The theater itself is beautiful, the shows are always good, and parking is easy and relatively inexpensive. There is very little leg room and the seats are a little small...something I can deal with when everything else is good.
My big issue with the theater are the ushers. They don't think twice about standing in front of you in the middle of a show to check out people's tickets and direct them to their seats. Obviously, not the fault of the ushers when people come in late...but at least stand off to the side and seat people between scenes or songs.
I'd rather drive somewhere else than spend all sorts of money on a ticket just to wind up with usher block my view repeatedly.
I went to see BB King recently and I have to say it was the worst professional concert I have ever attended. The sound system periodically screeched and hummed constantly.  BB King barely played...instead he seemed to be stalling with a long monologue that we couldn't hear because the microphone wasn't working.  It took about 10 minutes of the crowd yelling before anything was done...even then it was still difficult to understand...Then, after only about 3 songs, he led a sing-along of "You are my Sunshine" (w/o singing or playing himself)... for another good 10 minutes... And, Oh yeah - the balcony seats Row D were so close together that at 5'6", my knees were pressed against the seat in front  of me. I left with a splitting headache.
Review Source:I went to the BB King concert last week. Â Sitting in row L of the balcony, we had no leg room at all. Â My friend and I are short and yet we had to sit sidewys? Â BB King was not able to be heard and people yelled for over 10 minutes before anything was done. Â Even then, his Mike wasn't loud enough to hear him well and he was drowned out by the band. Â Sad when you see people leave early. Â A rotten venue
Review Source:I have been to the Hanover three times, each time for a ballet production. The acoustics are great, the lighting is well-done, and I love the way the clacking of the corps' shoe gets captured and reflects off of the dome ceiling. It is a beautiful venue, wonderfully restored. The ushers are friendly, it is a very clean theatre, and the seats are comfortable. There is an inexpensive garage directly across the way, and plenty of free street parking if you drive around behind the theatre a bit. The only cons are that the rows of seats are very close together, and I don't think it is very handicap-friendly. The Hanover features a good variety of different types of productions, so I think there is a little something for everyone. A great asset to the city of Worcester and all of central Mass.
Review Source:I went to see BB King last week and the sound quality was the worst. There was a constant humm through the speakers and BB King was inaudible. People all around me were screaming about not being able to hear. Balcony seating was very cramped, even at 5'8" I was uncomfortable, for the first time I was happy not to be taller. Total waste of money
Review Source:My fiancé and I have come to three comedy shows here over the last couple of years (Brian Regan, Lewis Black, and Mike Birbiglia).
Pros: Gorgeous, restored, classic theater that is just a cool place to see a show. Pretty reasonable prices (usually about $35-45/ticket for the upper tiers), allowing you to see some pretty eminent people for decent prices. Parking garage across the street that isn't insanely expensive like those in downtown Boston are.
Cons: If the show is cancelled due to weather, they will try to reschedule it for another date, and will refund your money if you can't make the rescheduled show; but if they determine that "the show must go on," you lose your money if you can't make it (which is significant in a place like central Massachusetts that gets severe winter storms). Also, the tickets are more expensive than they seem, because they attach a significant fee... which you find out at the end of the transaction.
The theater itself is okay. Â We had tickets to a show in the front of the balcony. Â Our view could have been worse, and I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I'd be.
The balcony seats were cramped. Â My boyfriend's knees were touching the seat in front of him, and the guy in front of him kept bumping into his leg when he put his arm around his wife.
There is a parking garage across the street reasonably priced at $10. Â That made it a lot easier for us to get to the show quickly once we were in Worcester.
Nice theater ... but the show selection is a little blah. And I really take issue with the fact they charge $7 - $10 per ticket for 'handling charges' and $2 each ticket for some kind of 'restoration fee'. Its not like they use ticketmaster ... they have their own ticketing section on their website.
It seems strange to me that they would charge such a high handling fee for tickets purchased over the website and picked up at the box office instead of being mailed. There is virtually no handling that needs to be done of these tickets.
The theater itself looks brand new inside. But is kind of similar to any other theater of its kind I have been to. Also, it is not at all handicap/elderly friendly.
Would only go to a show here if it was amazing. Most of the shows are overpriced lecturers or off-broadway productions of broadway type shows. Or Vegas acts who are touring off-Vegas.
Meh seems about right.
I visited the Hanover Theatre for the first time last month to see A Christmas Carol. The Theatre has been beautifully restored, and the acting and the play were both very enjoyable. I have seen many shows in Boston and New York and can say the Hanover Theatre puts on just as good a show.
Review Source:This theater is absolutely beautiful!
I had never been to a theater before and was pleasantly surprised by the beautifully restored theater.
The staff was all extremely helpful and were really at the top of their game ushering in the masses of people for the show.
Parking is easy and cheap to find with a garage directly across the street and for $10 for the night .
This venue was beautiful!
My friends and I went to see the Price Is Right here, and I was impressed with how well they were able to funnel 2000+ folks in with such ease.
My only complaint is that there were no elevators in this five story building, or if there were, we weren't able to access them. I had to watch an elderly woman climb all 5 flights with no assistance from the staff or an offer to move her seat, even though I saw her and her daughter ask the staff for help.
Other than that, this place was the bees knees.
I've been here a few times, most recently to see Maya Angelou (yes!! incredible!). Â It's actually very nice and small enough to not be overwhelming. Â They do a good job of getting some interesting acts/entertainment. Â Parking is across the street in the garage on Main St and it's only $10 which is much better than Boston anyway. Â I've found the prices for everything to be reasonable, also. Â Definitely worth going.
Review Source:My sister and I made a last minute decision to meet in the middle and take my mom to a show for Mother's Day. I did some searching and found "South Pacific" playing here. Since that's a favorite of mom's, and we love it too, it was a perfect find. But when I went on line to get tickets there were only balcony seats left. I bought them, but was uneasy about seeing and hearing well. I was SO wrong. We could see perfectly and the accoustics were superb! Even way up high. My mom who is hard of hearing, had no problems at all. Just goes to show- don't need to spend a fortune for seats up close if the theater is well built. ANd this one is!
Review Source:Coming from Providence, I'm used to PPAC and kind of hold theater's to the theater's we have here. Â This place didn't disappoint! Â We went to see Lewis Black this past Friday. Â It was nice, across from the Federal Garage which only charges $10 to park as opposed to Providence or Boston which is easy double those prices. Â The venue is smaller, but very nice on the inside. Â The seats were comfortable with plenty of leg room. Â Acoustically it was great. Â We had front seats but the sound was tremendous. Â
I only had one qualm. Â They serve alcohol here. Â While the floor is carpeted, under the seats were cement. Â People kept knocking the bottles over and you heard every one of them throughout the theater. Â It was so noticeable, that even Lewis Black would make a slight remark every time this happened. Â This isn't really the theaters problem, but I felt like it had to be noted. Â
I would come back here again in a heartbeat. Â I had a negative look on Worcester in general but after this past weekend, where we ate, this venue and such, we're looking to go back.
I've been to 5/6 shows here ever since they opened.. I am sooo happy they opened this place up.. the building has been vacant for some time after the movie theatre used to be here. it's definitely a great start to bringing up downtown worcester! The shows here are plentiful and the seats are great! I've actually only sat downstairs but I've heard seats upstairs are good as well! Hope this place is here to stay!
Review Source:Excellent venue to see a show! Â The renovation is amazing and the theatre provides a little bit of Broadway in Worcester. Â I highly recommend this place...grab some dinner beforehand and enjoy the evening. Â Everyone was super friendly, and even though our seats were towards the back, we had no problem seeing everything. Â Can't wait to come back!
Review Source:After a charity event that I attended here was ending, the curator over heard a group of us taking about the unusual painting of Washington to stage left of the organ. (Its George Washington posed next to just a huge horses ass) He started cracking us up with stories and interesting antidotes about the place. We all really enjoyed his stories and the time he took to really cap of a great event in this beautiful space.
The place was clean and well maintained but, I'm giving this place 5 stars because when the staff of any place is passionate and knowledgeable and makes the extra effort to share that with its patrons, nothing makes me happier than to select that 5 star option, and to encourage you to consider this beautiful venue for your next event.
I have gone to charitable concert and a musical in the last 2 weeks, Â great for a night out with the wife. Â The inside of the building is beautiful and all of the seats seem to have a good view of the stage. Â You can buy top level seats for as little as 10$ per ticket depending on the show, and there is a parking garage across the street for $10. Â Easy to get to and get to your seat. Â My interaction with the ticketing office was also positive.
Only complaint is the rows are not evenly spaced and some rows do not have enough leg room.
This is a beautifully restored theater. We've seen several shows here and always enjoy it. In my experience there isn't a bad seat in the house. The staff are always helpful and courteous.
I do suggest getting floor seats though if you're tall or... ahem... of larger build as the balcony seats are narrow with very little leg room.
wow worcester has actually done something good for a change.. this place is absolutley amazing and the shows they get in here are spectacular.. the place is so clean you can literally eat off the floors and not get sick.. you will get every bit of what you paid for when you come to this place.. my only complaint is that the seats are a little too close together.
Review Source:Just visited the Hanover to see Neil Young's solo show and was very impressed with the venue. Â
We had no problems parking on a side street about a quarter mile away and were impressed by how well done the restorations were. Â It's not quite as elaborate as the Wang (not much is) but it was very nicely done and Neil sounded great (no echos or dead zones.) Â
They had beer on sale for $5 (not bad considering what you pay at Fenway or any similar location in Boston) and well-placed facilities so you never had to miss much of the show.
I was very impressed and will keep an eye on their bookings to find another excuse to visit.
My only complaint (and the only reason this in not a five-star review) is that the seats are at bit cramped for a 6'3 guy like myself. Â That could have been fixed when it was restored and only cost the a seat per row at best.
I saw Stephen Lynch here in November of '09 with a friend of mine - this theater was absolutely fabulous: very opulently decorated without being too overbearing.
I was really comfortable the whole time I was here, and the show was very good; they usually have a really good selection of things you can check out there.
I definitely recommend going to a show here at least once - the Hanover definitely has the edge over some other places around.
Just have money for parking and try to arrive early if you can.
the hanover is an amazing addition to worcester and it will hopefully help to convince the many naysayers that we are, in fact, a real city. Â i have had a broadway show subscription since the theater opened and i haven't been disappointed yet. Â the shows have been great, with a few exceptions but that's more personal preference. Â
parking is SO easy on surrounding streets, we have never paid for the garage. Â some local restaurants even do a shuttle service where you can park at the hanover and they'll pick you up for dinner or you park at the restaurant and they bring you to and from the show. Â it's a wonderful idea! Â
the volunteer ushers are always cheery and professional, and they obivously enjoy their roles. Â before some of the shows recently there were ushers in the lobby decked out as characters from the show. Â some of the kids attending almost passed out from excitement when they got to take pictures with dorothy. Â cutest thing ever! Â
the seats in the balcony could have a little more leg room, and i'm only 5'6", but the lower level seats are very spacious. Â
the hanover, even including a fancy dinner, is an affordable special night out.
We returned to the Hanover for A Christmas Carol last Wednesday. Â Seemed like a very big crowd...the place is getting popular. Â The production was awesome. Â I had seen the recent movie with all the amazing 3D effects, so I was worried that it would pale in comparison. Â But it was very entertaining, and the cast (especially Scrooge and Marley) were TERRIFIC. Â We're back again in the spring to see Carol Burnett!
Review Source:Did someone say Theater in Worcester??? Â Can you flippin' believe it?? Did someone say free parking and plenty of it too?? OMG Broadway shows here??
Yup you can cause I went there to see Chicago and it was awesome! The theater is gorgeous!  It was redone to the max and  this theater can outshine some of the ones in Boston...easily.  Sorry Boston, only my little opinion...
We parked over at the Seven Hills Plaza and since the businesses are only opened during the day and during the week, it was all free and was only 1 block from the theater. Â Once inside, the staff was friendly, helpful and they all smiled and talked to you. Â There were 2 bars, one on the first level and another on the 2nd level that overlooked the first level. Â Light and airy decor, gorgeous chandeliers and beautiful carpeting. Â Very plush with understated class. Â Our seats were in the balcony and we could see pretty well. Â The sound system was great, heard everything and no bouncing off the walls and no reverberations. Â The seats were comfy and roomy. Â It was a little warm up there but not horrible either. Â
Al in all a great experience and I'm sooo happy that I can go to a show and I don't have to travel to NYC or Boston and pay outrageous prices for anything and be home in 10 minutes. Â How can you beat that? Â My only wish is that some of the local restaurants should stay open for people coming out. Â They are missing a gold mine here. Â We had to drive all the way to Park Ave to get something to eat. Â Not good people.
We've seen two shows at the Hanover Theater. Â The first was a matinee performance of Movin' Out in November of 2008. We saw it from the main floor, our seats were in the right center, just under the balcony. Â The show was good. Â There were two pianos and a band playing Billy Joel music, with incredible sound in the theater. Â The performers were good, and the seats were good. Â We decided we'd be back.
This June, we went to see an evening performance of Chicago. Â We sat in the balcony this time, left center, row M, just above the mid-point in the balcony. Â The sound in the balcony was pretty bad, the speakers were not pointed toward the balcony, so much of the performance was just the orchestra, with feint vocals. Â We still had a good time, since we knew the show, and could mentally sing along. Â The other problem we had with the balcony was the heat. Â The temperature outside was in the low 70's, so it wasn't that warm, but the AC couldn't keep up inside. Â
The theater is very nice, it's either been well taken care of or renovated, or both. Â They have bars on two floors, and both times we've been there, they've had what seems to be homemade treats for sale. The parking in the area is easy to get to, the garage across the street from the theater charges $10 for parking during the show.
So, one very good experience, one so-so. Â We'll probably go back again, but not sit in the balcony next time.
The reopening of the Hanover Theatre is a great addition to the  nightlife/cultural scene in Worcester--it actually gives me motivation to make the drive out there for a night out.  I've seen a couple of shows here so far and have enjoyed my experience immensely each time.  Ticket prices are a little more reasonable than they are for the Boston theatres and parking is way cheaper.  Don't bother paying for the garage parking across the street; metered parking is plentiful in the area if you're willing to walk a few blocks.  There's a big municipal lot near the library with metered parking and I assure you, it's not a scary walk to the theatre.  Some people have this notion that Worcester is one giant cesspool of a city with thugs waiting to mug you at every turn and it just isn't true. Â
Getting back to the theatre, the Hanover hosts a variety of shows, including touring Broadway companies, concerts, and local college productions. Â The building is beautiful inside and out with white columns and lots of marble. Â The actual theatre isn't overly ornate, but understated and classy.
I'll second what Eric T. says about there being a lot of leg room. Â I'm a big guy as well, and at other theatres, I am usually having to constantly shift in my seat to remain comfortable, but at the Hanover I don't have any trouble sitting still through a 2-3 hour production. Â
So anyways, the best part of the Hanover is if you live in central/western MA, now you, too, can go see professional theatrical productions in a magnificent venue without the hassle of driving or taking the T into Boston. Â A welcome and much needed addition to Massachusetts' second largest city.
So I got to see the great Bill Cosby last night at the Hanover Theatre. This building is beautiful. I think I read they they spent about $31MIL renovating this place. For those in the Boston area, picture the Orpheum Theatre, only comfortable and modern.
The folks who renovated the Hanover did it right. From the decorations to the seats. You feel like you're in the halls of The White House while you walk through the lobby. All the employees were helpful and friendly, and if you go to the bar they know how to make a stiff gin and tonic!
The seating was perfect. I'm a big guy, so it's nice to be comfortable for a two hour show. There was plenty of leg room, and the seat had lots of cushion. We were towards the front of the balcony for Cosby, but there didn't look like there was a bad seat in the house. The balcony hangs over the first level, so we were right on top of the stage. The sound system and acoustics were second to none. I heard every word Cosby said, even over the laughing and clapping.
Check the acts that are coming here in the future. Some are better than others but, they offer something for everyone. On a side note... if you ever get a chance to see Bill Cosby, get the family together and go see him. The man did over two hours of new material, and did 10 minutes at the end with his legendary Dentist bit.
Broadway theater in Worcester? Check.
The newly renovated Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts bring Broadway to wormtown while also featuring such upcoming acts as BB King and George Carlin. The former movie theater has been beautifully renovated and bears a resemblance to such grand halls as the Opera House and Colonial Theater in Boston. I just saw Stomp there with the folks and can honestly saw the Hanover is a top notch theater. It doesn't have the character of neighboring Mechanics Hall but it's a great venue to see a show. Well done Worcester. The AC works (if anything a bit too much), the bath rooms are spacious, and our balcony seats had plenty of leg room.
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