Adrienne Arsht Center

I love this theatre center! I’ve seen big shows here and the small black box productions and they’re all terrific! Note the main house is too big for much of a view in the upper tiers. The whole orchestra is fine, even the back — higher up, bring opera glasses!

I could never get enough of this establishment and center. Located in the heart of Miami, it provides an amazing opportunity for the arts and culture to really be showcased: dance, concerts, Broadway shows, farmers markets, etc. 10 years and still growing, you must attend at least one show or ballet.
The acoustics are incredible, and I have yet to be to a show that was not breathtaking.

I love the Knight Concert Hall, went there to see Farruco and it was incredible. Great place!

This is the my second or third time at the Arsht but my first review. My last visit I attended H2Ombre and had a great time.
As part of a Unilocal Event, Frederick D was able to secure some tickets to the Hammer of Trinity from Cassie G and so we went on Sunday’s 1pm showing and boy were we in for the theatrical marathon of our lives, finishing at 11pm! Hands down the longest theatre production we have ever seen! There were 5 intermissions two of which were 1 hour long for lunch and dinner.
The storyline or storylines were interesting. Fred is the fantasy novel reader so he was especially piqued by this genre. However I also enjoyed it. The production had a lot of different props and I loved how the story evolved. The intermissions were frequent enough to warm up outside.
During intermission Fred and I were entertained by discourse on the most likely outcome of each chapter and how the ideas of identity, democratic vs dictatorial subjugation, hope, love, sacrifice, honor, betrayal and other subjects the play evoked.
If you are going to watch the Hammer of Trinity be sure to bring an open mind and a sweater to keep warm!

I have been to both the Ziff and the Knight halls on more than a few occasions. I can not imagine Miami without the Arsht. Miami is an great city and has an eclectic food scene, nightclubs and beaches but a city that does not support the arts can not really be world class. There is a great variety of entertainment to come through the Arsht; symphonies, ballet, theatre, other types of music and comedy. I have been to see the MISO and the Cleveland orchestras, comedians, as well as, some ballet and Flamenco dancers — how is that for variety! The pricing for all events is reasonable for what you see and the venues are well designed and maintained. The structures are newer and very modern. The structures might be a little soulless but they are very useful and there are virtually no bad seats anywhere. At least they are «all in» on the modern theme — and this is very much in step with Miami as a whole. The staffing is good and always courteous. There are usually food kiosk available for light food and drinks and the quality is decent although here it is a little over priced. If there is anything lacking about a night at the Arsht it’s that there is not much of a food, bar or café scene around the facility. It must be that The Center is a little newer. I really hope this changes over time. I am sure businesses in that area would benefit from the schedule of The Center. There is one restaurant on site, but since there is only one — it’s always very busy. All in all, I am very happy to have the Arsht in Miami! I look forward to Miami further expanding its cultural scene.

This place is magical. Really love how this place unites so many people of different ages and cultures. The sound in the orchestral hall is astoundingly perfect. We saw the flamenco shows and I can hear how they snap their fingers as if it was right in front my ears. Such clarity and precision. I want to become a member.

We enjoyed our show based on the quality of acting and acoustics.
Our view was blocked about ¹⁄₈^th during the entire play due to lighting placement which we weren’t happy about. The beverages/​snacks run you about the same crazy price as a movie theatre only lower quality here.
The place is put together very cheaply… with low quality paint and light fixtures, I wouldn’t have expected this from a building that appears so nice from the outside as well as the cost charged per person.
I’m sure there are much nicer concert halls.

Amazing location to see Phantom of the Opera. Costuming scenery orchestra dancers and of course the music made for a 5 star experience! Can’t wait to return!

I love this theater! It doesn’t even feel like I’m in Miami when I come here. There is enough space between seats so you don’t feel claustrophobic like in most theaters in NY, the restrooms are big, clean and spacious so you don’t have to hurry or wait in huge lines but the best of all is their valet service. It’s the same price as any other venue in Miami/​Miami Beach but the service is much better! You pay inside and wait inside the theater when your car is ready they announce it on the speaker. Everything is ran very smoothly in this theater, will come back again soon hopefully to see another musical or play!

The Arsht was one of the first initiatives in a wave of projects that are upping the ‘cultural arts’ game of the Magic City that is much needed. Miami has always been geared far more toward 24-​hour-​party-​people than those interested in symphonies, museums and the like. This is still true, but this performing arts center signals that Miami is maybe growing up a little and you can like the club AND like going to see Beethoven or the ballet. My wife and I have gone to the Arsht many times and enjoyed our experiences each time — to the point where I’m a little surprised when I discovered I hadn’t reviewed it yet!
This venue is an architecturally ambitious, beautiful modern space (and the largest performing arts center in Florida). It features three venues: one for ballet and opera but also where they stage big theatrical production (Ziff Ballet & Opera House), the Knight Concert Hall and a flexible outdoor area (Carnival Studio Theater). The acoustics are, as far as I can tell, great — and the seating arrangement well planned without obstructed views. The décor of both is beautiful, with light woods and clean modern lines while maintaining a sense of understated opulence. I like that they aren’t trying to create an artificial «old-​world» feel, but embracing the modern architecture and future-​leaning ethos of their host city.
I’ve yet to see a bad performance here, and my wife and I appreciate that they go beyond programs of Broadway touring companies (although they do have these and they are great) — or even classical symphonic programming (also wonderful and a personal favorite). They feature a good deal of series that are culturally diverse, shows from both modern and folk traditions, and often feature unique voices and perspectives. Much of this is drawn from Latin America, but not all.
Some of their series, with artists drawn internationally and from South Florida, are Jazz Roots, Ziff Masterworks series (symphonic and dance), MISO (Miami Symphony Orchestra), New World Symphony performances, Theater Up Close, Broadway in Miami and more. There are constant events in the various spaces.
The restaurant Bravo! is, while not spectacular, quite good and the prices aren’t exorbitant considering it’s location within a Performing Arts Center. The environment of the restaurant is also suitably beautiful.
When I returned to living in Miami after a decade in California, it was almost shocking how much progress this city had made in the period between 2000 and 2011, particularly when it came to having a cultural life worthy of a great American city. The Arsht — which didn’t exist when I had moved away — is a major symbol of that positive change.

I come here pretty often as I love Broadway shows and no matter where you sit, you always have a great view. My only complaint is the sale of food and beverage and the rules that go along with it. Depending on the show, or maybe employee, I’ve been sometimes forced to down my wine in two seconds before entering and other times I am able to enter with food and drink without a problem. Other than that, my experiences have always been enjoyable and the shows I’ve seen have been wonderful.

While I’d seen several operas and a few other performances in the Ziff Ballet Opera House, I’d not had the chance to attend anything in the Knight Concert Hall until recently. Now that I’ve attended shows here at the Adrianne Arsht complex several times and in both of the 2 largest venues, I can honestly say that, even nearly 7 years after I’d first reviewed it, this is still a 5 star venue and the people of Miami should be proud to have this performance space in our city.
The Ziff Ballet Opera House is a 2,400 seat venue with 3 balcony levels and is quite deep. This is where most operas, musicals and larger performances are held. This room is nearly acoustically perfect, the hall is absolutely beautiful and tastefully done and I’ve never seen a bad show here. The Knight Concert Hall claims to have seating for 2,200, but this number seems high to me, as it seems much smaller and more intimate than the Ziff. The Knight Concert Hall is not as ornate as the Ziff, but is still beautiful, and uses lots of natural, lighter colored woods in its décor. In my opinion the acoustics aren’t as good in the Knight Concert Hall, and on the night we were here for the symphony, the announcements were so garbled and the sound system so poor that much of what the conductor was saying was unintelligible. The Knight Concert Hall also has a smaller foyer and passageways, so crowd management and trying to wade through people can be a bit tricky just before showtime and during intermission breaks.
Though much has been said about the parking (or lack thereof) for these venues, I’ve never had a problem arriving even 15 minutes before a show and finding street parking within 2 blocks of the entrance of either of these 2 performance spaces.
There’s an on-​site restaurant called «Brava» which is located upstairs, just inside the entrance of the Ziff Ballet Opera House. The food is good and the prices aren’t outrageous (they generally offer a «prix fixe» menu) considering it’s located inside the actual venue, though it never seems busy, even before larger performances and events. I was a fan of the bar they once had in the bottom of the art deco structure that was left after the old Sears building was torn down. It’s now a Books and Books and from what I understand still offers food and drink, though I’ve not had the opportunity to patronize it since Books and Books took over.
Both the Ziff and Knight venues have refreshment kiosks in the lobby and on some of the landings outside the performance spaces which offer beer, wine and mixed drinks, as well as light snacks and even sandwiches.

I had the chance to enjoy the intrepid Ballet company, Ballet Trockadero. When I arrived at the Knight Concert Hall their architecture caught my eyes all the way to the ceiling.
The lines at the box office were fine and fast, there was a bar at that you could order a drink and make some time untill they opened the doors so we could sit down. All the ushers were very attentive and the ballet funny and very talended.
The theather has a classy, elegant, and perfect frame to house presentations like the Ballet Trockadero.
I will most definitely return to enjoy other presentattions!

This review is specifically for the Arriolla theater inside the AAC.
This was my first time at the AAC. Everything is absolutely stunning. Well, everything except for the back room where they hosted the 20^th Anniversary of Summer Shorts tonight. (June 4, 2015)
The lobby is small with only 3 tables although there are at least 100 seats inside the theater. The seats are cheapy Ikea-​looking plastic chairs. For $ 35 a pop I expect at the very least a padded folding chair.
During intermission we stepped out to grab some refreshments to hold us off until dinner. For $ 17.50 we got two 8oz cokes, a 2-​pack of some fake tasting cookies and salty snack mix. Btw, no food allowed in the theater, beverages only. :/​So we packed the leftovers in my purse and headed back in at the beep.
As for the show, it was excellent! It was my very first Summer Shorts ever and I enjoyed it very much. 5 stars to them. Flare, Risen from the Doug and Cougar were great!
I hope to be back soon, perhaps to the main theater for the ballet.

Every event I’ve attended at the Adrienne Arsht Center has been memorable — from Fuerza Bruta to the Donkey Show to H2Ombre — and the Unilocal Culture Club event to see Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo definitely did not disappoint! This venue is a true gem.
I was expecting a full-​on parody, and while it did keep me laughing through the whole show, I was also very impressed by the beautiful performance, professionalism (despite the spoofs!) and technique of the dancers. Highly recommended!

I went to see Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo and it was such a charming, funny, and quirky performance! Definitely a feel-​good show :) I felt so fancy walking around the Knight Concert Hall grounds and mingling with all the elegantly dressed attendees before the show! Watching a show/​performance at any of the two Adrienne Arsht halls is a must-​do for anyone in town, on a date and want to impress, or if simply in the mood to dress up and enjoy some arts/​dance culture… 2 thumbs up!

My review is for the Knight Concert Hall. This is a lovely space to view a show, ballet, concert, etc. The seats are pretty much great from any angle. If you are like me and suffer from a little vertigo from high seats looking down, you may want to get lower seating section. But nonetheless a great view. The outside lobby area is kept nicely and there are concession stands selling wine, coffee, and candies/​nuts/​chocolates. We had a nice time last Sunday with our Unilocal gets Cultural buds to see Ballet Trockadero. Good times!

I have been visiting the AAC since the inception as my family has always been major supporters of the arts in this town and part of the grassroots movement to expand the cultural opportunities for Miamians. Words cannot begin to express my appreciation and gratitude that Miami is home to such a venue like this for our cultural enjoyment. As a native Miamian, you truly have a special place in your heart for the AAC, and more importantly, the woman, the major donor, the philanthropist, Adrienne Arsht, that in the peak of the recession in 2008, donated $ 30 million dollars to keep this Performing Arts Center alive, so that the City of Miami could have a performing arts center to both distract and expand the cultural minds of locals in a time of financial hardship and attract tourists to bring in revenue in a time of severe financial despair to «Miami, the Magic City» and its hurting investors.
The architecture is stunning and is easily identifiable as part of the Miami skyline from the highway as well as cruise ships and many of the surrounding high-​rise buildings. If you have any love or appreciation for architecture, please come here and bask in the glory of this masterpiece created American-​Argentinian architect, Ceasr Pelli (also designed The World Financial Center in Manhattan). Manhattan, lookout, the City of Miami is on your tail in more ways than one!
Downtown Miami, an area once known for its dangerous streets and drug trade, has truly transformed this area, with the AAC as the epicenter, into a booming cultural arts mecca leading the way for the city gentrify and revitalize this area.
The AAC has some exceptional shows and performances that stop here when they are «off-​broadway» and «on-​tour» to be sure to be checking their calendar. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, keep in mind, they are all volunteers so be sure to thank them for their service. A lot of people tend to confuse the Ziff and the AAC so be sure to clearly read your tickets before you end up in the wrong venue and miss the opening act.
IRVIN MAYFIELD AND THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA: 5 STARS
I was recently here to enjoy the sounds of some of the downright dirtiest NOLA Jazz performed by the Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. It was an absolute treat and the performance was fantastic, start to finish, and I didn’t even have to travel far to hear the sounds of New Orleans finest Jazz Musicians (although a beignet would’ve been nice).
The performance was extremely high energy from beginning to end (no intermission here) and they performed everything from original sounds, musical and vocal solos, to Frank Sinatra, to Stevie Wonder, ending with one of Irvin Mayfield’s original pieces written in memory of his father, which might I add was the highlight and the perfect encore to a great performance with high crowd interaction. Tons of talent in this Jazz ensemble and the exit the performance with, «When the Saints Go Marching In». LOVED IT!
Performance Highlights:
1. Ricardo, sax, a university student with his solo touring performance debut, 5 stars! Nervous at first but then it was smooth sailing for the remainder of the performance. Such talent!
2. First and Second chair trumpet players, 5 stars!
3. Percussion and Double Bass duo, SYNCOPATION, you guys killed it!, 6 stars!
4. Vocalists, Michael Watson («What a Wonderful World») and tuba player vocals («You’ve got a Friend in Me»), 5 stars, FANTASTIC!
Round of Applause to you Irvin Mayfield and thank you for an incredible performance and enjoyable night and for keeping us in mind and catering your performance to our Miamians by adding in some Latin flair. Best of luck on the remainder of your tour.

I still love this place… and each time I go I like it more. My recent visit was subsidized by the Unilocal Culture Club fund; the program was The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (
). I loved their vibe! The conductor and lead musician, Irving Mayfield, was a mixture of Southern charm and Saucy New Orleans spunk. He kept the audience engaged with stories and a few times scolded us for sitting still. This show was not for the «stiffs» — in fact, our claps even saved a member of the group (Leon «Kid Chocolate Brown») from being kicked off (not to worry — he sang so sweet — the audience’s claps were genuine). Here’s a sample of his singing:
While Mayfield hypnotized the crowd, having us close our eyes and imagine a wonderful time in our past, singer/​trumpeter, Glen David Andrews, blew our minds with his impersonation of Fats Domino.
The fine… and newly single, Michael Watson, swooned the ladies with his broken-​heart song. Mayfield was sure to tell the intrigued single women of the crowd they can send their credit scores with their applications to date Michael. No gold-​diggers allowed lol.
There was a Salsa edition only for Miami show — and no one was sitting still — people were jumping out of their seats and shaking their bums.
There were other solo performances — in fact, I think each member was featured a bit — and the New Orleans march around the Arsht finished the party.
You may want to read the following article to get more of a history of Jazz and NOJO’s work:

I had so much fun, bought a CD that I thought I may want to give to someone for a gift (but secretly plan to keep it for myself), and left there wanting more. I hope they come back — they definitely have a fan in me.
Thank you Adrienne Arsht Center for selecting this lively and relevant musical event and to Unilocal for organizing a cultural activity.

In the midst of listening to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra thanks to Cassie and Unilocal’s Cultural initiative, face and I spoke about how incredible the Arsht Center is. How much Miami needed and has enjoyed the PAC since it was built ten years ago or so. We wondered where else did we go to for great music or Fun film festivals such as Borscht. Miami is a world class city and the Arsht Center supports that claim 100%.
I can attest that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. I’ve sat in the upper deck and enjoyed a high school talent show, I’ve sat in the box seats and danced along some great live acts and just last night sat in the second row to listen to some funky jazz by world class musicians and each time I felt like I wouldn’t trade in my seats for another.
Do yourself a favor and partake in some culture and support the arts in Miami. What better way to do that than at Arsht