34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 19, 2019 20:22:22 GMT
I'm watching Handbagged at the Oldham Coliseum on that Saturday.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Sept 7, 2018 10:16:00 GMT
I'm definitely in the Travelodge only bracket as I'm someone who won't pay more than £50 a night for my theatre trips.
My trick is to look if they are opening any new hotels and then book as soon as they put them on sale, they are usually really cheap. This year I've mostly been in the new one at Acton and only payed on average £30 a night. Decent hotel as well, and only 20 minutes on the central line into London. The new rooms even have USB chargers next to the bed. Unfortunately it looks like the prices are rising here as everybody catches on to the value.
My other target Travelodges that are usually cheap are Raynes Park and Wembley High Road.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 10, 2018 23:01:44 GMT
Got to agree with the review. I walked out at the interval, it really is terrible. Only booked to see Emma Williams and she was off.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 8, 2018 15:21:25 GMT
August is pretty dead for theatre in Manchester. If you went last week of July you could catch Queens of the Coal Age at the Royal Exchange, Aspects of Love at Hope Mill, Dusty at the Lowry, The Fishermen at Home, Some sort of Sherlock Holmes thing at the Opera House (no idea what it is but looks like Robert Powell is in it) and Fame at the Palace.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Apr 16, 2018 15:58:06 GMT
I've seen a few versions, 2011 at the Dukes in Lancaster. 2012 at the Bolton Octagon and the 2016 one at the Union theatre. I also had a ticket to see it at the Kings Arms in Salford in 2015 but I ended up missing it due to trains.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Feb 15, 2018 17:33:09 GMT
I always stay at the Travelodge. It's fine.
I have also never had a problem with overbooking with Travelodge in the hundreds of nights I have stayed in them and I usually check in late.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jan 28, 2018 20:11:09 GMT
Tickets on the website now. Sunday shows is good, but £27 is a bit pricey.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Oct 23, 2017 22:48:48 GMT
New Islington tram stop is also a couple of minutes walk away. I usually just walk from Victoria takes about 25-30 mins.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 14, 2017 13:56:43 GMT
Cheap tickets sometimes show up on Travelzoo.
I have to admit, I rarely go to the Palace, Opera or Lowry these days as they are vastly overpriced (can't do midweek shows so the ATG card isn't much use). I just stick to the subsidised theatres.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jun 28, 2017 15:50:19 GMT
Nothing on in Sheffield, though that's a trek from Liverpool.
Lowry has the All Male Mikado and The Railway Children.
Manchester Palace - Sister Act tour.
Royal exchange, HOME, Octagon all dark.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jun 28, 2017 12:25:36 GMT
Not much on. Curious Incident at the Empire. Playhouse, Everyman and Royal Court all dark.
I guess Chester is a reachable distance by train ~ 40 mins so that makes the newly opened Storyhouse theatre an option. Looks like there is a performance of The Beggars Opera on the 29th. Not been to this theatre yet so no idea of quality etc.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jun 10, 2017 15:27:11 GMT
It's not the daring to be different that bothers me, it the fact that every play is now given a predictable gimmicky make-over. Really? I've been to the Royal Exchange about 60 times over the last six years and can't think of many that had a gimmicky make-over. What was the gimmicky make over in Breaking the Code? Husbands and Sons? Wit? Sweet Charity? King Lear? All pretty standard revivals from the last year or so.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jun 7, 2017 22:40:49 GMT
It's a coproduction with Talawa. Can't see what the problem is. They've done previous productions at this theatre including All My Sons and King Lear.
edit. HG beat me to it.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Mar 8, 2017 19:46:18 GMT
I sat in that seat. £10 during previews and even at that price I didn't think it was good value. You basically lose 1/3 of the stage and so you miss most of the stuff that happens stage right. Given that I think there was a drinks cabinet over there (guessing as I couldn't see it), there a large portions of the time when you are just listening to Conleth Hill.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jan 3, 2017 15:08:52 GMT
My 2016 began with a matinee of the Lorax at the Old Vic on January 1st and ended at Hampstead on New Years Eve with Platinum and in total I saw 107 shows.
My favourite play of the year was Breaking The Code at the Royal Exchange and favourite musical was Groundhog Day.
Other highlights were: 1. Into The Woods - Menier (saw the Opera North one as well but loved this one more) 2. Rent - St James (first time seeing Rent onstage, great musical) 3. Little Shop Of Horrors - tour (Not the best version I've seen, but it's one of my favourites) 4. Side Show - Southwark (Probably overrating this due to LPP who was marvelous) 5. Dead Funny - Duke of York (Kathryn Parkinson gave perhaps the best performance I saw this year and I got hit by a sausage roll) 6. A Raisin in the Sun - Sheffield (excellent production of a superb play)
And the misses: 1. Pacifists guide to the war on Cancer - Home (only show I contemplated leaving at the interval) 2. Sunny Afternoon tour (thank god I avoided it in the west end. Awful) 3. Enemy of the People (Chichester - hated this, probably because the bloke from Downton annoys me) 4. The Entertainer (Boring. Actually, most of the Branagh season wasn't much cop) 5. Muted - The Bunker (I was probably just annoyed at having the Almeida cancel on me and ended up at this, but I didn't get into this at all) 6. Pericles - SWP (Actually dont know if this was any good as I couldn't see most of it, vowed never to set foot in that god-awful theatre again)
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Jan 3, 2017 1:18:07 GMT
I think i've stayed in most of the Travelodges in London and I usually spend about 3 weeks a year visiting for theatre. My aim is usually about £30-40 a night and I usually dont go over £50 unless it's a Saturday night which is always a pain to get cheap. Of course with Travelodge you need to book well in advance, last minute they become far too expensive.
One trick to watch out for at Travelodge is to see if they are opening any new hotels, they usually have really cheap rates when it first goes on sale. I've just come back from my new years trip and got a room in the new one at Finsbury park for £40 on New Years Eve and six nights in total for less than £200. There's also a new one opening in Finchley so most of my next stays are booked there.
The one i've spent most time in recently is the new one at Raynes Park. Just over the road from the station and only about 15 mins on the train to Waterloo. Alas, it appears to have become more popular and the rates have crept upwards.
The only London one i'd avoid is the Wembley Travelodge (it's usually really, really cheap if there's nothing on at Wembley), it's not near a tube stop and you have to walk about 10 mins through a fairly dodgy area from Stonebridge Park. It's also a bit grotty. The Wembley High Road one is much better and one of my favourites, fairly new, and right next to Wembley Central so gives you plenty of transport options.
Other favourite which are sometimes cheap, Cricklewood, Bethnal Green, Farringdon and Balham.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Nov 2, 2016 11:03:27 GMT
Some 'interesting' behaviour at iHo last week. Front row, couple arrive just as the show is starting, lights go down and women then starts rummaging under her seat. This goes on for a least a minute (maybe more), finally emerges with two glasses of wine, they had brought in a bottle of wine. This would then be repeated as glasses were emptied. First interval arrives and out comes the tupperware, they had also smuggled food in, no idea what it was but it stank. Second interval arrives and the man leaves taking his coat, just as show is about to begin again, man returns with cake in hand. Looked like they had been across the road to M&S to buy some dessert as the meal in the tupperware clearly wasn't enough.
I just thought this was a bit strange, especially for the front row at Hampstead.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Nov 1, 2016 12:16:05 GMT
52 visits to the Royal Exchange. Not bad, my first show there was in 2011.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Sept 26, 2016 19:16:01 GMT
Saw this on Saturday. Not my cup of tea at all, I really wish I had left at the interval. Note there is some audience participation for those who are wary of such things.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 26, 2016 9:32:38 GMT
Just back from a 10 show trip to London, this was definitely the worst. Managed to make it to the end, but agree with other comments, just dull and even a decent performance from Ken couldn't save it.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 26, 2016 0:13:08 GMT
Full cast list up on the website. Harry Hepple as Oscar.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 15, 2016 16:23:26 GMT
So take it Canal Street is a bit like Soho in London then? I have used that Manchester theatre website, it is very useful. My tentative plan so far. Thursday Mat: The Sound of Music (Oxford) Thursday Eve: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Birmingham) Friday: Cats (Stoke) Saturday Mat: Brassed Off (Oldham) Saturday Eve (A Streetcar Named Desire) If you need a Friday matinee, To Kill A Mockingbird is on at the Bolton Octagon.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 15, 2016 12:22:09 GMT
Phantom asked for a matinee on September the 10th. There's nothing on in Liverpool then.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 14, 2016 20:37:30 GMT
Shawshank is on at the Lowry.
Brassed Off at the Oldham Coliseum.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Aug 7, 2016 19:14:50 GMT
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 31, 2016 12:54:21 GMT
I tend to go for the restricted end one on the front row of the dress circle (A7). You have to look through the safety rail, but it's not too annoying. Plus added bonus of not having muppets sat in front of you.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 24, 2016 18:56:58 GMT
it will be a totally new production surely. Crikey, the Exchange is obsessed with Ms Peake. sort of predictable casting. Are there no other actresses here up north. Probably beacuse she is an associate artist there. Burly had me worried that they had done away with the Sunday matinees, but they are still there so that's me happy.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 12, 2016 9:45:43 GMT
What I did was have the seating plans open on each date I could go from about 9.30am. Then waited and refreshed at 10, this seemed to be the simplest way to jump the queue, so to speak. It relied on knowing that extra seats would be available as they were all showing sold out at before 10.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on May 12, 2016 9:17:02 GMT
Got a £10 ticket fairly easily. Had all the dates for which I could go on open and then just refreshed before 10. Up popped a load of seats so thanks for the info that they were holding back seats.
|
|
34 posts
|
Post by meso77 on Apr 23, 2016 19:54:14 GMT
I'd love to see a huge musical revival though like the 2012 version. Unlike the semi stage productions last year. But I agree it will be a few more years, who know who could produce it?! I'm sure there'll be a regional production before then, maybe even one as good as the WYP one which transferred to Manchester and was brilliant. Just noticed there's a production on in Derby. Looks like a coproduction with the Mercury Colchester. www.derbytheatre.co.uk/sweeney-todd-demon-barber-fleet-street-musical-thriller
|
|