Theater 80 St Marks

I don’t get star struck often. Growing up in New York you get used to seeing celebrities and athletes. However seeing Dustin Diamond once in Vegas didn’t stop me from going complete fan boy. This was while he was trying to drop the moniker Screech that has haunted him since Saved by the Bell ended. Screaming his name while he was with people probably rubbed him the wrong name. Whatever, I figured. I’d never see him again. I was wrong, and never so happy to be.
Theater 80 is/​was home to some ingenious live shows. None of which involves big productions, or long running classics, but rather hysterical performances based upon cult television.
I’ve had the enjoyment of seeing both Bayside the Musical (a spoof of Saved by the Bell) and Full House the Musical (a spoof of Full House, duh) Both of which were packed with none stop laughs. And if you’re lucky you’ll have some D list celebs. Perez Hilton I’ve seen play Danny Tanner, and the actual Dustin Diamond took part in the show’s run for a bit. I’m glad he didn’t recognize me, he might have shanked me.
The theater itself is cramped. Pretty small, and lacks some charm. The staff is friendly though, and there’s a bar to wet your whistle at before the show and during intermission.
Apparently both shows are coming to an end pretty soon as I post this review. Please do yourself a favor and go see one or both of these quick, before they leave town.

I guess this review is about the theater itself and what I saw while there.
We saw «The Musical» one a Friday night at 10pm. Growing up in the 90s — Saved by the Bell was the show we all watched every day. If you were a fan — you HAVE to go whats this musical parody. It is HILARIOUS!!!
The theater itself is on the smaller side and has probably seen better days. It was also super cold when we went so I had to keep my jacket on– meaning the AC was blowing. Still — its a great small theater so you can sit close enough to see everything. The best part is probably the bar and the crêpe place attached to the theater. So you can have a drink pre and post show.

So a few friends and I came here to see «Bayside The Musical» and holy crap! If you haven’t seen this show and was a big fan of the popular 1990’s TV show, «Saved By The Bell” — you MUST make time and come see this show! It’s hysterical!
I do enjoy various musicals and plays on Broadway– I’ve seen a ton– but none of them has made me laugh as hard as this one! They certainly have a great cast right now too! The chemistry between them all is just awesome. You know you have a great cast when they are up there clearly having fun with each other and it shows.
I have to say, John Duff who plays «AC Slater» was my absolute favorite! And a close second was Seth Blum who played «Mr. Belding» and various other characters like «Tori.»
Besides the show being awesome– the theater is small, but you know what– it’s better that way. I was super close to the stage area and honestly– no matter where you sit in there, you’re gonna be close to the stage. So that’s pretty cool in my book! Place was really clean, even the bathrooms were. Warning though– not many bathrooms lol Try and go before the show or after– wouldn’t chance it during intermission. There’s also a bar inside but I got there just ten mins before showtime so decided that might not be a good idea since you can’t take the drinks inside the theater. The staff is also super friendly and accommodating!
Overall– great experience here! Go do yourself a favor and check out this play! And one last thing– the tickets are not expensive at all! So get on their website and check it out :-) Oh! And the play can get raunchy at times (but in a very funny way) so I’d pass on bringing any kiddies along lol

Small theater with super friendly staff.
The best reason to come to an off-​off Broadway theater is that you will find plenty of good places to eat that aren’t horrific tourist traps, the tickets are cheap AF, and the shows are just plain fun. The downside is that there’s not one Desnudas to be found. Whomp whomp!
If you get seats in the front row, be ready to practically be in the show. This seemed to be a problem for the elderly lady the night I was there. Needless to say, she did not make it back to that seat after intermission. Grandma could not hang.
There’s a bar with an entrance right inside the theater lobby. There was a large contingent of drunk women as a result. But since the productions here tend to not be serious in any way, I think the drinking is encouraged… because the bar lets out right into the theater lobby!
We went to see Full House — The Musical, which I think was still in previews. As a result there were some audio problems. The actors are mic’d, which for such a small space was surprisingly necessary. We were seated off to the left in the smaller of the two sections (see Seating Chart photo) and the view wasn’t bad at all. But if you want to grope the cast when they come out to hug you, you’re going to be crap out of luck on that far aisle. Because that’s what you go to live theater for… to grope the cast. Yes.

Came here twice for two different shows. We saw Bayside The Musical a few months back and Full House the Musical this past weekend. Both shows were phenomenal. My wife and I were in stitches each time and we can’t wait for the next parody that the production puts together. Family Matters or Hogan’s Family perhaps.

A nice little theatre, little independent theatre kind of struggling to get by (notice in the men’s room not to throw paper towels in the toilet cause the plumbing costs to fix a clogged pipe could bankrupt the place), my boyfriend and I saw Hell Is For Real here tonight, and my friend was playing violin in the on-​stage band. It was a hell of a show, but the place stinks. As in smells bad. As soon as we walked in, we were overcome by this musty and moldy hasn’t-been-cleaned-or-redone-in-eons odor. The bar inside the theatre smelled this way too. Please fix this! Other than that, great theatre and cute little off-​off Broadway shows!

We saw ‘Bayside the Musical’ here … Wow. It’s the raunchy version of everything you watched as a kid.
Theatre was nice, pretty small but everyone feels involved in the show.
Bathroom has 2 stalls so if you need to go during intermission — good luck!

I went to watch Bayside the Musical and was left enchanted.
The theater is a bit small, very similar to a small community play. The theater was kind enough to upgrade our seats so that we sat in the first row.
The play was funny and Seth the actor was hilarious. It’s a bit crude (yes you’ll hear curse words, see adult toys and «drugs»). Its definitely the kind of humor that Family Guy presents.
Overall I’d go back for another show.

Very off, off Broadway theater that I probably couldn’t take a bread-​and-​butter tourist to, but I caught the Improvised Shakespeare Company show here and found myself at one point sobbing and in pain from laughing too hard.
Seems to be one of the last local New York theaters around but it’s well-​loved and well-​maintained. The bar next door serves absinthe (I fell in love with their sign — «Try absinthe with friends!») and crepes and thus heavenly smells keep wafting around.
I am no theater expert but the acoustics were on point and you had a good view of the stage no matter where you sat. I will say that the first and second rows were well within spitting range whenever the actor wanted to enunciate and emphasize, which is a small price to pay to be so close to greatness.
I would definitely come back to catch another show.

The theatre is a bit run down and my high-​school auditorium put it to shame, but it seems to have a loyal following and we saw Bayside the Musical! which was pretty damn hilarous. The seats are pretty comfy. You can’t eat/​drink in the theatre but they have a bar in the other room. It’s not a bad gig for a short show. Nothing to fancy but it does the job and you’re very close to the performers. Not a bad seat in the house.

When I’m in NYC, I always like to see a show. I find the smaller shows are more intimate and there is more of a connection between the cast and audience. This theatre fills that bill!
I saw Bayside The Musical. It was lively, funny and a great time! You can get tickets at various website for a very good discount also!

This small theatre has a lot of history and is well maintained in this age of «Out with the old, in with the new». I would give is a 3 star A-​OK rating as there was nothing really fancy about this venue, except that I felt it earned an extra star for being clean, intimate (not a bad seat in the house as another reviewer mentioned), having a bar right inside the building and finally, just for holding fast. The theatre once even saw the likes of Old Blue Eyes, Sinatra himself!
We saw Bayside: The Musical and it was hilarious. Raunchy, but hilarious. You have to know Saved by the Bell well to get the many references, but then who doesn’t?

Wow. Just checked out the free Tuesday cold reading Naked Angels. Really great stories and acting.

We caught Bayside The Musical last month at this theatre and really valued and appreciated this cultural institution. This historical little place once hosted the great, Frank Sinatra, that’s enough for me to give it 5 stars. It’s also clean and adjacent to a bar, so you have somewhere to wait, and something to do before your show starts. This is simply a New York City gem.

Intimate old school theater that used to be a speakeasy/​ballroom. People like Frank Sinatra and Billy Crystal got their starts here from what we were told. Very off off off Broadway style spot.
Bar attached next door that serves absinthe drinks (William Barnacle Tavern) and crepes. Can’t take the drinks inside the theater though.
Nice spot to see a performance. Was recently there to see «Bayside — the Saved By The Bell» musical parody. It was totally warped, a bit dirty, and funny. Great night out.
Spiffy little venue that is well maintained and run by a nice staff. Good sightlines from any seat and acoustics were fine.
Reminds one of what an old school New York theater once was to see a future star put in their dues. Definitely worth catching a show here, and well below what you would spend on a glitzy Broadway production for tickets.

Super intimate theatre typical to the L.E.S. We saw Saved By The Bell: The Musical and it was hilarious. Not a bad seat in the house. Only negative is the bar area gets packed. Trying to get a drink is difficult, especially when the only bartender working is a 70 year old woman moving at the speed of a three toed sloth. All in all, cool venue.

An amazing place! Coney Island High cbgb’d and countless other clubs have gone but this Village staple remains.
The crates are amazing and made by Jean Christopher from Briton! Yum! It also has live Irish music Harp Class and Irish step dancing on Mondays

It is tiny but the owners seem to care, staff is polite and it’s definitely clean. Maybe that’s because they won’t let you bring drinks in the main room. You will be waiting at the tavern attached here so at least they don’t make you wait outside in the elements if you get here early for a show. No acoustic issues and seating was nice as well.
I’d come back for an event if ticket prices were right. They are also always looking for funding so contribute if you can.

I love this little theater– charming and sweet and remind me of old school nyc. I saw a great cheezy musical here but really the real charmer is the cute little theater. Sweet little stage, intimate and very New York.

Saw Silence: the Musical here. An excellent show. I must say, this theatre doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. There are probably only 10 rows of seats. I almost feel gipped that I spent extra for good seats.
I pre-​ordered an intermission drink. It was a Guiness with some sweet thing mixed in (juice? I forget!) I didn’t see the point of pre-​ordering an intermission drink, since I just ended up going to the bar and having them make one for me.
I’m really happy to have really good off-​broadway shows in the nabe. I will be coming back here.