The Nutcracker - Ballet Hawaii Tickets

Such a cute ballet overall but both me and my husband left saying “that was the worst audience for any event I’ve ever been to.” Obviously not the venues fault for having such a bad audience but honestly I won’t go to this event next year because of it. The ground was a huge mess, they shouldn’t allow food and drink in my opinion. There was popcorn and spilled drinks so the floor was sticky and gross. The view of the stage was pretty good as well as the audio /music.

Although the performances were excellent, the floor seating at the arena was not ideal for a ballet performance. We could barely see the stage since the seats on the floor were leveled and we were not the only ones because I could see everyone else struggling to see the stage. Also the ushers let in a large amount of people during the performance which was very distracting and their flashlights were bright in our faces. We also were sitting next to a bunch of kids who were very wiggly, pulling my hair as they grabbed onto my seat and spilling popcorn and coughing throughout. I get it, kids are kids but it did hinder my experience. We eventually moved seats during intermission to the top of the arena so we could see the stage much better. People near us also came from floor seatings and complained of the same. Overall The Nutcracker performance was excellent if not for our seats on the floor.

Very disappointed that our seats were not on risers. Our field of vision was so limited and we could not see the dancers feet. We left at intermission. I felt bad for everyone in the side sections

Have been taking my fighter and my mom to this show every year for the past 11 years. The last couple of years the venue seems to be struggling. Either with parking or this year it was parking and then we had a new security line to make sure no one was bringing in water bottles. My mom had to leave hers outside and it was not there when she returned. Anyway the show is always amazing!!! But the venue needs to work things out before the next one. If they are having a Christmas market rent another area for more parking. They had a ton of parking blocked off for construction. This is all just bad planning in my opinion. They should also hire more people to help organize and help the show goers. You can never find anyone if you have a question. Thank you!!!

The way to choose seating was confusing. I also wanted to go back to buy additional tickets nearby and I felt it was not easily possible. So I did not. Also the way to receive tickets is not convenient, If you are older and do not want to use a cell phone. NO way my mom could attend by herself or her friends.

My wife and I enjoyed the Hawaiian theme. The costumes and choreography this year seemed different, and better, than in past years. The guest dancers were terrific, as always, and it is good that local dancers also appear. I was quite pleased with the sound of the HSO. It seemed to be centered on the stage although the orchestra pit was off to the side. I suspect some loudspeakers were used but we were not close enough to the stage to see. The Blaisdell Arena is not ideal for this but the production made the best of it. We look forward to when it is back in the main theatre.

The good: - It was adapted to be set in Hawai'i - There were some good cultural aspects brought in - From the amount I could see on the floor, the dancers performed well and the symphony sounded fantastic! The bad: - The concert hall was under construction so the performance was in the sports/concert arena and seats were on a flat floor rendering half the audience unable to see more than the top half of the dancers in a performance where footwork makes up a large portion of the beauty of the dance - During the cultural dances in the second half, the writer used clown fish and a soft coral, neither of which are found in the Hawaiian Islands - People kept getting up, walking around, and sitting down during the performance instead of waiting until the intermission as in most classical performances - The entire background/set and majority of props were virtual and on an LED screen. Another large creative component of live performances is the backdrop, sets, and props and this felt like whoever was putting it on was looking for a cheap, easy way out. Very disappointing.

First of all, we paid good money for our seats, but two rows in front of us, had gentlemen (5) sitting and my daughter and I couldn't see the stage/dancers. Secondly, the chairs we were in were to close together and the female sitting on my Rt side kept kicking my in the knee and lower leg every time she changed positions, which was every 5-10 minutes. I wear a brace because of surgery to keep my leg from buckling. We finally left during intermission. Third, people were allowed to be seated during the show. The row right in front of us, a family of four adults and an infant came in about 20 minutes after the program started. They proceed to talk among themselves and play with the infant so we couldn't even hear what was going on. Now I understand why we have problems here, the officials should have had people walking around and looking for problems and removed them. We went to New York this summer, saw 12 different shows in two weeks and never had a issue with our seats. People were not allowed to talk (they were removed), seats were comfortable, not packed in like sardines and if someone kept kicking their neighbors, they were removed. We will never go to another show there. Alot of money down the drain and at Christmas time.

Our family used to attend this performance every year. We were delighted that it just kept getting better and better. We loved all the special Hawaii touches in story, set and design. Then last year they moved to the arena and took away ALL the magic. It’s supposed to be performed on stage in a THEATER. I just wanted to cry. They ruined it. We will not see this again unless they return to the theater. The nutcracker is a timeless classic with great artistry. Watching it in the middle of a sports arena with a digital background for a set was horrifying. The seats weren’t staggered like in a theater so you were either looking at the head in front of you or sitting in the nose bleeds watching all the dancers gather off stage. It’s hard to find words for how disappointed I am.

This is my annual ritual to go see Nutcracker for years and this is the first time at the arena. So I wasn't sure how everything will be done. First impression when I got there was disorganization. People didn't seem to know where to go. The performance didn't start on time. The orchestra was hidden in the corner and the audio was used to enhance the sound which totally eliminated the "live"music. There was no Mama Moana who is the highlight of the end of performance and it was on the program. It was just disappointing.