Triad Theatre

The place is nice but dam 4 bucks for .50 cents bag of pretzels and no beer on tap and most of the employees look like they where lost so that’s why I give it 3 stars

Not a fan of this theater. No way no how.
First off, the ticket was $ 60-​$ 70. Now, I know that the theater doesn’t set the ticket price, but if you are paying that much, the venue should know to lower the drinks prices or, at the very least, serve some appetizers, especially if events start at 10pm and end at 2am. Drunk people equals hungry people.
Second, they said in their email and when we got there, that performances would begin at 11pm. They started at 12:15am. That is not cool for people like me whose bedtimes are usually 12am! We were getting impatient and I was in no mood to mingle for an hour and 15 minutes. If you say you will start at a certain time, be a professional and start at that certain time.
When the show finally started, I couldn’t even see anything because of the way the theater is set up. There are a few booths in the front but those get filled up immediately. And because this space is SUPER CRAMPED, everyone stands in front of you in a very tight crowd. So if you are standing in the back half of the room, unless you are 6 feet tall, you won’t see squat. So there goes the money you paid for the show that you won’t even see.
And last, the show wasn’t even good. I’ve seen burlesque shows. They are supposed to be smooth, sexy, and fun. The performers were nice girls, but they sucked at the burlesque part. They were awkward and clunky. It was utterly painful to watch. Girls, don’t quit your day jobs.
If you’re invited to an event here, I suggest you skip it.

After my initial review Peter M. the owner/​manager contacted me. Not only was he a gentleman, he offered me free admission for two to any show of my choosing in the future to make amends, but more importantly he said, that after taking the points of my review into consideration, that he and management were adjusting their service charge policy on drink checks to correct the situation.
Peter I apologize I didnt write this sooner, but you know how life gets in the way sometimes, but thank you for your consideration and efforts correcting the situation and policy.
And too all you customers out there thinking of patronizing the Triad please do. It’s a great theatre — very quaint & charming. A real throwback to the good old days of theatre.
I’ve been back twice since my review and I’m actually taking my mother to Linda Hamilton’s Legendary Ladies of Music Show there this Sunday, Nov 28 — but what is really rare to find with any business today is a caring and responsive management/​ownership — who listens to customers and then who is big enough to make the changes necessary to keep those customers and make them happy. Well done Peter.
Thank you. Sincerely John

A cozy 130 seat second floor venue which features some excellent performers at well below Broadway prices, plus a 2 drink minimum. Drink costs are similar to comedy clubs – $ 9 beers, etc.
Pleasant, efficient staff. Not much space between tables – but it is not as if the seat next to you at Lincoln Center or a jazz club is ever far away.

Amended review: Owner/​manager Stepped up to the plate, made serious improvements and now this gem of a small, intimate and cozy theater/​arts venue is one of the city’s best.
Out second attendance of the hilarious comedic masterpiece, My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy, brought us even more joy and uproarious laughter than the first time. We look forward to many return visits. PS: great bartender/​cocktails and fine service now. See you at the Triad.

This venue is so cute! I just saw the most amazing burlesque show here! The servers were hilarious and the Ye drinks delicious! Cannot wait to come back here!
Love you Troy and Mya xx

My least favorite theater in NYC.
Why it deserves 1 Star:
— High priced tickets, even though they jam pack you next to your neighbors until your knees hit your chin
— Two drink minimum on absurdly priced drinks, after you already paid $ 50 per ticket.
— The drinks are terrible. I wouldn’t mind paying $ 14 for a decent cocktail. But $ 9 for a Coors is inexcusable.
— Bad service (or non-​existent). Though you will be charged an obligatory 18% gratuity

I was there on Saturday night, March 14, 2015. Having enjoyed «Celebrity Autobiography» at this venue about 18 months ago, decided to go again. It was okay but a lesson that, in the case of this show, once is probably enough. I’ve been to the Triad before and paid a discounted ticket price so I understood and fully accepted their two drink minimum requirement. HOWEVER, for this past weekend’s show, we paid full price: $ 60 per ticket and were still subject to a two drink minimum. That is absurd for this show and this venue.

I took a group to see Brad Zimmerman’s show the other night. His show was terrific. The Triad however is a very disappointing venue. Reading the other reviews, it’s obvious I’m not the only one who feels this way. My beefs?
1. Mandatory drinks, including being forced to order 2 rounds up front before the show starts. I’ve never been told I had to pre-​order two rounds of drinks before a show even started. I guess I was supposed to predict what I wanted to drink 45 minutes later?
2. Teas, soda, and one beer ended up costing $ 70 for the 4 of us. (Oh, that includes a $ 4 mini-​bag of pretzel thins.)
3. Seating seemed extremely disorganized.
4. The kitchen is right next to the back of the seating area, so I heard ice being dumped, and dishes moved at random points in the show. If you look at other reviews, I’m clearly not the only one who has had this complaint.
5. I found it difficult to focus and appreciate the end of the show as the waitresses were crawling around with iPhones trying to get everyone to pay for their drinks. Ridiculously distracting in such a small space, during the conclusion of a one man show.
6. Apparently tips were automatically added on to my bill, which I didn’t examine closely because I was attempting to pay attention to the show.
I like to support independent theater and artists such as Brad Zimmerman, but I thought this was a miserable venue and the forced double drinks, kitchen noise, poor seating management, distracting waitresses really left me disappointed.
I would never go back to the Triad.

Intimate theater that seats about 200 people. Great place to see a comedian or other live performance. I’ve stopped in there several times when I’m up in the city and have always enjoyed myself. All the shows I’ve seen have been a two-​drink minimum but the Triad is pretty reasonable compared to some other city bars.

Great show, pretty lousy venue. There was a two-​drink minimum (most alcohol drinks were priced at $ 14 and above.) Pretty steep, considering that is on top of a $ 30+ ticket price. Cash only.
I had two Diet Cokes (one of which had a fingernail in it. For real.) The bill came to $ 15.25 — total rip off. The wait staff is loud and distracting.

If you want someone from the establishment to write you a nasty note from an average review, you should come here!

I’m just going to rate Celebrity Autobiography in addition to the theater itself… if you’re interested in the show, you probably don’t care that much about the theater.
THE THEATER /​LOGISTICS:
But just so you know, it’s up a cramped flight of stairs (gets dangerous in between shows, as there isn’t much landing space at the top). You walk through a narrow bar into the theater, which is quoted as seating 130 people between the main floor and balcony, but that’s because you’re touching arms and thighs with the people on either side of you. If you’re lucky, you’ll get seated at a little table (about one square foot), though you’ll end up sharing that with everyone around because there is nowhere to sit their drinks (and no room to even hold them)!
There is a two drink policy (no exceptions, though you can order soda if you wish). I found this silly, as sitting «front row» I had to rely on my server, and I first drink halfway through and my second drink during the grand finale. (I figured that might happen, but she didn’t let me get both drinks at once.) Cocktails are $ 10 – 14 and cash only.
THE ACTUAL CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY SHOW:
So for the show: my performers were Pamela Adlon, Rachel Dratch, Richard Kind, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Sherri Shepherd, and Alan Zweibel.
First, they each do a single autobiography. Then they do some «mashups» that have themes. At the end, there’s a grand finale.
Our single reads were:
Pamela Adlon — Britney Spears, Crossroads Diary
Rachel Dratch — Gweneth Paltrow’s Cookbook
Richard Kind — Don’t Hassle the Hoff
Eugene Pack — Ricky Martin
Dayle Reyfel — Marilu Henner
Sherri Shepherd — Soul Sisters, Destiny’s Child autobiography (Beyonce section)
Alan Zwiebel — The Dirt, Motley Crue, Tommy Lee
The mashups:
— Sports Hall of Fame (reading from Arnold Swarzenegger, Tiger Woods, Joe Namath, and The Boz [Brian Bozworth]) — Rachel Dratch as Arnold FTMFW!!!
— Celebrity Moms: Kathy Lee Gifford, Ivanna Trump, Kris Jenner, and Candy Spelling
We had a «book bonus» which is a hot off the press autobiography… Dare to Dream by 1Direction. (thanks, guys!) –_​–
The grand finale was the love triangle between Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, and Eddie Fisher.
The readings were funny — they are right, that they just read what the celebrities wrote (though I believe sentences are strung together to make a more funny story). Some read really intensely (Sheri as Beyonce), but the more understated readings were definitely more funny to me. At the end, the actors were chatting with their friends in the crowd, so I was able to actually say hi to Alan Z and Sherri S and Rachel D.
I spoke with a friend who went a few weeks before me, and they had the exact same show. I’d wait until the cast and/​or books changed, but I would definitely come back.
TLDR: Nice way to spend an evening in UWS (date night?). Lower your expectations, have a drink before you come, and don’t bring extra things… and you’ll have a blast.

It’s hard to rate the Triad and not the show we saw at the theater. (Celebrity Autobiography was great!) The theater itself could be cute if it weren’t for the fact chairs and tables are jammed into the small place well past any reasonable or comfortable level. Our party of four was crammed uncomfortably into a corner around a tiny table, and we were completely blocking another party who couldn’t have exited, stood up or stretched their legs without asking one of us to move.
The show we saw had a drink minimum, and the drinks were very expensive.
The show was four (or maybe five) stars, and with fewer seats this cute venue might be four stars, but I was too uncomfortable to rate this more than two stars.

I came here with a friend to see Christina Bianco perform. She is so amazing and the show was so much fun. I wish they sold food and that the waiters came around more often. I didn’t really like the format of things where you order both of your drinks before the show begins. How was I supposed to know if I liked my drink enough to order two of the same thing? Or if I would regret not ordering two of the same thing if the first one ended up being fantastic?
But anyway, the acoustics are really good in the theater and the space has an intimate feeling without being too small. I would go to another show here in a heartbeat.

Gotta love the theatre. And this place is no exception. Small venue that feels larger inside. It’s the kinda place made for one man show. Anywhere you sit, you’re part of the action. This place is cash only. So be prepared for that all you easily vexed pampered types. There is also a two drink minimum, which was my only complaint. You have to order both at the same time. I ordered a tequila sunrise and a blue moon. Just to be ironic. I was brought a red dawn and a beer. And of course there was no checking to see about our satisfaction with the order. Worthy of shaving a point off, but that seems petty. Sticking to theater terms, I postulate that it was because I ordered «off book». So I suggest you choose something off the menu. Enjoy.

Well this was not at all what I expected. I went here last night to attend a friend’s voice showcase and knew walking in that this place required a 2 drink minimum. No big deal right, two 5 to 6 dollar beers, I’ll spend about 12 bucks. HAHA, I wish it was that easy.
Apparently, I’m not sure where they get their Coors Lite from but they must pay a pretty penny for it because it was 9 dollars. Coors Lite, for 9 dollars? Who are you kidding. Soda was 7 bucks, so in all reality you could just give them 12 to 25 dollars and you would be set. I was extremely unhappy with this aspect of the venue and felt somewhat tricked.
The venue itself was very intimate, so intimate that there was a lot of knee bumping, elbow bumping, and tripping over people’s feet. The men’s bathroom is also worth mentioning for how uncomfortable it is. The ceiling comes down in unusual angles, often coming close to the head of an individual using the urinal and the trashcan is situated right next to the urinal. So, if you just washed your hands and someone is peeing and you want to throw away your paper towel, get ready to get intimate.
The service was extremely lacking in this theater and is pretty much responsible for this score. While taking drink orders, my waitress promptly dropped her tray on my leg, didn’t even notice she did this, picked it up off the floor, and walked away. No apology, no nothing, even though I did jump when this happened. Nada. Wait it gets better. This place has a cash only policy and we gave her way more money then she deserved and asked for change. We waited, waited, and waited for our change. Eventually I had to go to the register, remind our waitress that we had change, and finally got it.
Overall, this place is intimate and expensive. This place should have either a 5 dollar admission fee or something else entirely, other then the stupid 2 drink minimum. Unless forced or compelled, I will not be returning to this place.

I recently saw Speakeasy Moderne at this little gem of a theater on the Upper West Side… the four stars are for the venue and service. It was my first time at The Triad after 30+ years in NYC! I found the drinks to be reasonably priced; however I would have liked to have had the ‘premium wine’ listed on the menu, which they were apparently out of… The house white was a bit warm and cat pissy. While it took a bit of time for the first drink to arrive, the waiter had a very small space to work in and yet was accommodating and efficient. The entry space is a bit small, but it is in keeping with the intimacy of the space. There is an ‘Old New York’ feel to the place.
While I gave the venue 4 stars, I would have given Speakeasy Moderne a 2.5. I am a lover of cabaret and burlesque, and was disappointed with the show… Amateur at best. However, in speaking with friends about it, they told me of The Triad’s other long running, more professional burlesque shows and many of their other solid offerings. I definitely plan to return for these!

If I could put zero stars I would. This place is an ABSOLUTE MONEY STEALING DISGRACE. I never find myself writing bad reviews but my short expensive time here was beyond terrible.
I came to support a friend and his show, also it was a charity or hurricane sandy night. It was $ 12 to get in which I later found out none of which went to the hurricane (the only money that went to the hurricane was the money put in the wineglass passed around in the beginning of the show). It was cash only so I took cash out from their ATM; while waiting for my money to come out of the machine an angry man stormed up and ordered me out of the way so he could move some boxes of alcohol into the storage room next to the ATM. He moved the boxes and finally I could grab my money, I paid the girl for my ticket and had to wait 10 minutes for another customer (who was nice enough) to run downstairs and outside to the bodega next door to grab change for the employee so she could give me proper cash back.
Finally I got into the theater, where I was forced to buy a minimum of two drinks at ridiculous prices. $ 7 for a bottle of water, $ 6 for a soda, 10 for HOUSE wine, $ 14 for HOUSE cocktails, and a friend of mine ended up paying $ 35 for two jack on the rocks. The only food options were peanuts, and pretzels for $ 4, and another $ 3 for mustard! At least the show was funny, and at the end of it the server threw down the check on the table, making us feel extremely rushed to leave. We wondered why the server would be so rude seeing as his performance would decipher his tip… Until we looked at the check and realized they do an automatic 18% gratuity on ALL checks! No matter the party size!
All this set aside, after the show was over the most offending, upsetting part of the night occurred… We got up from out seats, said hi to our friend who preformed and the angry man (who seemed to be the owner) went up to me and told me that my friend and I needed to follow him up to the front alone. I was confused and tapped my friend and we walked up to the front room. Once there, the man got in our face and ordered us to open our purses, he pointed up to a camera and claimed he had us on video tape stealing his alcohol from next to the ATM machine. This was insane! He said he had called the police and quickly stuck his arms in my purse. Elbows deep rummaging through my friend and I’s bag, he quickly realized we hadn’t stolen a thing.
His way of apologizing was saying «I HAD TO MAKE PRECAUTIONS», he never said he was sorry or apologized. After paying $ 12 to get in, $ 30 for two drinks, and another $ 6 in required tip, I was then harshly accused of stealing!
This place is not desirable looking, beyond too expensive, the service was nor good, AND THE OWNER IS AN UPTIGHT YOU KNOW WHAT. I have never been this upset leaving any sort of establishment, & I highly recommend no one to ever go here. I know my friends and I will never again.

THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OF THE SERVICES… review based on prices and location.
SUPER expensive… didn’t end up spending time here. We paid the cover for the event we were going to, saw the 2 drink minimum (ugh…), but we were determined to show up to support our friends. THEN we saw the $ 14 martini’s and the $ 6 bottle of water. We bailed and went to Aroma across the street for cheaper drinks and warmth.
I would expect prices like this at a nicer place… Meatpacking for one… I’ve been to many different types of shows (comedy and music) around town, so I’m not new to a drink minimum on top of a cover, but it was just insane. If I have another friend there performing sometime, I might show up, but… maybe not.