The interior architecture of the Hershey Theatre is beautiful, and the venue attracts some great entertainment. However, once you get beyond the look of the place you realize this is one of the more annoying places in this area to attend an entertainment program. In late spring and summer, the air-conditioning system is anemic. You won?t find relief from the water fountains in the theatre, either: warm water dribbles weakly down each fountain spout, the result of poor water pressure. However, the theatre staff will gladly sell you water to quench your thirst: for $2.00 a small bottle!\r
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The most annoying aspect of Hershey Theatre, however, is the arrangement of the orchestra seating. The seats descend from the back toward the stage at only a slight downward rake, so when seated you are positioned behind the row directly in front of you at nearly the same head level. The seats are staggered so that ideally you should have a clear sightline to the stage between the two heads of the patrons seated in front of you. However, if you happen to be seated behind a pair of the me-first-and-the-hell-with-you locals who seem to inhabit central PA in abundance, you are out of luck. You?ll be treated to the sight of the pair?s silhouetted heads leaning toward each other all evening, blocking your view as they comment aloud on every single move, spoken line, sung note, or dance step that occurs on stage. If you are ill-advised enough to say something to these shifting, chattering clowns, you?ll likely end up in an unpleasant ?how dare you?? confrontation simply for your audacity in expecting to actually see the show you paid for.\r
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Hershey Theatre is therefore best avoided if you can possibly catch the same show in a venue featuring something closer to arena seating.\r
Pros: interior architecture
Cons: poor-visibility seating, lousy air-conditioning
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