Local Theatres
Over the course of the last year and a half, I’ve started going to the theatre more often. Mainly because contemporary cinema has less and less to offer me as an adult. Over 18 months I’ve seen half a dozen shows of various kinds. Dance, dramas and standup comedy. One of these was a West End show, in central London, to see The Lion King (which was very entertaining and lived up to the hype). The others have all been at local theatres. Either the Churchill Theatres in Bromley, the Orchard Theatre in Dartford or the Orchard West. All of these venues are easily accessible by public transport or car and offer a wide variety of entertainment at “reasonable” prices, compared to the premium shows in London which have very high prices. So far, all of the six shows I’ve seen have proven entertaining and good value for money. I’ve also learned that theatre has changed a lot to suit the tastes of the modern audience.
I can remember going to the Young Vic Theatre, London, in 1983 to see a production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The trip was organised through my school and was part of the course work for our English Literature exam. Being 15 years old at the time and ambivalent to the merits of Shakespeare and this “comedy”, I remember becoming bored once the novelty of seeing Blakey from On the Buses (actor Stephen Lewis) on stage wore off. However, I think that my overall experience accurately reflected the prevailing stereotypes about theatre at the time. Traditional content made up the majority of productions and prevailing theatre culture was rather formal, aloof and not really aimed at the “hoi polloi”. My recent forays into the world of local theatre highlights how this has changed and that giving the public what they want, rather than what you think is good for them, is now the cornerstone of business.
When booking shows at both my local theatres what has struck me is the variety of content and the types of productions available. There are traditional plays and musicals on offer throughout the year but there is also a lot of live comedy, contemporary “jukebox” musicals and themed events. For example, I recently saw a live version of the Uncanny podcast. There are also authors on promotional tours, sports retrospectives from retired pundits and sportsmen and a great deal of content specifically aimed at children. Theatres also seem to showcase a lot of tribute bands and events that are clearly intended to include audience participation. I am not going to argue either way regarding artistic merit and cultural value. Such things are highly subjective and couched in other complex societal issues such as respective wealth and class. The simple fact remains that such productions sell and keep the theatres open.
Another minor change I noticed at my two local theatres is that they’re both now “cashless”. Drinks, food and merchandise can only be purchased by card or phone. Furthermore, although you can visit the theatre in person to book tickets for future shows, the majority of business is conducted via an online box office. There are associated apps and membership is encouraged to gain advance booking access to forthcoming shows. On a more subjective note, the venues themselves exude an atmosphere of modernity and the old, stuffy ambience has been dispelled. This informality is welcome but it also means that the notion of “dressing up for the theatre” is less prevalent. I’m sure there are naysayers out there decrying this cultural change but for me it makes the theatre a more inviting prospect, compared to how it was four decades ago. Plus you can still find old school, traditional plays, as I have booked tickets to see Robert Bolt’s A Man For all Seasons in November.
