Attend a Broadway in Arizona performance at Gammage Auditorium and you'll receive a copy of Gambill, a local version of Broadway's Playbill. It's no doubt meant to be a cute play on words but what it really means is that it's a gamble whether or not you'll be able to hear a word spoken or sung during a show you and your date paid upwards of $120 to attend.
My husband and I attended our first Gammage event in April of 2013. We went to hear David Sedaris speak. We were in the second row and the audio was terrible. The author had to restart his talk because no one could hear. The volume got louder but was accompanied by a screeching buzz the entire time. We chalked it up to an off night and optimistically purchased Broadway in AZ season tickets.
Big mistake. The sound at each show was just as terrible. Apparently, unless you sit in a narrow "sweet spot" in the center orchestra section, be prepared to read lips. Better yet, just bring along the soundtrack and headphones and listen along on your own. Last night's performance of Once was so hard to hear that the gentleman in front of us who'd brought an assistive listening device gave up on it one song into the second act.
I might be able to overlook the venue's shabby seats or the dark, dank restrooms if the sound quality were any better, but it isn't. Until ASU takes their audio issues seriously, we won't waste any more money on tickets to Scammage performances.