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Vogue Theatre
Categories: Arts & Entertainment Performing Arts Arts & Entertainment Music Venues Nightlife Music Venues Performing Arts, Music Venues [Edit]
918 Granville StVancouver, BC V6Z 1L2
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 331-7900
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
Sun 12 pm - 4 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Vogue Theatre
22 reviews in English
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Review from Evilyn T.
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
I don't really recall the last time I was at the Vogue, because I was insanely drunk while watching the Evil Dead musical a few Halloweens ago, so I decided it was time to go back and refresh my memory. The International Burlesque Fest was holding it's Friday night of naughty entertainment here, so I bought me some tickets online. This place is the perfect venue for this kind of show, classy, a little run down and filled with history.
What I like about the Vogue is that you can take your drinks to your seat, at many fancy sit-down theatres in Vancouver, this is not an option. So instead of chugging your wine during intermission, you can casually take swigs from it, and then get one more for when you have to go to your seat. Not only does this make the Vogue more money in bar sales, but it probably makes a lot of attendees very happy in that shiny glossy kind of way, which for a burlesque event helps keep the glitter and sequins stick to your skin = everyone wins.
What I don't like about the Vogue is that the shows end pretty early there, and then you are forced to leak out onto Granville Street on a Friday night where every hoser from Surrey has driven his lowrider into the city to show all us city folk how cool they are. One time I had some guy tell me I had "ugly eyebrows" because he thought that the cab I flagged should have been his. You know what buddy, if you are critiquing me on my eyebrows, the last thing you should be questioning is my stealing your cab home, maybe you should be questioning your sexuality instead. Just sayin. -
Review from Laura D.
5/2/2012
This beautiful old theatre has played host to many a performance over the decades.
Sure it`s looking a little rough around the edges, but with just a bit of imagination one can see oneself in a fur shawl and flowing dress being taken to the theatre by a dapper young chap in the 1940s.
The building is quite a vision at night, when it's aglow with neon lights.
*disclaimer: I`m such a sucker for art deco architecture there was no way this was going to get less than a 5 star rating.Listed in: Best of Vancouver, Breathtaking Buildings
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Review from Sarah C.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Customer Service Fail.
My friend's date was sick, so she invited me to use his ticket. She had gone in early to meet some old friends from out of town. There was no sign that said food was banned, nobody informed her as she entered, and no snacks are available for purchase inside. So she texted me and asked me to bring her a snack since she had forgotten to eat dinner. I arrived an hour or so after her and she met me at the door with my ticket.
I entered and they told me no food was allowed and I had to throw it away. I asked if my friend and I could step outside the door to eat it quickly as we had not eaten dinner. They told us to ask the man taking the tickets at the door. He said it was ok, so my friend put her beer down on a table inside and we waited patiently for a few customers to enter before we could go out. As we started towards the door, a third bouncer yelled "No! No! She has an open drink!"
I told him that she had put her drink down inside. He was very aggressive, and proclaimed that she had already entered and gotten a drink, as though she was intentionally committing an heinous crime. "You can both leave or you can throw the food away."
So we turn to each other to discuss this for a moment, as the choice in this scenario (leave the show you paid too much money for or stay there for 3 more hours unfed) was not that easy. But the dude immediately and gruffly informed us that "This is a really bad place to be standing, you need to move."
"Ok, we're sorry, but we just need a minute to decide what to do"
"No, you can't stand here. You have to come in and throw the food away or leave."
Things got a little confusing here: two other bouncers were involved in the interaction, my friend was kinda tipsy from her $9 tall-can on an empty tummy, and everyone was pretty much shouting at once. Finally a bouncer agreed to let ME out to eat, but NOT my friend. "I'm doing you a favour," he said, "since your ticket has already been scanned."
So normally, if such a kind dude hadn't been there to help me out, there is a no-mans-land between the actual door, where someone scans your ticket, and the bouncers, who inform you of the no food law. This is that strange vortex where you can have your food, and be blissfully unaware of its prohibition, but you can't eat it, you can't leave, and you can't bring it in.
I went out, ate my food, and asked the person in the box office to speak to a manager. I explained the situation to Mr. Manager, and he was nauseatingly pretentious and condescending. "Well, the bouncers said you were rude, and it's not the front-of-house's job to worry about people's bad decisions."
Um... ok. So you're basically saying my friend is an idiot (even though the no-food rule is not posted anywhere or communicated verbally to guests)? Wow.
He went on to inform me that "at a sold-out show like this we can't think about each individual."
Really, you just have to herd the mob around like one big ball of human? Sounds like a great customer service philosophy. They should add that line into the "Vision" section of their website, right under "With a commitment to good old fashion hospitality, your experience at the Vogue will be 1st class. From the moment you purchase your ticket to the end of the show, our vision is unpretentious, personable, five star service."
They could also include the bouncer's line:
"They don't pay me to do customer service, they pay me to enforce two rules: no food and no ins and outs." (And they sure get their money's worth!)
Or maybe they should get Mr. Manager and his staff to read their vision, as they seem to have a different idea of how to deal with the river of flesh and organs that flows into the theatre each night.
Perhaps they need to remind themselves and their staff that ticket-buyers (who they obviously like) and concert-goers (who they don't seem to care about--or even recognize as individuals) are the same thing.
...
So we entered the show, my friend was hungry, grumpy, and upset, and I was pissed off. We didn't enjoy ourselves at all, and all the little things that usually mildly annoy me about the Vogue were magnified:
Uncomfortable seats, limited and overpriced bar (beer and wine only), bad sightlines for a standing-up kind of a show, a weird smell that seems to come out of the old, ragged carpets, people smoking in the theatre because they're not allowed out etc.
The reason I'm jamming my longwinded complaint into this little forum is that Mr.Manager informed me that he was the only person I could email a complaint to. And since I have so much faith in his views on customer service, I'm just going to puke it all out here for you.
I'd love to say that I won't be back to the Vogue, but I'm sure I'll be lured in by a good band at some point. Luckily I get free tickets through my job, so I won't have to give them my money. -
Review from Luisa D.
4/26/2012
Sure I may have left this place with bruises across my thighs from rock n' rolling into the seat in front of me but whatevs, this place is still good to see live music. You can always see the band and the acoustics are great. Plus the decor is so damn beautiful!
Other yelpers have pretty much said all there is about this place so I'll keep my review short and sweet. I'm a fan!Listed in: Ain't Nothing Like the Real…
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Review from Jena J.
Vancouver, BC
4/29/2012
1 star for amazing sound.
1 star for classic interior.
1 star for how close you feel to the stage even if your at the back
1 star for friendly staff.
1.5 star for drink menu.
-1.5 star for price of drinks. -
Review from Emily-Anne P.
Vancouver, BC
3/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
The Vogue, in addition to being a Vancouver institution is a very good venue. I appreciate the size and location of the Vogue, even if you are perched right at the back of the balcony you can still appreciate the show.
My most recent trip to the Vogue was for Petcha Kutcha. I arrived late, having waited for a friend, and we sat right at the back of the second floor. While I was convinced they'd be awful seats it wasn't that bad. We could still see and enjoy the whole show, which says something for the quality of the nose bleeds.
I really like that the Vogue has a decent bar and bathrooms on both floors. If you need to nip down to grab a drink or use the loo you can and it's not going to make you miss the whole show. The staff are always super friendly and I really appreciate that it's on the Granville strip, makes it really transit accessible.
The drinks are not cheap and the seats are not super comfortable but it's a good venue nevertheless. -
Review from Jennifer W.
Richmond, BC
3/7/2012
I used to like the Vogue Theatre very much. Even though the seats are very small, I enjoyed the atmosphere and I always enjoyed the shows I saw there. Never had a complaint. Until now.
I went to see Jeff Ross there a couple of weeks ago, it was just after Valentine's Day. The show was great, Jeff Ross is a funny guy. He made us wait for him to get on stage, but still I enjoyed his show.
When my friend picked me up to go to the show he had a little surprise for me.... he had bought me some chocolate bars, the kind I love from Purdy's. Yay! I love getting chocolate and I happily shared one of them right away with him, and I threw the other one in my purse, to save for later.
But then we get to the theatre and the security guard wants to look in my purse, no problem, I know that it's standard practice, I won't complain about the invasion of privacy. BUT he found the chocolate bar, and took it out of my purse, said I couldn't bring it in, I kinda thought he was kidding... and I asked him "What are you going to do with it?" He said "Throw it in the garbage" as he tossed it in the bin!! I was so shocked! I asked him why, he says they don't allow outside food, they want you to buy it there. This really pissed me off because it makes no sense to me! I was NEVER going to buy a chocolate bar from them. I WAS going to buy a couple of drinks, but after that incident I was too pissed off to spend any money there.
So this is why I no longer like this theatre. This policy makes no sense to me. In my opinion the security guard was displaying an abuse of power by taking my chocolate bar and throwing it in the garbage. If this is a policy that is supported by management, then they are really very stupid. I'm not going to completely avoid seeing shows there, because I like the acts that play there, but I will never spend a dime on their concessions. And I've told all my girlfriends. -
Review from Robin M.
11/22/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Uncomfortable seats, sure. Overpriced drinks, absolutely. Beautiful Art Deco building with phenomenal sound quality, without a doubt. Rumours of spirit-dwellers, be damned -- the Vogue is a gorgeous achievement in what was once Vancouver's notorious Theatre Row.
Know this: when I get famous, this is where you'll find me, haunting the symmetrical façades and curved balcony of this sleek Moderne-style theatre, 8 dollar cuppa wine in hand. -
Review from Leslie C.
Burnaby, BC
2/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was there for the Be Good Tanya's show a few weeks ago. I love this theatre, except for the fact that there is VERY little leg room... the sound is great and you can take a beverage to your seat with you! :-)
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Review from Larry L.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
We were here for a Japanese rock band concert called Bz's. I have to say that when you go to a Japanese rock concert, that it will be the most polite concert you have ever gone to.
So polite in fact that they made the security crew here look like dumbasses with their flash lights and their hormonal overdives.
The bar staff was polite, but they didn't have much to serve.
Unfortunately I was more distracted by their security durning the concert that I had to concentrate harder to enjoy the concert. You're not supposed to have to concentrate to enjoy a concert!
So the Vogue gets a not so good rating from me, unfortunately.
Maybe they're just so used to serving it up with the rowdy crowds that they were caught off guard having a theatre full of people saying thank you all the time. -
Review from Ramon V.
10/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I'm split on the Vogue as a general concert venue. I say 'general' because I've seen sit-down shows as well as get up and dance shows. The latter experience is fresh from seeing Cut Copy last night.
The theatre itself is amazing. A beautifully designed forum, with a very large stage, great views from all seats, and an upper balcony that extends well into the reach of the seats beneath. Great sound quality.
For shows such as listening concerts, comedy shows this theatre is perfect. Definitely 5 stars. I've seen Who's Line is it Anyway, Comedy Deathmatch and several similar shows here.
I've also seen The New Pornographers here. The star rating goes down a notch. While the stage is perfect for a large band, the audience is forced to stand up because of the mass of fans that rush to the front. This isn't a problem for me, being 6ft tall, but it seems that the people behind me weren't too enthused, and I had a beer thrown at me by a small, grumpy girl behind me, a shove from same because I was taking a picture with my phone. There are the other drunk idiot features such as people standing on the teetering seats and stuff thrown down from the upper balcony. The confinement of rows of seats are definitely a negative feature. Take the example of Cut Copy. Definitely a get-on-your-feet show. While it was good to remain in the second row for a great viewpoint, it's hard to really get into the concert feel while standing between two rows of seats. This is where the Commodore wins hands down.
The drinks at the Vogue are a BIG negative. They only offer 4 or 5 varieties of cans, a canned cider, and wine. They don't have a full bar. And the prices are way too much. A can of cheapo beer is $7.50. A bigger Sapporo is $8.75. PBR is $6.25, but I can't bring myself to drinking that. And I saw Jack and Coke in a can for the first time. Just found out that it existed. I'm pretty sure that was $8.75. It's no wonder they don't allow ins and outs. I'm going to be having a drink on the outside first next time. Before and after :-)Listed in: Yelp's 30-day Challenge
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Review from Emma L.
2/17/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Beautiful theatre with fantastic sightlines even from the balcony. Not too big, not too small, the perfect size for all your favourite bands to play. I saw Godspeed You! Black Emperor play last night and was impressed by the acoustics. GY!BE's wall of sound was perfect here. Seated venues don't work for every show, but if it's a sit down and enjoy the music kind of band, it's a great spot to see them play.
Concessions were a bit pricey ($7.50-8.50 for booze, I think, and $2-2.75 for candy), but they are everywhere these days.Listed in: Date night!
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Review from John F.
2/8/2012
Very nice venue. Lots of room up front for standing/dancing, lots of seating and good views from up top. Good sound and acoustics.
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Review from Jen W.
Vancouver, BC
11/9/2010 2 Check-ins Here
An excellent old theater, perfect size to enjoy a really special show. Excellent acoustics and good views from almost anywhere, if you want a GREAT seat (rather than a merely good one) ensure you arrive 45-60 minutes before show time for the general admission shows.
After seeing a few shows now in this venue, I'll never waste my money on the big-stadium shows again. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
10/26/2009
It's an institution with history. It's hard not to feel excited when there's a an air of excitement buzzing about - a concert, a play, or in the case of my last visit, case some stand up comedy.
The theatre layout is beautiful. Even from the upper orchestra there's still a great view of the stage. There's only a few seats I'd suggest avoiding - they're right above the stairs on the orchestra level, centre. Why, oh why must the workers and attendees insist on standing at the landing on top of the stairs, blocking the view of the stage?
They're licensed again, which is fantastic, if you can afford (in cash) a can of $7.50 beer. Since my bag wasn't checked this past time, I might just invest in a hip flask or concealed camel back. But, shhhhh don't tell! -
Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
8/6/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Oh, the Vogue, with your beautiful Art Deco neon signage and historic facade in the centre of Granville Street. This heritage building, built in 1941 by brothers who had made their fortunes in the rumrunning business during Prohibition, is one of my favourite venues to see a show.
The acoustics are great, and having seen three very different acts here in the last 6 weeks (CocoRosie, New Pornographers and Joanna Newsom) I can say with confidence that the sound is wonderful no matter the genre.
My only wish is that they would restore some of the moldings and plasterwork that used to decorate the interior, to bring it back to its original glory.
Oh - and that they sold regular sized bottle of water, rather than the puny little ones for 2.25! :( -
Review from Jenn W.
1/31/2009
The Vogue is a beautiful old theatre that works really well for multimedia shows. I wouldn't want to try to see just a band here. As they are licensed, it'd be nice to have an actual bar instead of just overpriced pre-show wine & beer sales.
This would be a great venue for second run movies w/ alcohol and food like the Parkside in Oakland or various locations in Portland. -
Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
10/17/2008
Nice venue. It often offers a wide range of performances and acts. Coming up this fall are Leona Neass and Lucinda Williams. Conversely, I have also seen Coldplay and the Wallflowers here, as well as the Vagina Monologues.
Personally, it's not my favourite spot to catch live music....assigned seating is always a buzz-kill. But other than that, the acoustics are good and it can hold a decently sized audience. -
Review from Victoria R.
BC
12/27/2008
It's in Vogue to go to the Vogue. And it's definitely fashionable to go to the theatre.
I first fell in love with the Vogue when my sister bought me a ticket to a flamenco guitar concert. The seating was great, we didn't have front row seats but I could still see everything perfectly. Yes, you can't really switch seats or anything as seating is assigned. But the intimacy and the vibe created by the acoustics is great. It's on Granville Street which now means parking is a bit easier since they've opened up the corridor. I think smaller intimate concerts would be worth it to check out here. -
Review from Beth C.
Victoria, BC
2/1/2010
I'd always wanted to go to the Vogue, and now I have, to see Great Lake Swimmers the other night. I saw them at Alix Goolden Hall in Victoria two nights before, and while that's a beautiful venue, the acoustics/sound weren't ideal for the genre. The Vogue, however, had really great sound, comfortable/plentiful seats, and excellent lighting, as well as lovely decor. Clean bathrooms with lots of stalls, friendly staff (who humoured me chugging my entire bottle of water before giving it to them rather than surrendering it full), nice atmosphere, centrally located.
Not a lot of parking around, but it's downtown, so that's to be expected, and the parkade a couple blocks down off Seymour was $8.00 for the whole overnight, which isn't terrible.
My only real ick about it was having to queue up outside in the rain while being harangued by masses of people wanting change (and not keen on the words 'sorry, no'), but even that wasn't a big deal. It was a pretty great place, and a great night/show.
Also, I LOVE their sign. I'm a sucker for a good neon sign. -
Review from Doug M.
Victoria, BC
3/25/2010
went here last night to see Jon Anderson of YES! (owner of a lonely heart) And I must say the renos that have been done look amazing. They have done a great job on keeping it up to the way it was when it was first built. Looking forward to be going to more shows here !
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Review from Jeff M.
Vancouver, BC
3/29/2010
old theater. sound is pretty good. comfy seats. would give it a 5 star rating but there are better theaters
