des moines civic center

jen0187

We have always had an excellent experience at the Civic Center. They go through great effort to get top notch shows and events.The staff is friendly and helpful. It's located downtown which can be a traffic challenge. It's disappointing that if you see a show when the parking ramps are suppose to be free they charge you a "special events" fee. Well worth a trip to see a show here.

RandyKasal

Many great performances, but location is not always fun for parking. In need of a facelift, but really, the Civic Center is well managed. I recognize funds are not always available.

lafcom

I have season tickets to the Broadway Musicals ---> excellent!!!! Loved all of them. The venue is wonderful - comfortable seats - great view. Best shows come through town in a timely fashion. Highly recommend.

GailCheryl

Both fabulous shows, both great, great fun. I learned in my two visits that the acoustics are iffy on the edges. So pay the money and sit in the center, even if you have to crawl over 50 pairs of legs to get there, it's worth it. A very fine venue indeed.

DanSewer

Having seen Peking acrobats in Peking, China, I was curious as to how the road show would compare. As part of a family performance series, this was not a full-length production. The first half was great, but the momentum could not be sustained and became labored to watch. In the last half, I noticed that the younger members of the audience were restless, often more intrigued with the gobos being projected on the audience ceiling. The solo performer with the spinning plates was great! As photography (flash or otherwise) is not permitted in USA theaters, my non-flash photo is from the Peking performance.

643meganh

This performance venue brings in a variety of award winning shows. Despite being in a smaller city, the Civic Center often has trendy shows before they are well known. I've had seats at many different price levels and acoustically quality is good. I've also been impressed with their accommodations for the hearing impaired including sign language interpreters and listening aides.

N2travlin

Wonderful musical. Great score and lyrics. Great cast. As always long long rows of seating can be a challenge.

JeanK401

This was a great show. Lots of energy, great music, fun costumes and the acting was superb. We always enjoy going to the Civic Center. No matter where you sit it's easy to see the show. I'd definitely recommend seeing Kinky Boots as we thoroughly enjoyed this program.

Kent1725

We loved "Kinky Boots," Great show with good music and lots of energy. We've seen several shows at this venue, and they've all been top caliber. The only thing we don't really like is that there is no center aisle and the rows are l-o-n-g. If you're sitting in the middle, you have to climb over a lot of people to reach your seat.

486ritab

Thoroughly enjoyed this program. We laughed till we had tears rolling down our faces. The actors seemed a perfect fit in their parts. We loved the music. The language is explicit and you should be aware - it's from the South Park creators after all! My only complaint would be that a few times during the program the words were difficult to understand because they just seemed too loud. We had excellent seats - but it is hard to have a bad seat at the Civic Center.

sne1516

Beautiful center, easy to see from all areas, lovely building! My only problem is that I ended up sitting by a large man who ended up on 1/2 of my chair! LOL Good thing my son was able to share some of his space with me:)

auvoir

We've been fortunate to see many excellent shows here, traveling Broadway shows, our own Symphony, whatever you see here is going to be enjoyed. We are beyond fortunate to get such great shows early in their tours schedules. And our Symphony is beyond excellent. Just a joy to go here, you know you'll enjoy the evening.

806JimR

It was a special occasion so we used the valet parking for the first time and went inside to find our seats. The volunteer workers were extremely helpful, kind and courteous. The show was very good of course, but the review is about the Civic Center. When we left the car was brought very quickly by the same young man that parked it. He was, to say the least, was one of the nicest young people we've encountered in a long time. Thanks for a great night out!

hedgeapplefarm

Yes, it was irreverent, especially if you're a Mormon, but it was still hilarious. We laughed from the opening scene. The language was quite crude so not for kids or prudes. We like the Center for Performing Arts (Formerly Des Moines Civic Center) as a venue. The only real issues remain the acoustics which are disappointing and the long lines waiting for restrooms.

deegeegirl

Oh my goodness - My husband and I had a BLAST! There were cirque/ acrobatic acts done to music played by the Des Moines Symphony. I'm not sure how I lucked up and got front row seats but we did. The performers were great and very professional. The music was so much fun. It was a first for us but I don't think it will be our last!!!! So much fun. I believe the troop said it was their third year here. Side note - if you park in the parking garage, go up and back down so you don't have to wait as long with the traffic jam. We learned our lesson! HA