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| - Take it from a former musical theater nerd--the Benedum is the best venue in town! The ornateness of the decor, including the huge central chandelier, and the comfort and pitch of the seats make this theater as much a pleasure for the audience as it must be for performers. The sight lines and acoustics are wonderful, so you can rest assured that no matter where your seat is located, you'll be able to see and hear all of the action.
As a major fan of the performing arts, I visit the Benedum several times a year to see various shows, and I've seen performances of every cultural group in PGH with the exception of the Ballet Theater (that should change next month, however)! The only one that doesn't perform here is the Symphony Orchestra, since they own Heinz Hall one block over. I've seen musicals (Broadway Across America, CLO), the opera, and a concert (Brit Floyd, a Pink Floyd cover band), all of which the Benedum has accommodated seamlessly, despite huge stylistic differences in the performances. Every time I've gone, no matter where I've been seated (usually second tier, once all the way in the far corner), I've had a wonderful time, so I have many fond memories, and look forward to many more.
About the only major drawback of the Benedum is the smaller size of the women's restrooms, relative to Heinz Hall. However, at least there are restrooms on multiple floors, unlike at the Byham, where the restrooms are in the basement. The trick to beating the crowd is to not waste time in leaving the auditorium to use them as soon as intermission starts--preferably, as soon as the curtain starts to fall!
If you're interested in seeing a behind-the-scenes view of the Benedum, one little-known fact is that a (free) tour is offered during the day. All you need to do is call in advance to reserve a time. I once took this tour with a group a couple of years ago, and it was really cool to see the lesser-known parts of the theater, including the dressing rooms, scenery storage areas, beneath the stage, the catwalks, and stand on the stage, looking out at the house--something I haven't done since my musical theater days! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and was full of interesting facts about the Benedum and its programming, which made the tour informative, as well as entertaining.
In sum, you can't go wrong with the Benedum, no matter why you're there! If you're a friend of the performing arts--and even if you're not--I highly recommend it and its programming for a good time.
That concludes review #200!
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