[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Yorio

It would be truly wonderful if they have a piano bar with stools around the grand piano and some tables around for intimate evenings. Perhaps a trio can play jazz once in a while or a singalong. Kennedy Center in Washington made a set up like that and believe it was or perhaps still is popular.

That's a great idea, but I don't know if the Sharon is the place for it. I believe that the one in the Kennedy Center is in the lobby. I don't anything about the lobby of the Sharon. Are they going to have a liquor license?

It might be better in one of the restaurants or bars around the various squares.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by 2BNTV

A wonderful idea!!!

WOW - I don't agree with some of the posters on this thread, in that it hasn't opened yet, and the criticism is rampant.

How about the option of valet parking included with the price of a ticket for those who can't/won't walk to the performance.

Let's see how it is working for a month or so to see if all the problems posed are real or imagined.

I for one don't want to travel to Orlando, unless an event is a must see for me!!! Maybe Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga.

Valet parking is a great idea Joe.

Are Tony Bennet and Gaga touring together. I saw Tony Bennet in a very small venue a few years back and he is absolutely awesome. IMHO the finest popular singer in history. By a very small venue I am talking about 2,300 seats. It's wonderful to see performers in these kind of intimate settings, but it's difficult to book them because they demand so much money and ticket prices tend to skyrocket.

And yes, it hasn't opened yet which means that everything that everyone, including me, is saying is speculation and opinion.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Opinion's yes. Over and over stating the same thing.....what's the point?

I haven't been stating the same thing over and over. If you look at my posts, you'll see that they mostly in response to people questioning what I have stated in a previous post.

I say something, someone questions it or disagrees, I respond explaining my position, someone else might respond with a different point of view, I respond to that and so on and so on. It's called having a conversation.

[Bogie Shooter]

[QUOTE=Dr Winston O Boogie jr;1037240]Valet parking is a great idea Joe.

Are Tony Bennet and Gaga touring together. I saw Tony Bennet in a very small venue a few years back and he is absolutely awesome. IMHO the finest popular singer in history. By a very small venue I am talking about 2,300 seats. It's wonderful to see performers in these kind of intimate settings, but it's difficult to book them because they demand so much money and ticket prices tend to skyrocket.

And yes, it hasn't opened yet which means that everything that everyone, including me, is saying is speculation and opinion.[/QUOT


And the light bulb comes on!

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I'm sorry. I thought that this was supposed to be a forum where we could come on and have discussions and give our opinions about different issues.

I'm usually very positive and a supporter of the developer. In this case I think that they made a mistake. I think that a venue like this should have been larger and in a different location.

Do we want a forum where everyone says only positive things and we all agree on everything? I know that The Villages is a bit of a fantasy land for many of us, but I, for one, wouldn't want it to be a total fantasy.

If there are things that we are concerned about we should be able to express our concern. I don't claim to be an expert or am telling anyone how to run things. I'm simply expressing my opinion. No one complains when people express positive opinions but when someone disagrees with something they are accused of trying to run things.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong in this case. I hope I am, but I doubt it.

Forum's are for sharing of opinions but this thread has turned into pontificating, slamming others because they believe they have a better sense of culture and what is right for the rest of us. An opinion on what might be is one thing, but statements that are presented as absolutes on forward looking events yet to be determined are just whinny. I know Doc and others hate that term but this thread has brought out that side of people more than others I have seen. The Sharon costs you nothing more than what you pay now to live here. The same entertainment will continue at other venues. The Developer has no obligation to provide anything other than what they decide to provide and we have the power to either support or not support it. If The Sharon had never been built then life would have quietly gone on. Now that it is built it's open season and this thread has demonstrated a willingness to shoot the unknown future. For those that don't like the entertainment, or the venue then stay home. It isn't a hard decision, it's a personal one....it's not a public decision, it's a personal one. In six months, after the shows go through, after we know what the parking is, after we know the quality of shows, after we know the impact then maybe we can have an informed discussion but so far, this is thread is pretty much a waste.

[redwitch]

Are we really supposed to just keep quiet when we see something not quite right? I wouldn't say a word about the shows if the prices matched the abilities but they don't. I expect to pay $150 for someone like Elton John, but for Patty LuPone? The "cheap" seats for Crystal Gayle are what I would expect to pay for fifth row center.

Are people, including me, going to see the shows at The Sharon? You betchya. Are most going to be happy with what they see? Sadly, no question on that one, either. Are we being taken for a ride on the quality for the price? More than likely.

Some of the comments directed to those of us who have expressed concerns or negative opinions are petty at best. Some of the comments are rude and some mean-spirited. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, it is an small extremely venue. The performers are either long out of their prime or unknowns and the prices are way too high for what is offered. Parking will probably be an issue for at least some performances but if we can survive parades and Rocky, we can survive this.

[tomwed]

I wonder how much they need to charge to break even.
Before they closed down for restoration I saw 3 performances in the "Church." Two were jazzy in style and the third was singing classics from the days of "old blue eyes."

The tickets were $4 and it was an hour long. You could buy them at the door. I don't need a bar to enjoy the music. There were plenty of seats. It was perfect for me. This could be perfect for me too if they got the same singers and musicians and charged $4 or $5.

In the "old Church" it looked like all they had to do was sweep up and put away some chairs. How much could the overhead be? I'll bet you could hire those entertainers for much less than a thousand. I'm not looking for "Guns and Roses". Axl Rose is 53 and can move here soon.

[circletrack]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

We all have different tastes in entertainment. I'd be surprised if anyone had not heard of some of the people that I had mentioned. My point is that with a 1,000 seat venue we're not going to be able to book acts that are filling 10,000 seat venues.
Not that they would go over here, but we'd never get people at the level of Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend or Taylor Swift. And I'm not suggesting them specifically, I'm just talking about people at that level in entertainment. How about Michael Buble or Adele. Do you think they're going to play a 1,000 seat venue.

Some of the people I mentioned are still filling huge venues even though they've been around for a long time.

As far as culture, I guess to some people that only means classical music and ballet. Do you think that we're going to get the American Ballet Company, or The Bolshoi to perform for 1,000 people? If we did tickets would be $1,000 each. How about the London Symphony Orchestra or the Berlin Philharmonic? We have no chance of getting the top of the classical world with a 1,000 seat venue. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe or the European Youth Orchestra?

And I do believe that I mentioned Andrea Bocelli. Do you think that he's going to play a 1,000 seat venue? Again, maybe if ticket prices are at $1,000 per seat.

How about some Cirque du Soleil shows? I doubt it.

I'd love to see The Trans Siberian Orchestra or Manheim Steamroller at Christmastime.

As someone mentioned, Orlando is an hour away and if we want to see these types of A-list artists, we'll have to keep driving an hour.

And of course I wasn't serious when I said "tear it down". It's here. They built it and we're stuck with it. In my humble opinion they should have built a much larger venue in an area where the infrastructure would be able to handle it.

While we completely disagree on parking I do agree that the lineup outside of the one Broadway musical did not wow me, personally. But I do believe many of the acts will do very well in this community.

I also believe they will be able to draw some big names, but the price will be a premium of $100+

They will find out quickly what works and will adjust accordingly.

[RVRoadie]

Originally Posted by circletrack

Again, plenty of parking within walking distance of the venue. Heck, even a shorter walk than most major performance venues, Orlando included.

The perception that SS does not have enough parking is just not true. The included map highlights the parking lots.

And it's free parking

[Skip]

Originally Posted by RVRoadie

And it's free parking

All that parking is for MVP, the Rialto Theater and TownePlace Suites Hotel, not The Sharon.
How would you like it if your hotel had no parking spaces for your guests and you had to park a 1/2 mile away from the hotel?
If Spanish Springs Lanes/3 Amigos Pro Shop can rope off parking for their patrons then every business and restaurant around Spanish Springs should be able to also.
This is going to get real interesting.

Skip

[sunnyatlast]

Originally Posted by Skip

All that parking is for MVP, the Rialto Theater and TownePlace Suites Hotel, not The Sharon.
How would you like it if your hotel had no parking spaces for your guests and you had to park a 1/2 mile away from the hotel?
If Spanish Springs Lanes/3 Amigos Pro Shop can rope off parking for their patrons then every business and restaurant around Spanish Springs should be able to also.
This is going to get real interesting.

Skip

I think they ought to look at acquiring parking at places like St. Timothy's, St. George's, the hospital and medical offices complexes there on both sides, and the Publix shopping plaza just north of the hospital, to shuttle people on the trolley or other busses. Or have Valet parking at some of these outer parking lots. Shuttles could also pick up at several regional rec centers.

Personally, I'd also consider taking a cab from home with another couple.

[Chi-Town]

Well, The Rolling Stones Are bypassing The Sharon for the Citrus Bowl on June 12th. Tickets run from about $150.00 to $1400.00. But you never know, they may stop by here for a jam session. After all, they would definitely be in the right age group.

[newguyintv]

Originally Posted by Skip

All that parking is for MVP, the Rialto Theater and TownePlace Suites Hotel, not The Sharon.
How would you like it if your hotel had no parking spaces for your guests and you had to park a 1/2 mile away from the hotel?
If Spanish Springs Lanes/3 Amigos Pro Shop can rope off parking for their patrons then every business and restaurant around Spanish Springs should be able to also.
This is going to get real interesting.

Skip

Either they rope it off or they will lose tons of business. Other than Katie Belles, not at all sure The Villages powers really care. Retail business, particularly restaurants will lose clientele due to no parking. Even non Restaurants whose leases require them to stay open until 9:00PM will be hurt, and all for what, crystal Gayle at $100 a pop!

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by newguyintv

Either they rope it off or they will lose tons of business. Other than Katie Belles, not at all sure The Villages powers really care. Retail business, particularly restaurants will lose clientele due to no parking. Even non Restaurants whose leases require them to stay open until 9:00PM will be hurt, and all for what, crystal Gayle at $100 a pop!

I know, for you, the sky is falling but maybe you want to wait till all your gloom and doom actually happens (or doesn't).

[newguyintv]

Originally Posted by JoMar

I know, for you, the sky is falling but maybe you want to wait till all your gloom and doom actually happens (or doesn't).

Could it be you'd feel differently if you were a business owner instead of a critic!