Have you ever been to the theatre?

Roonmastor wrote:but with CGI up to the eyeballs these days, it's good to go and watch something real and see how they pull it all together.

Definitely this, the use of practical effects and puppetry in Frozen was like a breath of fresh air.

I've been to a few pantomimes. Saw the book of Mormon twice which was brilliant. Saw we will rock you, which was bloody awful.

I can't take the second hand embarrassment of watching people on stage trying to be great, it's like watching a legz akimbo performance.

I've seen a few things at the theatre before, but I'm not a regular attendee, and now I have kids, I'm more likely to be along for pantomimes and TV tie-ins than anything else.

I've seen a Book of Mormon twice, Avenue Q was great as well, and a handful of more conventional musicals, but honestly, a lot of those just don't do much for me.

On of my favourite theatre experiences was going to see "Mr Burns: A Post Electric Play", which is set at multiple points in the future, charting people putting on entertainment post an apocalyptic event that knocks out the grid. What starts as people quoting Simpsons episodes at each other round a camp fire in the immediate aftermath, becomes years later, an epic and almost ritualistic performance of a tale that is based on the Cape Feare episode, but has become heavily distorted and changed over the years, like the characters are actually in an epic myth or something. It was super fun, and the whole thing is up on youtube for a couple of different productions.

I've been a fair few times, but often struggle to remember what I've seen. Off the top of my head in the last few(ish) years:

The Lion King
Million Dollar Quartet
Dirty Dancing
Shawshank Redemption

Tickets are ridiculously expensive though, totally prices out huge swathes of people which is a real shame.

Been to the panto several times, it's usually a Mae McFetridge one. That bloke is a Northern Irish institution at this point.

Musicals seem to feature highly in this thread.

To be clear, I really don't like musicals. I have seen plenty but i'm not a fan.

Comedy is largely terrible from my experience also. It's either far too mainstream or conservative (or both).

I have seen some really good drama/thrillers and ghost story stuff. And Agatha Christie plays are a pretty sure bet (though I thought The Mousetrap was massively overrated).

aayl1 wrote:
Zilnad wrote:Would very much like to go to the RSC again soon and see another one of Shakespeare's plays. Hamlet starring Paapa Essiedu was one of my favourites. Got quite a few productions on blu ray, including that one.

Which also reminds me I saw Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet at the Barbican!

If you can, the £5 standing tickets at the globe in summer is awesome.

I knew you were a fellow man of culture! :wub:

Me and the wife love the theatre and go a few times a year to London.

In the last few years we have seen Back to the Future, Pretty Woman, Wicked, Hamilton and Book of Mormon

Also go to local theatres when stuff is touring. We saw Rent at Peterborough last year and also go to comedy regularly. Russel Howard was a highlight.

Last edited by Qikz on Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

kazanova_Frankenstein wrote:Musicals seem to feature highly in this thread.

To be clear, I really don't like musicals. I have seen plenty but i'm not a fan.

Comedy is largely terrible from my experience also. It's either far too mainstream or conservative (or both).

I have seen some really good drama/thrillers and ghost story stuff. And Agatha Christie plays are a pretty sure bet (though I thought The Mousetrap was massively overrated).

I know I mentioned them before but this group are genuinely laugh out loud funny.

Those "Gone Wrong" plays were always advertised all over London.

My feeling based on nothing but snobbish reaction was that they looked very cringe and "meta" in a way that I would hate.

Oh and I also saw Hannah Gadsby do Nanette (which subsequently went on to blow up on Netflix or whatever). I thought it was interesting and a decent enough but I didn't love it the way everyone else seems to.

aayl1 wrote:Those "Gone Wrong" plays were always advertised all over London.

My feeling based on nothing but snobbish reaction was that they looked very cringe and "meta" in a way that I would hate.

I'm not sure what would be meta about them, check the above video to see if you like it. It's just stupid slapstick for the most part and it really is a damn good laugh. Every one I've seen before has left me with my face hurting from laughing so much. :wub:

The Ted 2 sad improv scene had me laughing my arse off. I'd love to go to a show where someone heckled like that.

aayl1 wrote:Those "Gone Wrong" plays were always advertised all over London.

My feeling based on nothing but snobbish reaction was that they looked very cringe and "meta" in a way that I would hate.

I don't think I'd have ever booked a trip to see one myself, but a friend insisted we all went to see the Play that Goes Wrong when it was in Birmingham and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. If you've ever done any amateur dramatics it's incredibly relatable :slol:

We were looking at booking tickets for the Peter Pan show next month, but I haven't pushed the button yet.

I don't think it was very well received, but I've always had a soft spot for the Wind in the Willows musical. I don't think it really knew what market it was aiming for - A show full of talking animals skews more towards kids, but there's a few songs on the soundtrack that are really sweet.

And the whole thing's on YouTube, which is also a big plus :shifty:

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I like how proshots are becoming a much more common thing now too, since seeing shows in London has become so ludicrously expensive. Still waiting on Disney to release the recording they made of Aladdin in London before it closed, though

Frank wrote:seeing shows in London has become so ludicrously expensive.

This was one of the main reasons i never got around to going until now.

Plus, when i looked at the cheapest seats, the views weren't very good at all.

It's an annoying hassle going to the theatre but every show I've seen as an adult has been good. I'd recommend the below:

Book of Mormon
Hamilton
The Mousetrap

Memento Mori wrote:It's an annoying hassle going to the theatre but every show I've seen as an adult has been good. I'd recommend the below:

Book of Mormon
Hamilton
The Mousetrap

I looked into seeing Hamilton before, but took one look at how much the tickets were and how far in advance you have to book and noped out of it.

Knoyleo wrote:
Memento Mori wrote:It's an annoying hassle going to the theatre but every show I've seen as an adult has been good. I'd recommend the below:

Book of Mormon
Hamilton
The Mousetrap

I looked into seeing Hamilton before, but took one look at how much the tickets were and how far in advance you have to book and noped out of it.

Apparently I paid £100 a ticket five years ago. I was making more money back then.

Memento Mori wrote:It's an annoying hassle going to the theatre but every show I've seen as an adult has been good.

Sums it up for me.

I think in general (not just for the theatre) if I can't just buy a ticket for something a few days before it happens I'm very unlikely to go.

Have you ever been to the theatre?

Have you been to the theatre?

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