Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre
4.5
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Luxurious theater dating back to 1915 now hosts Broadway shows.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
126 reviews
Excellent
83
Very good
32
Average
8
Poor
2
Terrible
1
V. Crown
2 contributions
Aug 2022
The Paramount classic summer movie program is generally fantastic. But last night's showing of Grease featured an unadvertised live Drag Queen show by "Brigitte Bandit" (the strong of stomach may google). My daughters and I decamped to the lobby, as did other women, when he started to strip. There was no small number of adolescent and teen girls there to see the movie, so a heads-up would have been nice.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CharlieinTexas
Austin, TX5,146 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Saw Keb’ Mo’ with my wife last night. He was great! This venue has great sight lines and acoustics. Easy entry and exit. Plenty of street parking nearby.
Must have COVID test or recent vaccination. This was enforced pre-entry.
Mandatory mask policy, unless drinking/eating, WAS NOT ENFORCED. I would estimate 40-50% of the attendees were not wearing a mask. Shameful really. No attempt to enforce the policy. Seating is super close. We had double masks from start to finish. Definite disincentive for us to return soon.
Must have COVID test or recent vaccination. This was enforced pre-entry.
Mandatory mask policy, unless drinking/eating, WAS NOT ENFORCED. I would estimate 40-50% of the attendees were not wearing a mask. Shameful really. No attempt to enforce the policy. Seating is super close. We had double masks from start to finish. Definite disincentive for us to return soon.
Written October 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CharlieinTexas
Austin, TX5,146 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
My wife and I saw the band of heathens here last night. Great show. We sat in the second row of the mezzanine, a little too far to the right, for my liking, but, candidly, I think the first three rows of the mezzanine, if you can get toward the center are a fantastic seat, as the mezzanine extends as far down as about the 10th row of the orchestra section. Good sound quality. Street parking within a few blocks. Easy in and out. Bathrooms can get crowded at intermission.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Written November 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda S
Cypress, TX810 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
We did a day trip from Houston and met family from San Antonio to see John Cusack at the Paramount. Fantastic show and theatre - loved both! He had another show in Houston but we love the intimacy of the Paramount (1200 people versus 5000), so decided the drive was worth it. Last time we came (Aug 2022 to see a comedian) the show was supposed to start at 7pm but started well after that. This time, the show was supposed to start at 8pm and surprisingly it actually started on time. The difference may be live performer versus seeing a movie followed by Q&A. If you sit in the upper levels or Balcony, when you exit - to avoid the crowds and lobby - go up to the top and take the exits to the outer stairwells - which will exit you directly to the street (then turn left to head to the parking garage). Buy your parking voucher at the Box Office or if you plan to buy a drink or water, you can get the parking voucher at one of the bars. If you buy water, ask for a cup of ice. Regarding tickets, by the time we bought ours a couple days before the show, the only ones available were Row T in the Upper Balcony. No problems watching the movie from that height but I wish we were closer for the Q&A with John Cusack. Even so, it was still a cool experience. Based on other reviews I was worried the seats would be too cramped - but they were fine for our group of 4 (height ranging from 5’10 to 5’0”). Be forewarned, the stairs are steep and there are a couple spots without handrails, so be careful about tripping. Knowing this I still wore heels and was fine. As others have said, given this is an old theatre, the seats are small and the space between the rows is pretty narrow. If you have long legs or knee problems, you may want seats on the aisle. Our tickets were directly in the middle so people had to stand for us when we exited to use the restroom before the show started. Street parking using the meter was a little over $5 an hour so the $10 parking offer (for the whole evening) in 600 Congress was a great deal. The garage is very tight with fairly narrow parking spaces and very low ceilings so keep that in mind when deciding what to drive. To access the garage, you need to be in the right lane. As you drive in, take a parking ticket, then purchase a voucher at the box office or bar. You will feed both tickets into the machine when you exit. After 5pm, you can park on any floor as long as the space does not say reserved. To leave the garage and go to the theater, you will walkout through an office building. When you return, to avoid the long lines for the elevators in the office building, you can walk up the same entrance ramp you entered when you drove in. Overall, a fabulous evening and look forward to returning!
Written June 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda S
Cypress, TX810 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
Spur of the moment we decided to book tickets to Celeste Barber (stand-up comedy) and drive to Austin round trip from Houston in the same day. Since this was unplanned, we weren’t sure what to expect. The theatre is gorgeous and we absolutely loved the show. We arrived at 6:30 or so as it was supposed to start at 7pm, went to the bar, and then were seated by the super helpful ushers (all volunteers). After sitting there for a while, I figured I should go check out the restrooms. By this time it was 7:15pm, but there were long lines at all the bars and crowds in the lobby - which may be normal for live shows - so the show ended up starting much later than 7pm. We didn’t mind though as we were soaking it all in. Our seats were in the center of the Mezzanine which had great views. It is really steep up there though so if you’re wearing heels (which I was) you need to be careful about not tripping / falling. As others have said, given this is an old theatre, the seats are small and the space between the rows is pretty narrow. If you have super long legs or any knee issues - be sure to get seats at the end of the row so you can stretch your legs out. We lucked out with ours as there wasn’t many seats left when we purchased “day of”. The bar prices also seemed reasonable, I ended up getting a hard cider with a cup of ice and it was reasonably priced at $8, plus $10 to validate our parking in the nearby parking garage (which is pretty tight). We arrived at the parking garage at 5pm (the earliest you can arrive per the Theatre / parking garage agreement) so that we could go do happy hour at The Roaring Fork which was a great choice and is right next door (see my separate review for that). Overall, it was well worth the day trip and would love to return and do another show here.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KAY M
Manchaca, TX24 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
I love the Paramount. The interior design is true to the original structure. It’s a small, intimate venue. Only bad thing...seats in the balcony are tiny with no leg room at all.
Written July 31, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MNEAustin
Austin, TX145 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
Wife & I have been medium level financial supporters ($300-$400/yr per yr) + buying the show packages for a decade. Have always loved the venue and the shows. But the show "experience" has become so mediocre the last couple yrs we just cancelled our tkts for Spring and will probably just quit supporting the Theatre. Show attendees spend more time getting up and down to get drinks and bring them back to their seats, talking constantly, and holding their phones up to record the show that it just isn't enjoyable or worth the effort. When I explained this to the employee on the phone her response was "well that's interesting because the biggest complaint we get is our docents are constantly harassing people to turn off their phones". So ... obviously she doesn't see it as a problem. But we do. And we know friends that see it as problem. And it's going to eventually hurt this wonderful jewel of Austin.
Written January 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BrussoDallas
Dallas, TX2,102 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
Considering the Paramount is 100 years old it's in pretty good shape. You can park about a block away for only $6 & the money goes to the theatre which is great. The parking garage is in an office building but I can't remember the name.
We were up in the balcony but the seats were fine for listening to someone speak. The seats are very small & if someone needs to get by pretty much everyone exits the row.
Before the show started they were playing a slideshow of events that they had coming up. If we lived in Austin (we live in Dallas) we'd definitely frequent the Paramount, they had a pretty good line up.
Of course it's also located downtown with all the action so it's easy to grab dinner before or after the show.
We were up in the balcony but the seats were fine for listening to someone speak. The seats are very small & if someone needs to get by pretty much everyone exits the row.
Before the show started they were playing a slideshow of events that they had coming up. If we lived in Austin (we live in Dallas) we'd definitely frequent the Paramount, they had a pretty good line up.
Of course it's also located downtown with all the action so it's easy to grab dinner before or after the show.
Written February 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jertzy99
Houston, TX17 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
We visited the Paramount for a screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, and really enjoyed the theatre. It's a beautiful building with a lot of character. The seats aren't terribly comfortable in terms of padding or leg room, but overall it's just a very cool old building and a great place to see a show.
Written April 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cindy L
2 contributions
Jun 2023
This place is an absolute gem. Beautiful design and acoustics. It's old, and it shows. Frankly, I would generally give any venue this old a pass but it smells quite musty and my shoes literally stuck to the floor from decades of soda spills. Methinks the last time this place was mopped was . . . never. Imagine trying to toe tap and not being able due to the sticky!
The concert we attended was fabulous and I can't say enough about the helpful staff. I just hope the next time we're there someone has washed the floors!
The concert we attended was fabulous and I can't say enough about the helpful staff. I just hope the next time we're there someone has washed the floors!
Written June 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Why are the tickets in the balcony and the orchestra approximately the same price? Which is a better seat?
Written January 16, 2018
Trenace, It depends on the show. I went to a jazz rock show and naturally you want the orchestra. However for a stage show I think the balcony would be better. Fully agree with the other contributors this is an excellent small theatre . We should all support it
Written January 19, 2018
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