Spreckles Theater Box Office & Ticket Information

Went to Spreckles for a taping of Conan during SDCC. The design of the theater is beautiful and no matter where you look there is always something really gorgeous you notice about the interior. My only criticism is the seating. If you are sitting down in your seat it is necessary to stand up entirely for anyone to pass you and take there seat due to the limited leg room.

I won’t be going back here anytime soon! Small bag of Cashews $ 3.00, 12oz can of diet coke $ 3.00,16 oz bottled water $ 3.00!!! Oh if you buy the can drink they put it in a topless cup. and won’t let you bring it in theater you have to up grade to the $ 4.00 cup that’s an additional 4 +3=$ 7 wow!!! The play was so off script hard to follow!!! Now I just thought of something that was amazing! The live music was flawless! Ok I might give the two stars instead of one…

This theatre is aesthetically beautiful with intricate detail on carved wood at the ceiling and sculptures of cherubic, scantily clad figures.
The ceiling’s inner dome has wonderful artwork and can send you back in time. even if only in your own imagination. It was a little weird being in this neo-​classical venue watching a juiced up Dave Chapelle go on a vulgar rant about his sex life… maybe that was the point –even Dave was surprised haha… Dave is so smart like that (sigh).
The downside is definitely the seating. I am a petite 5’2 and it was quite uncomfortable all around me. I think I developed restless leg syndrome just sitting there with no way to fidget or stretch naturally. If you have knee problems or happen to be on the larger side, take note and opt for a seat on the aisle.
The stadium style seating is such that it appears you are staring straight down below you. The view is not as great the higher up your seat is.
Some floors only have one stall in the restroom. I believe the lobby is the only floor with multiple stalls and it fills up quickly pre/​post event and during intermissions.

The ONLY reason why we ever visited this theatre is because of Dave Chappelle — otherwise, I would never step foot inside this theatre. The seats are way too small for my petite and short body, so you can imagine how uncomfortable people bigger than my size must be as part of the audience in this theatre. With the seats being way too small, there is also lack of space between people sitting next to each other — unless you like getting accidentally rubbed on by strangers. And did I mention that there is no security system being installed in this theatre (due to the age of the building)? I feel like I’m having a Dick Tracy moment being inside this building — no pun intended!
The only positive side of this theatre is the great customer service, which gave this place a total of 2 stars.

Tickets at the box office were WAY cheaper than Ticketmaster. The interior of the theater reminds me of the Hotel Del Coronado, but that goes without saying, seeing as how they are both from the same era.
The good: cheap tickets, its right next to Sushi Deli. Saw Adam Carolla here, acoustics are good.
The bad: parking options are limited to Horton Plaza, random valet or luck of the draw on street parking. I’m fat so the seats were turn of the century sized. It was like an F-​250 parking in a compact spot. I had to share my armrest. I hate sharing.
Verdict: I’m not mad at this place. Architecture is reminiscent of a early San Diego. I like it.

Disclaimer: it’s rare that I do one star rating reviews but I seem to be having a run of bad luck lately. Let’s start from the beginning…
5 stars for Jason Mraz. 5 stars for the wonderful volunteer ushers. 5 stars for the theatre. 1 star for the Theatre Box Office & Ticket Information jerks.
My husband calls the box office on the day of the concert and is told, «Yes, we do have a few tickets left but I can’t sell them over the phone. You will have to come by and get them in person.» Fine. Hubby calls me and since it’s my day off I say, «sure, why not!» I take the 25 minute drive to downtown, drive around for another 25 looking for parking and find a 15 minute spot open right by the theatre. Score! I run inside and am semi-​greeted by a young man with glasses and a short cut who says to me, «We don’t have any available but we have a pair not listed in the system for sale.» I’m not sure how to take that, but I figured it was a legit since I was buying them directly from Spreckels. He proceeds to tell me, «I can only take cash.» «You can’t take my card?» I ask. And he gives me a look and says, «NO.» Wow. But since the seats were amazing, I say «Ok, I“ll be right back!» I run back to my car, re-​park out in the boondocks of Horton Plaza and make a beeline back to the box office, cash in hand.
Fast forward 3 hours. Hubby & I are waiting in line excitedly and as soon as we reach the front with our tickets, we are told, «These don’t work and they won’t scan.» WTF?!! We head back to the box office, tell them what happened, only to have them treat us like we are some sort of criminals that bought from some shady scalper. We ask them what the problem was and they won’t give us a response, just continue to whisper to each other, all the while giving us sidelong glances but refused to make eye contact. Mind you, I bought the pair from THEIR box office! I’m getting upset at this point, especially after they bark at my husband for his ID. I say I purchased them but they take his anyway. Finally after a lot of hullabaloo, they let us in, not once saying why our tickets didn’t scan or why the guy that helped me earlier only requested cash. We were relieved that we got in but so peeved that we had to deal with all the BS. What gives?
The icing on the cake? They forgot to give my husband’s ID back. We called several times to let them know that they still had it and were told, «No, we don’t have any IDs that were turned in.» Since he had his old address on it, we were insistent on the calls and pleaded that they hold onto the ID if it turned up. No sympathy whatsoever. A few days later the ID was sent to his old address despite the fact that we don’t LIVE THERE ANYMORE. Luckily the new owners contacted us since we knew them.
I’ll gladly use Ticketmaster next time, fees and all. Never again!

This cute old theater is small and intimate. Perfect to see a show. The sound quality was great. I saw Bryan Adams here on his Bare Bones tour, we were 3^rd row which was amazing. but to be honest, I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house. The theater looks to me to have all good seats.
It’s in a decent location for downtown San Diego. It was also easy to get in and out. The only con is that maybe the building is a little old. But other than that I thought it was maintained just fine.

It’s been a few days since my visit to Spreckles, but I definately wanted to do it justice by writing a review. Had the opportunity to see David Gray perform last Wednesday… he’s an incredible artist (we also saw him perform in Las Vegas this past summer). The staff/​security were very friendly and helpful with directing us to our seats… The theater is absolutely beautiful inside. A smaller, but yet intimate hall. I loved the domed ceiling, the lighting, and the architecture/​statues inside… HOWEVER, our tickets were for seats in the first row of the MEZZ and the leg room was horrible. Perhaps if you’re under 5ft you’d be comfortable, but i’m 5’10 and my fiancé is 6’4 and we definately were uncomfortable as our knees were pressed up against the front wall the entire time. I can’t comment on how other rows may be with regards to leg room, but I would assume they are just as cramed as the persons legs behind me kept pushing on the back of my chair. Overall the show was great — wasn’t highly impressed with the sound, but the ambiance was wonderful! I would definately see a show there again!