Astor Theatre

Excellent venue with great sound. We saw a comedy show and I found the venue to be of an international excellent size and the acoustics were good.

Love this theatre, great venue for… Well anything really. Have seen a few acts here over the years, even movies. Great old theatre, fantastic interior décor. Love it!

The place is a real beauty — inside and out.
I have been to a couple of shows here (comedy and live music) and both times were great. The sound quality at the gig was awesome and the deco features are amazing.

Been here twice for different occasions. The last to see Jimmy McGhee from the UK do his stand up act. What a great place to put on a stand up act. The audience was seated tightly all round the stage nice and cosy like. And there was a full bar upstairs waiting for us on arrival. The interior décor is classic early turn of the century Perth. This place is pretty much a historic building that still serves a good purpose being in the heart of Mount Lawley. Great venue :)

Probably the best live interior music venue in Perth (equivalent to Sydney’s version of the Enmore Theatre)
Not too big, houses around 5000 people at full capacity. It suits both National acts and also smaller international acts

Beautiful old theatre, lucky enough to see 1927 here from the front row — sound quality was fantastic and a very intimate venue.
Love the fact you can buy a beer or a CC and dry and take it to your seat with you (don’t love the $ 10 a drink pricing).
Definitely will be on the look out for more concerts here.

From the exterior, the Astor looks like it could use a bit of refinement. Upon entry, I realized what a pearl of a place this is. Absolutely an art-​deco stunner!
I came here to see the Pajama Men with the International Comedy Festival. I found the organization of ticketing to be rather rudimentary (i.e. Rifling through a make-​shift Rolodex. This is 2012, hello barcode scanners!), but any qualms stopped there. Several shows were going on in the evening, but we we were still able to go upstairs and have a drink (wine or beer). I didn’t mind the selection, as I was impressed that you could bring the drinks (and snacks!) inside the auditorium.
Upon talking to my partner, a woman stopped me to ask me where my accent is from. I told her Texas and she informed me her father is from Dallas. She introduced herself (Jo) and she was one of the coordinator of the functions. She told us that this is the first year they’ve put this on. Talk about impressed, we had no idea! And, she was such a peach!
While I know this review isn’t about the comedian, they were really funny. Weird, but funny! Much more than we anticipated. We were expecting a Seinfeld-​esque stand-​up and we got full-​blown action skits with improve. I am really proud of Perth for organizing this event and doing such a stellar job. I look forward to this becoming an annual event in my household.

Art Deco is a gorgeous architectural style — it is both quirky and timeless, a heady combination of artistry and the celebration of life with its tendency towards the lavish. The Astor Theatre is no exception, with its beautiful exterior harking back to the days after the First World War where optimism for the future abounded.
The Astor is also a fantastic performance space. It is simultaneously large and intimate. Usually, those concepts are mutually exclusive, but the Astor makes it work. While you are watching a performer, it feels like you are both watching an exclusive performance, but sharing it with thousands of others.
The Astor is iconic and is rightly one of the symbols of Mt Lawley.

The Astor’s charms were in full force when I visited recently to see the loveable, squeaky-​voiced broadcaster, Ira Glass. In fact, every time I’ve been here, be it for a band, a stand-​up or a movie, the Art Deco architecture has made the action onstage all the more absorbing. This is a beautiful period building (well, as period as we get here in Perth) with the varnished timber panelling and red carpet that’s reminiscent of a time we probably saw on the movies. The programming is really solid, lots of international film festivals and great bands like The Kooks, Architecture in Helsinki and The Panics. Plus it’s perfectly located next to Catina and a few steps down the road from the Flying Scotto so pre– and post-​theatre drinks are sorted.

The Astor is one of those places that reminds that Perth is perpetually stuck in a time warp. This time, it’s for a good reason, and not due to Sunday trading and laissez-​faire transportation. The Astor, a building almost 100-​years-​old, is the perfect representation of architectural transgression within a city known for its modern buildings. With it’s Inter-​war Art Deco design, the Astor is an iconic building that oozes nostalgic charm and retro appeal, making the trendy inner city suburb of Mount Lawley the perfect place for it to call home.
When I went there, it was to see comedian David Sedaris. The Astor’s quirk factor proved to be an ideal venue for the batty scribe. Acoustics were perfect for Sedaris’ soft and comic elocution, seats were comfortable and air con a relief considering how old the place is. Not that the place is in disrepair. Now a heritage-​listed building, it’s maintained its original design whilst avoiding rustic dilapidation.
My only qualm is their lack of alcohol. Basic beer and wine is plastic cups (ugh!). Terribly unclassy.

A nostalgic Art Deco building with a rich history and beautiful character, this is the badge of Mt Lawley. My mother used to complain of its «garish» turquoise façade and said it was an eyesore, but I just thought it charismatic. A few years ago they restored and repainted the building, pleasing my mothers critical eye whilst preserving its old-​world charm. The interior is well-​kept too.
The theatre is hired for mainly concerts nowadays, and I still sigh in disappointment that is no longer a cinema screening movies regularly. International and Australian indie music, tour sideshows and comedy acts are the mainstay. You can catch the occasional select mainstream, world, or indie film however; just be sure to look on the website so see what’s showing.
On other nights they screen old, cult classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mary Poppins and Casablanca. For some local flavour you can seek the Astor Theatre for when they screen pieces from local film festivals as well as student works.

The Astor is a sweet old school theatre that hosts bands, comedians, plays and festivals. It is a great venue, it can provide a space for intimate gigs such as Angus and Julia Stone or Sarah Blasko, but still fit a lot of people who are lining up to see some top class gigs for Australian and International Artists.
The heritage listed building has gone through many identities in its history but now I think it is living to its full potential bringing a traditional atmosphere to modern shows.

The Astor Theatre really has it all. As the website says: ‘the Astor Theatre is a Mount Lawley institution’ — and they mean it. With its art deco style and showcasing everything from film to stand-​up, the Astor is a wonderful place to spend an evening.
It’s a live music venue, performance space (from theatre to seminars to stand up comedy) and cinema all rolled into one, and next year The Astor will be hosting the 2012 Perth International Comedy Festival: 40 events and 140 performances in 19 days next May.
So whether you’re into live music from local or international bands, up and coming comedy, or just a movie buff, The Astor has something for you.