George Balanchine's The Nutcracker Seattle Theatre reviews
Stevie Rocked, the Gorge Did Not
The Gorge Amphitheater was a major disappointment, however, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker was absolutely amazing! It was a bucket list concert for my wife and I, and it did not disappoint. The event staff did not seem very knowledgeable and were not very helpful. The seats were folding metal chairs, the amphitheater in Ridgefield has much nicer stadium seats. It felt like we were going through a maze to find our seats, the path to get to them was very steep. There didn’t seem to be any ADA accommodations, groups of people going every which way, no staff directing us where to go. Food vendors were running out of some items, and that was before the show even started. Lots of fancy lit up signs clearly stating not pot allowed, but it was so pervasive during the concert it gave my wife a headache and was very annoying in general. Some security check, plenty of beer and wine, and not very good canned water, good luck finding a soda. If we weren’t able bodied, not sure what we have done. Overall, we do not plan to go back to The Gorge, it’s out in the middle of nowhere WA, not worth the 5 hour drive from Portland, or the cost of a hotel. Next time we’ll go to Ridgefield, it’s a whole lot closer to home, and a MUCH better venue. Better parking, easier to find your way around, and actual bathrooms, not port-a-potties. Plus Ridgefield has covered seating, The Gorge does not, and it’s known to rain in the NW from time to time, even in the summer. She and her band put on a great show! And again if you saw an event staffer they were not very helpful.