Lyceum theatre - own snacks?

[angelalansburysteapot]

Going to see TLK at the end of the month..v excited!
I can't see anything on the website about bringing own snacks. Does anyone know if this is permitted, or should we suck it up and pay the £34 for a bag of fruit pastilles theatre prices?

Ditto bottles of water.

I've taken own snacks into several west end theatres and never had a problem

It's never crossed my mind not to take my own snacks to any theatre production/cinema I've been to, why would you think that you can't?

2 hungry caterpillars 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Theatres have had a shit time of it over all the lockdowns, I think they deserve every penny, so would feel a bit churlish taking my own. It's hardly breaking the bank and if you really can't afford it, do without, you will survive!

I've never been shaken down for snacks but I've also never made it obvious I've had some.

Potentially the only time I've seen something removed was for opened drink bottles, I'm guessing as they can't be 100% sure there isn't alcohol inside and they can only allow alcohol bought on the premises to be consumed there.

@Playdoughcaterpillar

2 hungry caterpillars 🤣🤣🤣🤣

They usually search bags on entrance to most london theatres but I’ve often take a small bag of(quiet/no rustle) snacks and often (plastic) water bottles and never been challenged. I wouldn’t take hard bottles of water. we usually buy interval drinks and often ice creams too, but a bag of sweets isn’t worth the investment!

Of course you can bring snacks but bear in mind it's annoying AF for the people beside and around you so choose silent foods and wrapping and try to eat during the interval

To be fair if your DC can't sit throughout a show with out snacking then they're probably too young for a west end show otherwise crack on

@TheSmallAssassin

Theatres have had a shit time of it over all the lockdowns, I think they deserve every penny, so would feel a bit churlish taking my own. It's hardly breaking the bank and if you really can't afford it, do without, you will survive!

If I couldn't afford a bag of sweets, I probably wouldn't be going to a show I've paid £500 to see..

It just grieves me to pay massively inflated prices for a bag of sweets I can
buy elsewhere for £1. Have you honestly never taken your own snacks to the cinema/theatre?
They will still be getting money off me for drinks/souvenirs the kids might want.

I'll stick a couple of tubes of fruit pastilles in my bag for the kids and hope for the best!

And do buy the ice cream during the intervals if they ask.

It's so exciting for the DC to queue up and get one and so utterly disappointing if they can't.

@QuizzicalEyebrows

Of course you can bring snacks but bear in mind it's annoying AF for the people beside and around you so choose silent foods and wrapping and try to eat during the interval

To be fair if your DC can't sit throughout a show with out snacking then they're probably too young for a west end show otherwise crack on

My son needs to keep his blood sugars stable, we always have a bag of jelly babies or similar to hand. He's 11 so plenty old enough for a west end show.

I don't get the whole being incapable of going a couple of hours without snacks brigade.. yes, we are all perfectly capable of not snacking for hours on end, but some of us do actually enjoy the small pleasure of watching a movie with a bag of popcorn or similar!

Eating in the theatre is horrible, actors and audiences hate it, & I don't understand why it should be allowed - but presumably the theatres need the profit. So if you absolutely must do it, at least support our theatres by buying stuff there.

Exactly what @Hbh17 said. Buy an ice cream in the interval and have lunch beforehand. If bloods are that unstable, get to the GP beforehand. It’s also comically nickel and diming to pay £500 for tickets and then say you can’t afford the theatre ice cream (these aren’t “snacks”, let’s be honest, it’s treats for the help of it or you’d be asking whether the crunch from a carrot stick and stink from hummous was too much for the rest of the stalls. If you always carry jelly babies with you anyway, what’s the purpose of the question?

Precisely why I rarely go to the theatre or cinema any more ... listening to other people eat popcorn, rustle sweets, slurp drinks etc is really off putting.
I can understand your DS having a few (quiet) sweets for his blood sugar but endless snacking is a nightmare.
I love snacking ... I am not objecting to it on healthy eating grounds but the endless noise distracts from my enjoyment of the show or film.

I absolutely understand the blood sugar level thing as one of my family is diabetic, but otherwise no eating during the performance especially of anything that rustles, please, save it for the interval. Also yes to supporting the theatres after the last couple of years they need every penny.

My son worked in a West End theatre pre Covid. Bags were checked and food and drinks routinely confiscated (for collection after the show except for hot food/ open packets which had to be thrown away immediately for food hygiene reasons).

That said a single tube of fruit pastilles or similar in your pocket is likely to be fine.

My dd currently works there. She's not around to ask at the moment but a plastic bottle of water and a small pack of sweets in your handbag should be OK. Hot food, a massive tub of popcorn bought elsewhere or drinks in glass bottles would be a no.

However, the diabetes would come under access needs so a quiet word with a FOH staff member, especially one of the Access Hosts) to explain anything out of the ordinary (I'm thinking sugary drink maybe) should be fine but don't quote me on that. I have an autistic son with food sensory issues and he's always been fine taking in flavoured water for example.

I go to the theatre a lot and only ever buy alcohol for the interval or ice cream for the DC there.

I've never felt the need to buy sweets or any snacks and rarely have I ever taken any in. It's not like eating popcorn etc at a cinema (which is still annoying to listen to) which is more acceptable

Once though we were gifted tickets minutes before a show was starting and hadn't yet eaten so DD and ran and I bought a meal deal from a small Tesco nearby and ate before it started and then again during the interval. It felt awkward and slightly embarrassing tbf.

@Playdoughcaterpillar you know it!!

@angelalansburysteapot enjoy your show AND your snacks!

They'll take your wine or cans of g&t but let you keep soft drinks and snacks.

OP: the theatre is not the same as the cinema.

Have some respect for the actors and the audience around you and save your snacks for the interval.

Theatres don't have cup holders on the seats or sell open topped foods like popcorn for a reason. Eating during the performance is rude and inappropriate.

Admitting to taking snacks to the theatre in MN is up there with having a toilet brush or liking Thornton's chocolates (the horror!) but I've always taken a share bag of Minstrels or wine gums or similar and we usually scoff them before the show/play starts and/or in the interval so as not to disturb anyone, and it seems fairly common from what I've seen.

@ODFOx

OP: the theatre is not the same as the cinema. Have some respect for the actors and the audience around you and save your snacks for the interval. Theatres don't have cup holders on the seats or sell open topped foods like popcorn for a reason. Eating during the performance is rude and inappropriate.

Op, this is obviously just this posters opinion and not most peoples. Eating is fine as long as it’s quiet and discreet. The actors really are focused on their performance and not sone kid having sone jelly babies and a swig of water, they are much more proffessional than that.

If they didn’t wish food and drink to be consumed there would be signs saying no food and drinks and they’d not sell it. It’s not like going to church.

Watched Mary Poppins in London in October and actually the snack price list was pretty acceptable, as well as offering only "rustle free" packaging (boxes of Maltesers, tubs of crisps etc). It was a great to be there and an extra £10 spent at the bar didn't spoil the show.