5,073 posts
|
Post by Phantom of London on Jan 7, 2018 22:50:57 GMT
iI am looking for your comments on your favourite or not so favourite theatres by guest facilities, by which I mean the practical stuff when we go to the show, such as toilets, box office, circulating room outside the auditorium, places to sit outside the auditorium, ease of access to the auditorium, air conditioning and heating even catering facilities if you use them?
What I am not looking for is comments on the current shows or the aeshtics of the house, but the everyday practicality.
For me surprisingly my favourites are generally outside London, such as the Curve, Leicester; Royal Exchange, Manchester; The Lowry, Manchester; Wales Milenium Centre, Cardiff and Hippodrome, Birmingham.
The theatres in London I think are very good are the National, Bridge Theatre, Royal Court and Hampstead Theatre.
Theatres I judge as poor include the Menier, Old Vic, Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Vaudeville and Almeida. Outside London Churchill Theatre, Bromley; Festival Theatre, Chichester, Theatre Royal, Bath And Old Vic, Bristol
Will post more when I think of them.
|
|
1,134 posts
|
Post by Stephen on Jan 8, 2018 0:47:38 GMT
I find Drury Lane and the Palladium to be lovely to get around with some spacious front of house areas. Always somewhere easy to grab a programme, drink toilet etc before the show...in my opinion.
|
|
2,778 posts
|
Post by daniel on Jan 8, 2018 0:55:37 GMT
Salford Lowry and Brum Hippodrome I think are my favourites. Both lovely buildings and very customer friendly.
|
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 8, 2018 7:57:11 GMT
Both of the big theatres here in Oxford are pretty poor in terms of audience experience.
The New Theatre in incredibly cramped front of house. It is always an uncomfortable experience getting to your seats. It is almost nearly impossible to get a good sound balance there.
The Playhouse is also very cramped. None of the toilets are on ground level and they are all inadequate for speedy interval trips. The new auditorium with the 4 different brightly coloured seats is marginally more comfortable than the previous seating but considerably more ugly particularly with the drab grey walls.
|
|
240 posts
|
Post by Anniek on Jan 8, 2018 8:30:51 GMT
Best box office recently experienced was Playhouse in Liverpool. What a friendly box office staff!
|
|
|
|
Post by danb on Jan 8, 2018 8:38:10 GMT
Always enjoy visiting WMC. Parking across the road, clean and comfortable auditorium and an all round fantastic flexible space.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 8:56:06 GMT
Theatres I judge as poor include the Menier, Old Vic, Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Vaudeville and Almeida. Outside London Churchill Theatre, Bromley; Festival Theatre, Chichester, Theatre Royal, Bath And Old Vic, BristolI've loved Bristol Old Vic's "guest experience" in the last 19 months during the front of house redevelopment. The Backstage Bar has a lovely rough feel. The new improved foyers will open in the autumn! My favourites are the Royal Opera House (with its Floral Hall), the Almeida and the Royal Court because they all have a thrilling ambience with great bar and light catering provision and buzzing staff, and the generally buzzing audiences are forced in each case to share a space which is too small for privacy and which forces people to interact with strangers, |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:15:07 GMT
iI am looking for your comments on your favourite or not so favourite theatres by guest facilities, by which I mean the practical stuff when we go to the show, such as toilets, box office, circulating room outside the auditorium, places to sit outside the auditorium, ease of access to the auditorium, air conditioning and heating even catering facilities if you use them? What I am not looking for is comments on the current shows or the aeshtics of the house, but the everyday practicality. For me surprisingly my favourites are generally outside London, such as the Curve, Leicester; Royal Exchange, Manchester; The Lowry, Manchester; Wales Milenium Centre, Cardiff and Hippodrome, Birmingham. The theatres in London I think are very good are the National, Bridge Theatre, Royal Court and Hampstead Theatre. Theatres I judge as poor include the Menier, Old Vic, Young Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Vaudeville and Almeida. Outside London Churchill Theatre, Bromley; Festival Theatre, Chichester, Theatre Royal, Bath And Old Vic, Bristol Will post more when I think of them. I have to disagree about Chichester, Phantom, as I think it's one of the BEST for all the facilities you mention. Lots of loos in the main house and over in the Minerva; exceptionally helpful staff in the box office which is accessible; plenty of room for meeting friends, having a drink or just chatting to the ushers in the foyer, in the grounds and on the playing fields in decent weather- nice to take a picnic too which lots of people do; I've never been too hot or too cold there (I always complain if there's a problem... which is frequently in the West End!) and a decent restaurant if you want to use it (I don't any more as I go to Cote in the town centre, like many of the Chi brigade!) |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:17:51 GMT
Always enjoy visiting WMC. Parking across the road, clean and comfortable auditorium and an all round fantastic flexible space. As much as it pains me to say so (having worked for them) I have to admit their facilities are excellent. Lots of loos (public ones on the ground floor as well) LOADS of foyer space, places to buy refreshments that aren't bars. And super easy for transport and parking. Can't fault it. Actually I can, 10 years in some of their seats are arse-numbing and need a bit of stuffing. |
|
|
|
Post by profquatermass on Jan 8, 2018 11:28:35 GMT
Worst for women's loos has to be the Old Vic where the queues often spiral up the stairs and need a member of staff for crowd control. Meanwhile, the gentleman are able to sail straight in and out of theirs
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:33:03 GMT
I agree in general [EDIT: with emicardiff on WMC] but I've had more adverse incidents at WMC than everywhere else put together.
I've been detained by police and prevented from attending a performance on potential security grounds.
I've sat with half the audience and the ushers waiting for 45 minutes for a post-show discussion which was actually occurring, in error, on a lower level because the creatives had got lost in the building.
I've attended a play with a depleted audience because the tickets stated an incorrect start time 30 minutes later than the actual publicised start time, which I'd pointed out to the box office several weeks previously.
I've witnessed disabled people turning up at the printed level to face loads of steps tp their seat and told by a stony-faced unempathetic usher to go to a lower level where they'll have step-free access to their seats.
Most of the issues I've encountered arise from the size of the place and the number and range of different public activities going on, which the front of house sometimes struggles to cope with.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:40:58 GMT
Women's loos at the Old Vic are okay if you go to the top floor. Even if I'm sitting in the stalls I'll insist on being allowed upstairs to pee. I appreciate not everyone is as mobile or aware as I am though.
|
|
1,064 posts
|
Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 11:41:06 GMT
Dire ones in the West End: Ambassadors (no room FOH and tiny loos) and Phoenix (big queues for loos for both women and men).
Outside London I have a positive vote for the New Victoria in Woking. On each level FOH (if I remember correctly) is a bar, loads of space, seating and loos. Also, I don't understand why the Churchill Theatre in Bromley has a negative comment. It has loads of space (particularly downstairs), drinks available on several levels and quite a few loos (if you know where to look).
Theatres that do quite well (facilities and ambience) are those that have a new extension to an old auditorium. The Opera House in Belfast is an example - nice old auditorium, but to the side is a nice modern area with good loos, bar, seats, etc. and sufficient space for the audience before house opens.
|
|
1,064 posts
|
Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 11:42:30 GMT
drink toilet etc before the show.... Each to their own - I prefer a G&T. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:43:46 GMT
I agree in general [EDIT: with emicardiff on WMC] but I've had more adverse incidents at WMC than everywhere else put together. I've been detained by police and prevented from attending a performance on potential security grounds. I've sat with half the audience and the ushers waiting for 45 minutes for a post-show discussion which was actually occurring, in error, on a lower level because the creatives had got lost in the building. I've attended a play with a depleted audience because the tickets stated an incorrect start time 30 minutes later than the actual publicised start time, which I'd pointed out to the box office several weeks previously. I've witnessed disabled people turning up at the printed level to face loads of steps tp their seat and told by a stony-faced unempathetic usher to go to a lower level where they'll have step-free access to their seats. Most of the issues I've encountered arise from the size of the place and the number and range of different public activities going on, which the front of house sometimes struggles to cope with. I'd agree that FOH management/service can be appalling. As you say- too large a building with not enough clue as to what's going on. Also the manner in which they treat their FOH staff (In my opinion/experience) doesn't help that factor. Still in the scheme of Cardiff theatres it beats being jammed against a wall in the tiny New Theatre foyer. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:51:52 GMT
The Vaudeville Theatre is pretty rubbish for gents toilet provision - stalls just has some cramped urinals, the only gents cubicles are on the circle level and last time I went had been turned into a gender neutral toilet.
Pretty much all older West End theatres are rubbish in the foyer and bar areas. I like the Young Vic bar areas. Agree with comments on the Old Vic. National & Royal Opera are great. ENO bar is surprisingly rubbish if you're in the stalls, much nicer in the circle.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 11:52:07 GMT
Still in the scheme of Cardiff theatres it beats being jammed against a wall in the tiny New Theatre foyer. Believe it or not, the New Theatre is now a vast improvement on their pre-1987 foyers and bars which were in tiny rooms with everyone clambering over each other and crushing through the doors. |
|
|
|
Post by danb on Jan 8, 2018 12:15:19 GMT
Always enjoy visiting WMC. Parking across the road, clean and comfortable auditorium and an all round fantastic flexible space. As much as it pains me to say so (having worked for them) I have to admit their facilities are excellent. Lots of loos (public ones on the ground floor as well) LOADS of foyer space, places to buy refreshments that aren't bars. And super easy for transport and parking. Can't fault it. Actually I can, 10 years in some of their seats are arse-numbing and need a bit of stuffing. Yeah, only cos all of us cheapskates keep choosing to buy them  |
|
821 posts
|
Post by ensembleswings on Jan 8, 2018 13:18:00 GMT
I've always found the Adelphi to be great. One of the only theatres in London where I've not had to queue for what feels like forever for the women's toilets at the interval, lots of toilets on all levels makes it a winner for me. Equally collecting tickets is a breeze, queue always moves fast and you're never waiting for long.
Love that Bristol Hippodrome have the box office next door to the theatre, always easy to collect/buy tickets without getting caught in the crowd as the foyer/general waiting space is tiny considering the size of the auditorium.
Theatre Royal, Plymouth has a great foyer/cafe space, loads of places to sit or stand and wait for the auditorium to open.
|
|
8,168 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Jan 8, 2018 14:11:21 GMT
Lovely gents in the refurbished Victoria Palace.
Also nice ones at The Charing Cross Theatre.
Never go into the cubicle at Southwark Playhouse unless you are a stick insect or you will never get out.
|
|
5,707 posts
|
Post by lynette on Jan 8, 2018 14:25:34 GMT
Almeida not too bad for gals now. In the old days, it was queuing in the rain!
But let us please call out THE OLD VIC. Still despite adding a few cubicles, a massive queue and squashed next to the men who swan in and out, albeit sheepishly. If ever there were a case for uniloos, this is it. Take down the wall between the two facilities and remove the urinals. Then possible to widen the corridor to allow for disabled and a more pleasant entrance. Simples.
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 14:32:45 GMT
The Old Vic is particularly bad since they have totally refurbished the foyer areas and both bars, installed a new kitchen in the downstairs bar so they can flog food to non-theatregoers, reconfigured the auditorium into an in-the-round space, back into it's standard configuration, and back again into a different in-the-round configuration, repainted the entire outside of the building, and still done nothing about the loos!
|
|
1,064 posts
|
Post by bellboard27 on Jan 8, 2018 14:38:24 GMT
The Old Vic is particularly bad since they have totally refurbished the foyer areas and both bars, installed a new kitchen in the downstairs bar so they can flog food to non-theatregoers, reconfigured the auditorium into an in-the-round space, back into it's standard configuration, and back again into a different in-the-round configuration, repainted the entire outside of the building, and still done nothing about the loos! In summary: the refurbishment is p*ss poor. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 14:41:42 GMT
As much as it pains me to say so (having worked for them) I have to admit their facilities are excellent. Lots of loos (public ones on the ground floor as well) LOADS of foyer space, places to buy refreshments that aren't bars. And super easy for transport and parking. Can't fault it. Actually I can, 10 years in some of their seats are arse-numbing and need a bit of stuffing. Yeah, only cos all of us cheapskates keep choosing to buy them Are you saying my arse has personally worn down A1 of the Circle through over-use? (because you'd probably be right...but hell am I paying more to sit 2 seats further in haha) |
|
4,156 posts
|
Post by kathryn on Jan 8, 2018 14:44:18 GMT
Indeed, the loos at the Old Vic are legendarily terrible. I don't know who designed that place so the loos are either in the roof or the basement with none on the middle floors, but they need to be shot. There's no possibility of going from one to another to manage the queue lengths sensibly because they're so far apart, and they get so long they impede anyone going up and down the stairs.
The basement loo layout needs to be re-designed entirely - even if not unisex, it would make more sense for the men's to have direct access from the bar and the women's to gain the corridor space that the men currently squeeze through. It can't be that hard to do!
The Bridge is lovely - I have recommended it to people just for the loos! The Donmar downstairs bar bit has really opened the place up and makes it feel much more spacious and welcoming, too, though they also fail the loo test.
|
|
