The Grand Opera House

Battle of the Sexes Comedy Show by Liberty Comedy at the Baby Grand. On a very cold night, I was very glad to have some laughs. Adrienne Lapalucci and Ophira Eisenberg brought some metropolitan sensibility and twisted humor, much needed in Delaware. Mike Burton returned to his home with his «classy» high energy comedy. It was like a quick trip to a NYC comedy club. Come back soon! In fact, Liberty Comedy brings Fabulously Funny Females Comedy to The Grand on April 14 — since my wife was unable to attend this show, it will be on her dance card of spring events.

I’m writing this review about acquiring tickets for the upcoming Chris Cornell show. I purchased tickets on line from their website. They were priced according to the lower level seating. After I purchased, the seats came up as S-​1 and S-​2. I was looking at the seating plan and did not see row S. I assumed that they would add some rows with chairs. When I got the tickets they said STAND. I called the box office to get more information. The girl said they were sold out but added standing room tickets. So basically, I paid full price to stand in the Opera House like an oaf who will be blocking others view of the stage. The web site was not clear. False advertising. I demanded my money back and finally got them to agree. I am very upset but felt that they were ripping me off, so I am not going. Sneaky move for the opera house. I hope others know what they are getting into.

Been to many different and varied shows at the Grand. Also have worked with them at my former position when they asked the organization to partner with them. Check their website for upcoming events and shows. There are some fairly big name acts and comedians that perform here.

My girlfriend and I went to the Hannibal Buress performance on 3−26−15. It was my first time at the Grand and it will also be my last.
For starters, I ordered tickets and a parking pass directly from the Grand’s own website. The parking pass arrived without any kind of identifying marks on it; it was just a card with a data strip on the back. I was under the impression that the theater had its own lot or garage, or at least one nearby that it uses regularly, but it does not. Every other theater I’ve been to does some version of this. As it turned out, the garage the ticket belonged to was 20 blocks away! My girlfriend got out and asked about it at the box office while I circled the block a few times. Why they would sell this pass is beyond me. To be fair, the employee she talked to was nice and gave us a free pass to the Double Tree garage, which was only a couple of blocks away. Being forced to drive around a very unsafe area for an extra 20 minutes was definitely unpleasant.
The next problem was that the seating map on the Grand’s website is not accurate. I thought my seats were on an isle in the second row, because that is where I clicked when I purchased the tickets. Unfortunately they turned out to be in the second row of folding chairs directly in front of the stage. Had I known this I would have never gone through with the transaction. At the performance I actually heard some other people behind us remark the same thing, that they were mislead as well.
Thirdly, there was a drunk person yelling things at various times during the show, and the Grand employees did nothing about it. It disrupted Hannibal’s performance a number of times, and he should have been removed after the second outburst. Perhaps the theater was more interested in selling alcohol then preserving the integrity of the performance.
Finally, the house volume was oppressively loud. Had I known it would be that loud I would have brought earplugs to lessen the burden on my ears. I’ve seen live comedy in a number of venus and I’ve never experienced microphone volume at such a level.
It should be noted that the theater was aesthetically pleasing and well-​maintained, and the employees were all very nice. Unfortunately the complete lack of reliability with every other part of the experience makes it impossible to return.

Came here recently for the Breaking Benjamin Acoustic Concert and it was an awesome time with the wife. The venue’s all intimate seats gives everyone to feel like they are part of the action.
I’d highly advise that if you are tall or heavyset, DO NOT SIT IN THE 1^st ROW BALCONY. Where we were, we had maybe 7″ of space for our legs and it was very uncomfortable.
I’ve never seen so many ushers in a venue this size, but every one of them were friendly and accommodating. There are several bar/​snack areas, and we were allowed to bring in our drinks inside the theatre.
Parking is on the street and metered unless at night so good luck! We found a spot 3 blocks away.
I’d absolutely come back for another show, but would sit elsewhere.

We were kind of scared to go here after another review I read. I’m so glad we decided to go after all. We went to see Last Comic Standing. It’s a very nice theater (no leg room was my only complaint). The neighborhood is downtown. It’s not the suburbs. We parked at the Doubletree Parking Garage on King street. It was $ 3 to park. We had to walk a block up and 2 or three blocks over. It was well lit, and we felt completely safe. The trees on the street even had lights woven in the branches. I would like to see it a Christmastime, I bet it’s pretty. I wish we hadn’t worried about the area and had dinner at the pub across the street. Next time for sure! To sum it up, it’s a nice old theater and it’s a city, so use caution, but it’s a quick well-​lit walk and well worth it.

Very nice venue for a show. We were up from DC for the weekend to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Since we stayed at the Du Pont, the venue location — and some great restaurants — were perfectly located. In difference to a review from the same week, we walked North Market for two days and never felt unsafe — even after the show. The venue is gorgeous with the kind of sound you want from a performing arts venue. Great staff, lovely time. This isn’t a downgrade at all, but if you are tall (6“3″) it can be a little cramped…

The city of Wilmington had become a scary and dangerous place. It has been voted the most dangerous city (per capita) in the United States.
I am saying this because this venue has no parking what so ever. We witnessed several open air drug transactions as we looked for parking. I was afraid to park my car and walk blocks to the door in broad daylight. I can only imagine how scary it would be in the dark at night.
We have felt safer in big cities like Washington D.C., Baltimore, and even Detroit then we did here.
We chose to turn around and go home rather then risk our safety going to the show we paid good money for. I wish someone would have said how bad this town was on here before I bought my tickets and drove over an hour to get there.
I feel bad for the Opera House but the neighborhood is just not safe anymore.

Great place to see a show. The ushers were so friendly, the venue is beautiful, and the sound is great. Can’t ask for much more. There’s even a museum with old photographs and original furniture from the opera house.
Very cute spot.

Beautiful venue, excellent acoustics, great light show, comfy seats (even though no one was sitting during the moe. gig on 2/​5/​14!) and a warm, welcoming staff. The temperature was just right inside, too. Park on the street or pay $ 3 to park at Doubletree Hotel (1 block away). Getting off I-​95N at exit 6 was bad idea, though, because it puts you on a road (MLK Blvd?) with terrible potholes!

The DSO did a great job on New Year’s Eve. The concert was very good, with a nice selection of pieces. The vocalists and dancers were also wonderful. Flowers, bubbles, party favors, champagne, and music. What a nice way to end the year. Thank you!

I could not thank the Grand enough for the fantastic time we had.
This was the perfect venue for Melissa Etheridge.
The seating was comfortable, and the view was amazing. The little bar outside our section was very useful, though only cash, it provided my mom with all the white wine she desired (that I could afford) and just to see how happy and comfy my mom was made it all worth it. The staff were courteous, and they had a little snack bar, though only drinks were allowed to your seats. But even that much seemed fantastic to me.

I am glad that Delaware has something like this. I feel that sometimes Delaware is in the shadow of Philadelphia. I’ve gone to The Grand a couple times to see different comedians. The building is beautiful.

I started going to the Grand last fall to see the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Delaware Opera and MacHomer. I had a great time — so much so that I pre-​ordered Opera tickets and ballet tickets this year and will be back for more tickets soon. What a deal! $ 100 for 4 tickets AND they sent me 4 free parking vouchers and a discount card for some restaurants on Market St. Plus, you get discounts for buying 4 tickets and 6 tickets and you get the discount for additional shows the whole season. You can not beat that deal!
The Grand itself is really nice — beautiful inside. If you are out on a special night, you can dress up but you can also show up on business casual or dressed up jeans and feel right at home. At Machomer, it was very casual so it depends on the performance.
I recommend the seats in the middle for better sound and site but I usually buy the cheap seats on the side on the second level. Sometimes if the show is really empty, they will let you move to the middle anyway.
I usually park at the Double Tree hotel — its safe, less than a block from the theater and there are safety people around in the evening. Market street is 100 times better than it used to be and is actually becoming quite cute so sometimes I will go early and just hang around and grab a drink or bite to eat.
All around, this is a deal you can not beat. I didn’t know Delaware had such great art opportunites so good, so close, so cheap and I don’t have to travel to Philly! Don’t miss this!

This place is a gem. If you see or hear of an artist coming to this locale, jump at the chance for a ticket. Its’ a small venue, so there’s not a bad seat in the house. The seating is close, but not horribly tight, certainly not the worst I’ve experienced. The staff are ALL volunteer, and they are the nicest people! They seem as happy to be there as you are! There are refreshments, alcohol, soft drinks, and candy/​gum/​mints. Parking is not a total nightmare… street parking (coin fed meters) but because the city empties out at 5pm and because it is such a small venue, you can find parking within a few blocks. There are ample Downtown Visions members (public safety employees) in the area as well, so you’ll be fine after dark when the show ends.

Great venue to hear some music. I had the opportunity to listen to the DSO on a Saturday night for the Classical Series. The acoustics were fantastic, the seats were pretty comfortable, and I didn’t feel like my knees were digging into the seat in front of me. We sat in the dress circle, on the side and had a good view of the stage. The ceiling and architecture is very ornate and fun to look at.

Laarv supports the arts. Laarv and her companion had the opportunity to attend the 35^th annual Grand Gala in early December, 2011. And what an event it was. The entertainment for the evening was the Midtown Men, featuring the members from the Original Jersey Boys cast signing hits from the 1960’s. Laarv likes the 1960’s. The black tie event was well attended. The Opera House is a crown jewel in downtown Wilmington. Every seat in the house has good sight lines and sound. The staff is professional and friendly. They truly make you feel welcome. The Gala was followed up at the Hotel DuPont (Laarv will review that separately) where the crowd danced, drank and reveled into the evening. Laarv and her companion plan on making The Grand Gala an annual event.

A beautifully restored venue. Nice size for performances.
Unfortunately, downtown Wilmington has fallen on hard times.
Good restaurant, the Chelsea Tavern, is immediately across the street. This is about as far as I would want to walk in this area after dark.

Awesome venue! Great acoustics, COMFORTABLE seats, good views, just the right combination of intimate and big. You are allowed to bring food and drink into the theater and the candy/​drink prices are AMAZINGLY low.
Ushers run a TIGHT ship. Nothing wrong with that.
Absolutely beautiful historical landmark as well.

This is a small venue. You probably won’t see any big concerts here, but it’s great for finding new artists and see some of your favorites at a reasonable price.
I’ve attended concerts in both the main rooms in the opera house, the main hall is much better for concerts and doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. The other hall can get a bit too loud due to it’s size, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying both concerts.
The location is great because there are excellent restaurants around for before or after your show and the part of town is clean and inviting.