Wortham Theater Center, Houston

The Wortham Theater Center has seen much since its grand opening in 1987 as a privately-funded home for the arts. At the time, it was the first opera house built in the U.S. in over 25 years, owing much of that to to the efforts of thousands of private donors who wrote checks for $100 or less despite economic struggles in the midst of a hard-hitting oil bust.

The inaugural performance, “Tango Argentino”, was performed in the Brown Theatre, while “The Knee Plays”, written by Robert Wilson and lead singer David Byrne of The Talking Heads, was presented by the Society for the Performing Arts in the Cullen Theater. The Houston Ballet began its residency a few months later with Janie Parker and Li Cunxin starring in the world premiere of Ben Stevenson's production of “Romeo and Juliet”. This was followed by Houston Grand Opera's first season, with Plácido Domingo and Mirella Freni in a production of Verdi's “Aida”.

A unique acoustic feature of the theater is its “frying pan” pods, which enable the music to flow into sections of the opera hall that is traditionally not considered a good listening area. Among other features are the grand staircase (actually a bank of escalators) surrounded by a site-specific illuminated installation by renowned New York sculptor Albert Paley, as well as the Helen Hayes Chandelier hanging in the Green Room, which was originally installed in 1911 at New York City's Fulton Theater and purchased by Houstonians Billy and Janie Lisa Price during that theater's demolition.

Parts of the city-owned structure flooded after Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017 and rain swamped areas of Houston. According to official estimates, 270 million gallons (1022.03 million liters) of water filled Wortham's underground garages and a tunnel. Repairs to the facility took until September 2018, and the theater was ready to take on the next 30 years “hopefully without any more hurricanes.”

Why You Should Visit:
Whether going to the opera or ballet, this theater is well managed, comfortable and reasonable in price.
The whole building just seems grand and offers great views of the stage no matter where you're sitting.

Tip:
Second-level seats are the best, allowing to see the orchestra and the stage.
Be sure to arrive early, as the crowds increase wait times for the elevators.