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Post by profquatermass on Oct 19, 2016 18:56:12 GMT
Was one of an audience of six at the Landor (can't remember which production, but it didn't warrant such poor support!). No hiding in the Landor either. I was in an audience of 7 at the Landor and 3 of us decided to leave at the interval. I'm pretty sure 2 others followed us out (we didn't have the nerve to stay in the pub) so there may well have only been 2 there for the second half. I've definitely been outnumbered by the cast a few times there |
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Post by lem on Oct 19, 2016 21:03:38 GMT
I was at one of the Shaftsbury Theatre ill fated musicals many years ago and there were more people on stage than in the audience. I really enjoyed the show but obviously I was in the minority.
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Post by loureviews on Oct 20, 2016 6:46:32 GMT
There were about fifteen of us watching Jessica Martin in her musical show at Leeds City Varieties a long time ago. However she rather spoiled it herself by saying very loudly to someone in the wings as she was going off for the interval how annoyed she was that no one had bothered to turn up - which rather insulted those of us who had.
Leeds Grand also in the 90s I think, Kate Dimbleby as Peggy Lee. About forty in the audience of a big theatre. She was plagued by sound issues - and some heckling. Should have played a much smaller theatre.
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Post by jaqs on Oct 20, 2016 17:39:02 GMT
I was at a one act play festival thing at the Lost theatre, there was a reasonable audience for the first offering but maybe half a dozen for the second and third, which were much better.
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Post by PhantomNcl on Oct 21, 2016 9:58:56 GMT
Last time I saw the pro tour of Avenue Q at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle there were only around 20-30 people in the entire theatre (which seats 1,100), most of which were there on comps or heavily discounted tickets. It was such a shame as the cast were terrific and put in an absolutely fantastic performance. We made sure to make a lot of noise at the end!
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Post by danb on Oct 21, 2016 10:15:26 GMT
I was at one of the Shaftsbury Theatre ill fated musicals many years ago and there were more people on stage than in the audience. I really enjoyed the show but obviously I was in the minority. What is unsettling is that you could be talking about any number of shows from it's dry spell! |
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Post by Snciole on Oct 21, 2016 10:54:24 GMT
I review a lot of fringe theatre and out of politeness don't reveal how many are in the audience (It is quite depressing when press nights have about 2 or 3 reviewers in). I have one PR contact in particular who is very good at getting people in but not necessarily a lot of people. This blog by Robert Crighton (whose show was poor and I reviewed harshly) sums up a lot of naivety and at worst arrogance of a lot of performers in smaller theatres (rooms above pubs usually). The market is saturated in London, a quick look at the comp sites will tell you that a lot bigger productions with famous actors don't always sell well yet this performer expected people to walk in a see a show based on very little in terms of reputation of the theatre and the show. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2016 11:05:18 GMT
This blog by Robert Crighton This link seems to be blocked via TheatreBoard. What's the web address, please, so I can cut and paste? EDIT: It's easy to find by googling. The market is saturated in London, a quick look at the comp sites will tell you that a lot bigger productions with famous actors don't always sell well yet this performer expected people to walk in a see a show based on very little in terms of reputation of the theatre and the show. Obviously, London is relatively overprovideded with theatre. But Theatre N16 is in in a locality with vanishingly little arts provision, so I think it was reasonable to expect many more walk-ins as there is no direct competition locally. |
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Post by Snciole on Oct 21, 2016 11:26:14 GMT
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Post by recused on Oct 21, 2016 11:32:16 GMT
Thanks Snicole.
I think the emptiest show I've ever seen was The Go Between back in the summer. The theatre felt empty from the moment you arrived and the smattering of applause at the end of it was a shame given the quality of the show itself.
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Post by stuartww on Oct 21, 2016 12:38:48 GMT
Best avoid the Edinburgh Festival if you are sensitive to this. Most awkward moment is when in an audience of 6, someone tries to lift the spirits of all by laughing as loudly as possible in all the wrong places. At least most shows only last an hour... A friend of mine and her mate went to see a "comedienne" at the Festival this year and they got the biggest laugh of the show when they reacted with a "ooooh" when the act said "eppilator" |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2016 12:47:56 GMT
Oh lord, another performer who wants to police where I put my arms, like folding my arms means anything other than "I need somewhere to put them that doesn't involve any armrests or leaving them susceptible to being flailed about"... |
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Post by loureviews on Oct 21, 2016 13:12:45 GMT
Another one - Telstar at Manchester Opera Opera House. They moved everyone down to the front front of front of the front of the stalls. Must have been awful for the (very good) cast.
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Post by Snciole on Oct 21, 2016 13:12:54 GMT
I might have been the folding arms person.  I get really cold but also having my arms hanging down my sides like a monkey isn't really an option in cramped seating either. I am not sure what reaction Crighton expected from an audience who had been marketed a theatre piece, were concentrating on reviewing it for their various publications and got something that would have been too long as a 5 minute new material at the Cavendish Arms. |
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Post by profquatermass on Oct 21, 2016 13:39:26 GMT
Oh lord, another performer who wants to police where I put my arms, like folding my arms means anything other than "I need somewhere to put them that doesn't involve any armrests or leaving them susceptible to being flailed about"... Goodness. Even as a freebie I wouldn't see a show where the performer is so judgemental about the people who've actually turned up. it's not the audience's role to create momentum - that's what the performer does |
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Post by musicallady on Oct 22, 2016 13:30:16 GMT
Many years ago I saw a stage production of "Hitchhikers Guide T The Galaxy" at Newcastle. 36 of us in the stalls and I still managed to sit in someone else's seat. The show was cracking BTW.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2016 14:53:28 GMT
Many years ago I saw a stage production of "Hitchhikers Guide T The Galaxy" at Newcastle. 36 of us in the stalls and I still managed to sit in someone else's seat. The show was cracking BTW. Plus six in the circle? I'm depressed. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 23, 2016 10:54:55 GMT
7 or so of us at Ushers in its most recent London incarnation.
A shame, as it's a good show and the cast were enthusiastic (even when chatting at the start and showing us all individually to our seats).
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Post by Snciole on Oct 23, 2016 11:10:07 GMT
This blog by Robert Crighton This link seems to be blocked via TheatreBoard. What's the web address, please, so I can cut and paste? EDIT: It's easy to find by googling. The market is saturated in London, a quick look at the comp sites will tell you that a lot bigger productions with famous actors don't always sell well yet this performer expected people to walk in a see a show based on very little in terms of reputation of the theatre and the show. Obviously, London is relatively overprovideded with theatre. But Theatre N16 is in in a locality with vanishingly little arts provision, so I think it was reasonable to expect many more walk-ins as there is no direct competition locally. A lot of locals don't know it exits. People drinking in the pub don't know it even exists because the advertising within the pub is really poor so I think walk ups are possible but extremely rare. The majority are there through comps and even then you are attracting a niche audience who know about such websites. Also bear in mind the close proximity to Clapham Junction centrally and Streatham/Croydon way from the south then the audiences are shocking. I suspect it's poor numbers meant it lost out on the Streatham Hill Theatre contract. Theatre N16, for me, is a local example but there are so many theatre pubs struggling I am not sure how any shows makes any income in that environment let alone break even or profit. |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Oct 24, 2016 18:01:14 GMT
A really excellent read, thanks for sharing. I partly felt sorry for him, but there was a real air of entitlement about him there, and that was before I got to the bit where he judged the audience of reviewers for how they watched his show. (Which sounds awful even from his own precis of it.) |
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Post by ldm2016 on Oct 25, 2016 13:39:26 GMT
'Macbeth in the dark' at St James' in the 120 seat studio about 3 years ago.
Only about 20 people in there when the lights dimmed and so bad you could hear people trying to stifle laughs as they couldn't find their way out!
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Post by theatrescribe on Dec 31, 2016 21:42:27 GMT
I once reviewed an (unfortunately terrible) production last year - it was a translation of a Mexican play and I can only thing it was done by Google Translate as large parts of the dialogue were absolutely incomprehensible.
The show started with eight audience members, with FOUR individually deciding to leave during the play as there was no interval to escape (one of whom took a good 3 minutes to leave after he'd put on his coat, scarf, top hat etc). There was also for some reason a photographer taking very loud production pictures during the show, something that seems best reserved for the dress rehearsal!
The saddest bit was the play ended with the main character alone on the stage - as the play was so poorly written and directed the audience had no idea that the play had finished (there was no lighting cue) so there was about ten seconds of silence before the actor had to start his own round of applause. It was so excruciating that I feel ill just thinking about it.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 31, 2016 21:53:40 GMT
Top hat? Welcome to the forum  |
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Post by theatrescribe on Dec 31, 2016 22:05:48 GMT
Hahha, only a mild exaggeration  Thanks - long time lurker! |
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I get really cold but also having my arms hanging down my sides like a monkey isn't really an option in cramped seating either. I am not sure what reaction Crighton expected from an audience who had been marketed a theatre piece, were concentrating on reviewing it for their various publications and got something that would have been too long as a 5 minute new material at the Cavendish Arms. 
