I am thinking of catching a show when I am in London in April. The show itself does not matter so much to me, though Cats, Spamalot, Les, Miz, and Phantom continue to play as well as many others. I'm looking for thoughts on theatres themselves, and am wondering what readers here might think. I'd like to consider the venue when making my choice, and am interested in a particularly cool theatre, whether it is age, style, layout, quirks, whatever. Any thoughts??? Thank you,
Adam
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We've been in seven different London theatres so far. These were attractive theatres: Her Majesty's, St. Martin's, Criterion (and the restaurant on the street-lvel floor is a beautiful setting with mosaic ceilings), and Dominion. New London Theatre was an old TV studio, although it's a great venue in the summer because it is air-conditioned. We saw Phantom in 1989 (memorable!) and again in 2010 (a really tired production which must have been on the sixth string cast!) Lyceum and Palace didn't impress me one way or the other....London theatres, on the whole, were much nicer than New York City ones---and the tickets were much less dear.... Hope this helps.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32732 posts
Most traditional London theatres are somewhat intimate with quite a vertical climb.
Posted by
Washington, DC, USA
571 posts
Adam,
I've only been to a few theater shows during my trips to London, but each one has been a more enjoyable experience than shows I've attended in New York or in Washington, D.C. The Brits just "get" the theater experience, in my opinion, and I doubt you can go wrong with one of the classic theatres. If you are willing to stray from the West End, do consider the Old Vic Theatre, south of the Thames. A few years back my wife and I just happened to come across it while looking for the Imperial War Museum. American actor Kevin Spacey (who is the artistic director of the Old Vic) was appearing in a show, so we just walked in and scored tickets for the same day. The seats were a bit small, but the decor was beautiful and the acoustics and views of the stage were great, and the performance was top notch.
Posted by
Troy, Oh, USA
2775 posts
Cats is no longer playing in London. I have been to several theatres in London and thought they were all great.