alabama shakespeare festival

Saw "The Importance of Being Earnest" and enjoyed the show. Don't book a balcony seat if it's not a big crowd. They'll close it and make you sit 'orchestra'. Good acting, nice sets but they need one of their many benefactors to spring for a new sound system. There was an irritating buzz in it the whole show.

I went here on school field trips multiple times and love it! The shows are great and the actors and actresses are very talented.

We really enjoyed this play. This one took place in a smaller theater in the basement, and was more interactive for the children. I don't think they did a good enough job with the advertisement, because I was expecting a more elaborate production upstairs, like Mary Poppins. I think it would have been nice to know in advance what to expect. When the play began, the announcer used the words "Children's production," which was the first time I heard it. But that aside, the play was mostly very fun, probably more so for the adults, who far outnumbered children. The children looked confused for a good bit of the play, but everyone perked up at the end when the big chase scene took place. I also really liked the Q&A at the end.

We saw Always, Patsy Cline, and enjoyed it. The performers were excellent, and the theater-in-the-round venue is fa-bu-lous--not a bad seat in the house. The grounds, too, with bronze sculptures and lovely open spaces, are a treat. The theater is modeled after London's Globe Theater, and the attendant told me that they even imported some of the materials from England for authenticity. Go. Enjoy.

took our two grandchildren to see A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Our seats were perfect. The theatre is lovely, lovely, lovely. Very tasteful and very elegant. Most of the staff were helpful but a couple of older ladies who were ushering, seemed to want to be elsewhere. They offered no programs. We had to go back up and locate them for ourselves. Having a truly helpful staff is a must. You need to see smiles; not frowns. Staff should offer to help instead of hiding in the shadows. The theatre itself is luxuriously appointed on gorgeous rolling hills. It is indeed a treasure to be located here. The productions are first rate and staged to perfection. The costumes are well-researched and beautifully made. If you haven't been, it's a MUST SEE attraction.

My wife and I recently spent a weekend in Montgomery and the highlight was a visit here to see Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". I mainly just wanted to see the theatre itself but the show was so good. It is not a large venue and I am sure that everybody would feel close to the stage. Our seats were on Row C Center and we almost felt that we were a part of the action. The seats were very comfortable and well padded.The play was very well done, the actors (including a number of children) were outstanding, the special effects and the sound were amazing. I bought my tickets online and am not sure how I got such good seats.They have a small gift shop and free parking. My only complaint is that the entrances to the park where the theatre is are not well lit or marked so it was a little difficult to find at night. The park is just off of Eastern Boulevard (a major road) and close to I-85, exit 6.If you look online and find a play or show that you would like to see, I heartily recommend that you make an effort to come here.

Our party of 7 was running late, and when we arrived right at show time, an usher was waiting outside to quickly get us seated just in time for the show to start. Now that is good service! We hadn't even called.The play was phenomenal as usual. We are already looking forward to returning for Alice in Wonderland!

You forget you are in Alabama when the curtains raise! The amazing actors create such a show that is compared to NYC!! I was very impressed!

Great play. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Also the park outside the theatre is picture perfect. I highly recommend for any one looking to catch a nice play. Book early and get good seats. Also better deals on first play opening night.

If you like to relax your mind and discover great things about Montgomery and Alabama in general, please visit this place. The festival lobby opens at 12:00 noon, but you can begin exploring the park and other nice areas few hours before noon.

I have been here several times and never been disappointed...we just went to see Mary Poppins and it was excellent. The grounds are nice and the buildings are beautiful especially at night all lit up. Everyone should go once and you will go back..looking forward to seeing The little mermaid..

Over the years, I have attended many functions at ASF, Mary Poppins was absolutely, positively my all time favorite! My husband and I went on a date night. If it comes back to the area, it is a must see!

I attended an afternoon performance of Mary Poppins. This was a destination trip - driving with friends 7 and 1/2 hours specifically to make our first visit to Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Certainly the facility is impressive, but I was left wondering where the $1 million dollars the organization claimed to have spent on the show went. A few observations: The costumes were sensational, bravo to the design and construction teams. The scenic design was inconsistent, as though it had been created by a committee, each location looking as though it had sprung from a different play. There was a stunning drop for the park scenes, but other than that the overall scenic effect was odd. The lighting design did nothing to help either the scenery or the performances. It was adequate, nothing more. Musical direction was excellent - bravo to the orchestra and musical direction team. The performances were uninspired, with the overall effect being that the actors were doing their jobs, nothing more. Predictable staging and choreography certainly didn't help. I was left with the feeling that no one had really thought about what the play was about. There seemed to have been plenty of time spent on things other than the story, so that the experience became one of hurtling through to the next song or dance or magic trick or flying trick without rhyme or reason. I wanted to be wowed and at the end I was a little bored. I would like to believe that this is an exception and that the Festival excels at many other things. I will look forward to coming back and seeing something entirely different and leaving with a higher opinion but for now I'm disappointed.

We saw the performance of Mary Poppins with our extended family and friends on Aug 2 using a group rate of 30 per person. The performance was fantastic. It had me clapping and singing along with their famous tunes...even though I have to ask my iPhone to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Haha! If you can get a ticket, go! You won't regret the fun evening.

We have seen a few shows at the ASF and were blown away. The shows are of the highest calibre with fabulous actors, set, design, costumes and on and on. I didn't know anything about the festival, but upon arrival, the majesty of the building sets the scene for what to expect. It's amazing! Go see a show!