Six the Musical - Arts / Lyric / Vaudeville

What is probably best described as a holding statement has now been released.

There is an accessible toilet on the circle level- I’ve used it when going to that theatre before.

It sounds like at the Arts only the circle is accessible, and at the Vaudeville, only the stalls is (with limitations).

I imagine it might be the first show they've had where there's a young audience with a big social media fanbase? For other shows I expect individuals would have phoned the Box Office and talked through their options so we wouldn't have heard about it the same.

In all fairness, in this day and age, all theatres should be accessible to all - it shouldn't have taken a mega-hit musical to take up residence for this issue to be looked at.

It's not so much to do with the owners, it's planning law. You need a huge number of consents to do so much as change a light bulb in a Grade II listed building, and it's not as if additional floor space can be magicked out of thin air in somewhere as densely populated in terms of buildings as the Strand...

Access obviously needs to be improved, but people are being very naive about timescales and what is possible. It isn't possible do anything like what you are all demanding before Six opens in September. Logistically and legally that will inevitably take years. It's complicated and it can't be done overnight.

I wonder this too. It's had some fairly high profile productions over the years.
Either way I do hope they're able to find a solution to the access to allow heavier wheelchairs in.

And for those people, that's not ideal but if they can find a way round it then good for them. For others, that's just not an option. I know two people, one of whom is a huge Six fan and has been following the show since the first London run, who use a power chair all the time and so are just unable to access the theatre at all. One of them really wanted to see the play Emilia when it was on but it was just physically impossible. And yes, they have complained in the past but like so much disability access, it was completely ignored by the abled majority.

The reason people are making such a noise now is probably because it is a more popular show with a younger audience. And yes, I do agree that sometimes the younger Twitter mob can go too far on calling for things to be cancelled, but in this case I don't think that's what most people are asking for - and they're not wrong. The fact that in 2021 this level of inaccessibility is allowed, and justified based on the structure of a building, is completely unacceptable. People should be more important than buildings, sorry not sorry!

Oh my gosh there’s a lot of anger in the Twitter posts and retweets.
They announce the show doesn’t have to close (basically) but he theatre has issues so people aren’t happy.
They announce they’ll open a conversation but people aren’t happy it’s an image of text.
They repost with alt text but people aren’t happy as they should t have to give ideas for free.

I genuinely feel bad for those with issues but as has been mentioned there is often a solution, even if not ideal. Keyboard warriors going hammer and tongs won’t help.
I hope nimax and the producers work out a better solution than going to a hotel nearby to use the loo but that is a solution that seems suitable with planning, Six has no interval so no rush with planning. The more important thing is physical access to the auditorium I think, my local big theatre built access at the side, not possible with the Vaudeville’s location I guess.

Please don’t think I’m belittling the issues some patrons have and will have but this is smelling of cancel culture right now!

The Vaudeville was built in the days when patrons didn't need comfort provisions.

I am a disabled toilet (radar key holder) user, I don't however have any mobility issues and can manage stairs. This theatre has the worst provisions and especially now the other Gents with just 2 cubicles have now been made gender neutral, especially with my disability.

This theatre used to have an arrangement with the Adelphi Theatre next door to use their toilets. The theatre staff have always been very understanding and allowed me to use the toilet in the circle, when it has been closed and have used the Adelphi also.

Six is the ideal show has having no interval, goes someway to alleviating this issue.

The Vaudeville has a glorious auditorium, so wonder if there is a way they could build a decent theatre, whilst preserving the auditorium?

The Ambassador Theatre is a worse theatre. Also Broadway who theatres are more recent are much worse than the West End.

Short of demolishing the theatres which thankfully will not happen, making venues which are old more accessible is a challenge.

It seems like there possibly is a solution to the access part but they just aren't willing to invest the money? (see whole twitter thread)