more then a handful of kids at the show well behaved from what I can see but I am certain some of the topics were awkward for parent/​child mingling. Leave them home folks, you are allowed to do things without them. Fluffy did at least an hour more concert than anticipated, keep that in mind when for planning a SITTER. HA!
Lyric…
Although the Unilocal listing and the building indicates «Modell» (no idea where that came from… shrug) Lyric, I don’t know of anyone who refers to it thusly. Being from Baltimore I can honestly tell you Baltimore Huns don’t like change so… the *Lyric* it is.
We had tickets from and online purchase and there wasn’t a big tadoo to get through the door. Just a simple quick question and we were in pointed in the correct direction. :) The first floor was VERY congested with people trying to buy drinks, snacks and concert merchandise. Beer and wine 7.00…not so bad, I have seen higher.
We were on the second floor right of the stage (if you are facing the stage) which put us closer then most of the box seat ticket holders with and overhead view. **NICE**
Oh…but I got ahead of myself. The second floor was NOT packed with a large bar and cool air. Awwww… :) You enter the seating area from the left or right of the huge bar and it’s not until then you see there are bathrooms on the second floor.
Here is where I like to say… why the crappola don’t they label things better? Is there a fear it will take away from the theater?
Once inside the seating area an usher directs you to your seat… well, at first he pointed to a general area and we needed specifics kinda tricky, it was. ***BE CAREFUL*** the steps are an unnaural height and can be a little awkward. Really they should have a railings and navagating with heels on must be a challenge.

They just accept cash for bar. IT is stupid…
18^th of April. Fluffy show. Gabriel iglesias was awesome

Last night My fiancé and I went to see Hannibal Buress. Super funny guy! The review is moreso on the venue.
This place isn’t a bad venue. However, there are good and bad seats and possible obstructions (in the box seats if you have the wrong one). I had a seat in row M towards the middle. In terms of seeing the stage it was pretty decent. However, the lady in front of us had some crazy big hair so my fiancé couldn’t see. Luckily there was an empty seat left of us so we shifted down one and everything was good. They have cash bars all over the place so that’s always a plus. Overall, I had no issues with the Lyric.

Saw Miss Ross live here. The place is a little run down and could use a re-​fresh. The sound was good and the venue is not «too large.»

Overall a good venue. It was clean, and the staff was very helpful. The setup inside is typical of a performing arts center. I sat down in the pit, but there is an upper mezzanine with a lot of other seats. I saw a comedy show, but the sound was still pretty good.
My only complain about this place is that they tried to get everyone out of there as soon as the show was over. The ladies’ room still had a line and they cleared the place out.
If an artist you like is performing here it’s worth catching them here.

Not bad at all! We got buy 1 get 1 free tickets here to watch the elf the musical! It’s right next to penn station as well. The venue itself isn’t anything flashy but it’s cute and quaint.

We took my 2 year old to see Sesame Street Live at this theatre. I would deduct a star for the over priced tickets but I doubt the venue sets the price. The staff was very friendly. Everything was clean. It is the perfect size for a small show. Parking was easy and inexpensive. Overall, it was a great location to see a show.

Look for on street parking or take the lightrail

Saw Kevin James, kinda like seeing him in a church? Smelled odd and was old but thankfully he was funny. Our seats were front row upstairs over looking the stage, good seats but just an odd place I suppose. It totally reminded me of listening to vulgar comedy in a church.

Very disappointed in Patricia & Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric. So you purchase tickets for a show in advance for a show from the actual
Patricia & Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric only to find out on my own that the day the show is to be held that there is no show because it was cancelled and you tell me there was no way to notify me. Secondly, you ask me to r… eturn to be refunded. I am then told refund should appear on the credit card 24 – 48 hours. That was a lie. Only to find out through my credit card company that nothing has been submitted and it is now officially 8 days after and my credit card company has still heard nothing from the Lyric. So, I contact the lyric for the second time on Friday in which a manager is supposed to contact me back. So glad I didn’t hold my breath. Well, it’s day 8 and I contact them again for them to tell me the system crashed and they are going to have to submit the refund again. Really, a company this big lets you down like this. And on top of it you tell me that there has been NO compensation for tons of people whom expected to see a show and didn’t, was not notified it was cancelled, didn’t receive a refund yet and are just given a bunch of excuses. And you want us to continue to support this mess. SMH
3÷14÷2013− Tickets purchased
4÷24÷13− I found out on my own the show was cancelled
4÷24÷13− The day I was supposed to see the show
4÷24÷13− The day I went to the Lyric to have the refund put on my card and told it would take ²⁴⁄₄₈ business hours
5÷3÷13− The day I talk to the manager at the Lyric whom told me they would return my call (That never happend)
5÷6÷13− I contact the manager again to only here that the system crashed and they need to have my card number again to do the refund. Really???
WTH and you want people to keep supporting the Lyric.
I will update this review when I actually get refund because this is just foolishness with no compensation. Wish there was no stars to rate this place.

Sound can be a little muddled but it was small enough to not lose touch w/​the performer.

I went in, I sat down, I watched Jim Gaffigan, I got up, I left. Not much more to it than that. The seat was nice.

This was not what I expected from an opera house, especially when I bought «box» tickets. The «box» is maybe a foot off the ground (so you don’t get the better view of an elevated box) and has 8 movable chairs on a first come, first served basis. It seemed like an awkward placement, but better than the extremely long aisles in the center.
I went to a Regina Spektor concert and I was really upset that all during the opening act, the ushers continued to seat people using these really annoying flashlights that kept burning my eyes in the darkness. The crowd was very talkative and kept shouting things to the stage — not sure if that is common to this venue.
As for refreshment, I got a nice drink but the diet coke tasted rank. It seems like it would be very easy to smuggle in drinks if you wanted. ;)

This is a great venue for events. Bands and groups sound great here but I think the musical genre may be affected by the acoustics. Stage is big and all seats can see the stage clearly even those «box» seats on the sides.
Garage Parking is available nearby for a great hourly rate.

Figaro was very nice. Seats were pretty plush and I had ample leg room (I am 6’3″). The intermissions seemed pretty quick and they really should have more food and drink options, but I am really glad they are there to help revitalize that part of Mt. Vernon…

The performance space is absolutely lovely. They clearly spent more than a couple of bucks restoring it to its original glory. Since it’s an old theater, the leg room isn’t great, and the seats can be a little uncomfortable, but neither are a huge deal. If the performance is engaging enough, you won’t even notice. Acoustics were great when we went to see Spamalot.
The parking garage is at the Fitzgerald, about a block away. The rates are reasonable, although getting out of the garage after an event can be pretty annoying. Here’s a tip: if you are paying with a credit card, you *do not* need to wait in the line at the payment booth. You can just swipe your card right at the exit gate. It would have been nice for the garage attendants to tell people that — or at least put some some prominent signs — but at least I know for next time (and now you do too!).
If you’re looking to make an evening of it, but don’t want to drive around, the Brewer’s Art restaurant is within walking distance of the Lyric. But just like you need a ticket for the show, be sure to have a reservation lined up for the restaurant too!

This can be a great venue or a mediocre one, depending on where you are seated. The main hall is beautiful, and while the orchestra and balcony seats will largely give you a great view, the side balcony seats are angled inward, so you might be spending a lot of time leaning inward and with your head turned as you try and see the stage. Acoustics were very good; the highlight of Tony Bennett’s show is an microphone-​free rendition of «Fly Me to the Moon,» and you could hear him perfectly in the balcony. Legroom was alright, but as is typical for a historic theater, a little tight.
The lobby space was really odd. It looks like in the early 1980s they encased the old theater in a modern superstructure, and the result is an ugly exterior and very outdated foyer — a strange contrast with the historic theater. I was surprised how dressed-​up people came as Baltimore isn’t know as being a very formal city, but most people were dressed to the nines. I parked a block away at The Fitzgerald structure off Oliver St, and it was well worth the $ 10 to park in a secure, well-​lit lot. On that note, the area seemed relatively safe, and if you’re coming and going around a showtime, there should be plenty of people on the surrounding streets.

I think this may be my favorite venue in the DC/​MD/​VA area. Granted, I have only seen two shows here, but the acoustics were pretty much amazing. The first experience was Josh Groban’s «Closer» tour in March of 2004. I had gone to the concert at DAR Constitution Hall the night before. Lyric Opera House pretty much kicked Constitution Hall’s ass. It’s a beautiful venue where you won’t feel out of place if you got dressed to the nines or if you came in a baseball cap and flip flops.
«Duh, Sarah L,» you say. «That hottie Josh Groban has a classically trained voice and sings opera/​pop music. Of course he’s going to sound good in an opera house!»
Well, folks, last night we went to see Eddie Vedder at the Lyric. While I am not sure if the opera house is good for rock concerts, it’s lovely for acoustic sets. Eddie would just speak normally and you had absolutely no issues hearing him speak. The opening act was Liam Finn and he was pretty much a one-​man band, playing on guitar and going insane on the drums. While I’m not a fan of Finn’s, sound-​wise it sounded fine.
We didn’t know what seats we were getting, but thanks to the Ten Club (Pearl Jam fan club) we got really great seats, Row F 122/​123, which is close enough to throw my bra at Eddie, if I was that type of girl.
The Orchestra seating is on a slight incline but there are really no bad seats. I was stuck behind a tall person but after I switched seats with Mr. Slygirl (himself a tall person) I could see stage just fine. The Left and Right Boxes looked like it would also be a good place to sit, as well. I read some reviews that the people in the balcony seats said the seats were not turned to the stage so they had to lean back in their seats to ensure that they weren’t blocking the views of the people behind them. Exiting the venue, I saw that they have TVs throughout the theatre, so at least even if you have a seat in the back, at least you could view the stage through the television.
Security was strict as it was a «no cameras, no camera phones» show and throughout the concert they kept shining their flashlight down the row to catch people, which was annoying. You can purchase beverages at concessions but they won’t let you take them into the theatre. Also at closing time they really usher you out, which was a pain as I couldn’t txt my boyfriend to let him know where I was waiting, since my phone had a camera and I left it in the car.
There is a parking garage that is a short walk from the venue. It charges $ 11 and there are five levels. We had parked earlier in the day at the top level due to a symphony event. When we came back around 6pm, we moved the car to the third level, which turned out to be a mistake, as we were parked in such a way that we couldn’t back out, and therefore had to wait as the fourth and fifth levels emptied out before we could leave the parking garage. So keep that in mind when you’re trying to find a parking spot.
To sum it up, even Eddie Vedder himself couldn’t get over the fact that he was playing in an opera house. This man has been all over the world and has played in all sorts of venues and thought the place was grand and beautiful. He shushed some hecklers that night: «Quiet, I’m trying to play in an opera house!» Really a wonderful place, can’t recommend it highly enough.