Has anyone been to the theatre and felt it was overrated?

[flowersintheatticus]

I know going to the theatre is a regular thing for mumsnet, but geographically this isn't possible so going is a really big thing and will require a lot of money, not just for the tickets but for travel there and back. My teens haven't been and I feel I want to give them the experience. I checked out our nearest place and there is a short clip of each of the performances. One of them is a childhood favourite book/tv adaption and thought that would be a good one to go for. However the clip was very underwhelming. I'm sure the acting/set/effects are great but it didn't do anything for me. I'm not sure if it's because the characters look nothing like the tv ones or that the animal character was just a head, but I felt no inclination to watch and I think if I'd gone in person I'd be disappointed.

Cheap seats up in the gods are really not worth it
I'd refute that, as a blanket statement.
Some venues have better cheap seats than others, sure, but it's quite possible to get decent seats in the gods. I saw Vanya for about £30 (as opposed to hundreds, which 'good' seats went for), back row, bench seating, and the sightline was perfectly clear.

WHAT? Why make her a man, how absurd.

OP sometimes theatre is disappointing. It’s like going to the cinema. What’s your local theatre - and what kind of shows/books/films do your kids like?

If you’ve got teens I wouldn’t bother with a kids show particularly - something emotional or maybe a musical will hit them more. Cheap seats are fine btw.

Not restricted view. I actually prefer to be a distance from a musical as you can appreciate the patterns better…
Hamilton, first row of top tier (whatever that particular theatre calls it) £50
Cabaret - again in the top tier, but it’s a tiny theatre and we were actually very close, albeit looking down a bit. £30.
Id rather pay that and see 5 shows than get a ‘better’ seat and only see one. I also think stalls seats are pretty poor for actually seeing much, even at the front.
I sign up to advance notice for productions I’m interested in, either via the theatre, a ticket supplier or a production company and then book as soon as they are available. The algorithm now sends them my way quite a lot, though I had to look for them to start with.
That said, I booked tickets for Hadestown and Standing at the Sky’s Edge this summer and found good tickets at similar prices. I check views out on the ‘view from my seat’ websites first to check they are ok.
I bloody love theatre, especially musicals.

Yes I agree with you, I do the same. Apologies, it was a typo and should have said “the best seats you can afford”. But basically I mean don’t sit in the cheap seats up in the gods.

I agree. The ‘best seats’ are often anything but if you want to see the actual bones of a production, dance in musicals etc. and they are very pricey. I’d rather pay £30-£50 and see 5 shows than £200 and see one.

@flowersintheatticus - theatre isn’t underwhelming, no.
As PPs have said, some productions are, just as some tv shows, films, books, meals out are.

I didn’t say Saturday night - though they probably were. I’ve detailed it upthread a bit.

Thank you all for the insightful replies. Perhaps underrated is the wrong word, maybe 'worth it' is more fitting. A pp paying £700 for example IMO would never be an amazing experience for me and I would highly underrate it, regardless of how fantastic the production was. Everything has a price point for me and I really couldn't justify that. Our tickets are £70 and I thought that is really expensive!

Tix app for £25 Rush tickets. 10am every day.

I see most things this way with excellent seats in the stalls. You kinda need to live in London though as you book seats for that evening’s performance.

Why? They are often excellent. Check out the view on the many websites which show you. When I have forked out a bit more (not in London) I have come to the conclusion it wasn’t worth it.

It is quite pricey (though if you look at numbers of people to be paid, cost of set, costumes, lighting, sound equipment etc you can see how the price is arrived at). It’s possible to pay less though.

I live in Wales. That’s a good way if you are there, but it’s possible to get seats for under £50 for most th8ngs in advance. Not always hot ticket limited run stuff, but you wouldn’t get rush tickets for those either.

I meant in the context of trying to ensure that OP and her teens fully enjoy the show, especially as they are not regular theatre goers.

Actually, I saw Vanya in a tiny cinema screening room as part of NT Live as I couldn’t afford top price theatre seats. It was an excellent way to watch it given its a one man show.

Have seen some outstanding performances and some real horrors. It is expensive and unfortunately a bit of a gamble.

i love Les Mis and Hamilton. Saw Mary Poppins and Sound of Music with the children and they were fab. Book of Mormon was outrageous but very funny.

Our local Birmingham Rep is fantastic, I took the children every year when they were younger, have a walk around the Christmas market at 10am when it opens, a treat lunch and the matinee at the Rep. Home before the drunks are out in force!

Thanks @cardibach I love musicals as well. Recently saw Ghost, which I had low expectations of, but was blown away by. Doing Six next month and Hamilton next year. Am eyeing up Chicago, Mouline Rouge and Hairspray in Bristol, but tickets are big money.

@cardibach I said Saturday night though. It is the only night of the week that DP and I could go to the West End. How do I get cheaper tickets for a Saturday night?

Thanks @Bleachbum for the recommendation for Tix App and rush tickets. Unfortunately, I work full-time and don't live in London, so usually have to plan these things in advance for a Saturday night.

I use the following:
Todaytix rush for on the day
tkts online (or the booth in Leicester square), again for on the day
Kids week, theatre week, January sale (though these do often exclude weekends)
Disney Magic Mondays for their shows
Some shows run lotteries where you can get good seats for a lot less (usually around £25-£30) if you win.
Failing all of the above look closely at the restriction for the cheaper seats, some are barely restricted at all (though do look closely at seat reviews, some are truly awful)

Standing at The Sky's Edge was one of the most brilliant pieces of (musical) theatre I've ever seen, @cardibach

It's a shame its run has finished.

Poor old Richard! They do say that the main reason he’s been so vilified is because of Shakespeare’s play.

I really don’t see why Shakespeare needs a ‘statement’ female anyway. The reason the plays were all male was because it just wasn’t considered acceptable for women to act - it was almost akin to being a prostitute. It wasn’t because they thought women couldn’t do it.

In the ‘brilliant’ category I’ve seen live, I’d also put War Horse, and in the ‘decidedly underwhelming’, Lion King. Only went to see it because a friend wanted to. OK for children I suppose….

The same way - advance booking via early booking links if it’s much heralded. I’m pretty sure both Hamilton and Cabaret were Saturday nights as, though I’m a (retired) teacher and could have gone in the hols, both of those DD was with me and she works in another field.

Agreed. I cried and I’m hard. So clever and moving.

I love going to the theatre. It's a treat, and since the kids came along I go less often but 10 years ago I went pretty often. Biggest disappointment was the lion king (which I saw at the west end). The opening was great, and then I felt like I spent the rest of the show waiting for it to be that good again. It hadn't been my choice. I'd loved the film as a child but it's not like it was a regular watch by my late 20s/early 30s, but a family member wanted to see it so I went along. Not the performers fault, beautiful voices etc. I just think that for whatever reason that show was not for me. I do wonder if it was over familiarity with the film from childhood.

I agree about Lion King @K10f1
I just don’t thin’ there’s enough story in the original to fill a full length musical. They’d have been better to do shorter, no interval like Come From Away.
It was fabulously done, gorgeous to watch, but a bit dull.

Cried? I had to stop myself from sobbing

We did book early, about 9 months early!!! We honestly weren't trying to overpay. DP even got some kind of discount for booking via a credit card loyalty scheme. Anyhow, what is done is done. Clearly we need to be more vigilant with future bookings, although I suspect we may go to local theatre instead, as the rest of the West End experience was decidedly sub-optimal.