| Product: |
Sadler's Wells Theatre in general |
| Date: |
20/06/02 (274 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: lovely performance space, well-run venue, decently priced
Disadvantages: some would consider it too far out of the West End
I went to Sadlers Wells Theatre for the first time last friday, to see Opera North's production of Sweeney Todd, and was very pleasantly surprised with both the venue and the even more so, the production!
The venue is situated in Islington in London, the nearest tube being Angel, which can be accessed via the Northern Line and the Victoria line as well as frequent bus links from central london.It is very close to Kings Cross and Euston main line train stations too. From the tube station it is literally a few minutes walk. Upon exiting from Angel, there is only one exit, the theatre is reached by turning left and then carrying straight on past the traffic lights for a few minutes. You can actually see the top of the building as you approach it.
Unlike many theatres, the foyer is spacious and welcoming, so even though hundreds of people were congregating in the foyer when i went, it was still uncrowded, which was lovely. I work at the RSC in Stratford, which for any of you who have been will know, is quite the opposite, therefore this was bliss! On Friday, and i imagine, normally, there were lots of ushers floating around to assist, were their assistance required, and they were friendly and welcoming. This again, i found charming. As an aside, i think these people were just the kind of person i would employ, were i ever to be employed in such a capacity. The ushers and box office staff were clearly there as a result of an interest in the arts, which is, to my mind, a crucial pre-requisite for working in the arts.
The price of tickets obviously depends on the production you attend, but for Sweeney Todd, the prices varied from £5 upto £34, and as a student, there were two comcessionary prices available to me. Considering the theatre was very full, i was pleasantly surprised to find the box office still willing to let me purchase such a ticket. Many venues in London do not take such an attitude, so again i found this sta
nce very pleasing, and not just from the perspective that it saved me money!
Another delightful aspect of the building and its operations, was the way in which latecomers were handled. My friend was stuck on the tube, so i waited, and the ushers could not be more friendly and accommodating, informing me of the time we could take our seats, and without any of the oft-experienced vibes emitted at other venues i frequent.
The theatre itself has recently undergone an extensive re-build, but it is well-worth it. The seats are comfortable, the acoustics superb, and a well-designed auditorium, which slopes down towards the stage. There is a stalls, two circles, upper and lower and a balcony. I visited all these areas, in the interest of seeing what the view would be like, and was impressed to find that there seemed to be no bad seats, view-wise. This is a theatre that has been carefully designed, taking into account most of the essential characteristics that create a good performance venue. Sadlers Wells is mainly a dance and opera venue, and the production i saw was a musical-cum-opera, and it worked in this space superbly.
What a sheer joy, and i mean that sincerely, to find a venue that is well-designed, well-staffed, well-run, and well attended, within easy distance of central london. If ever the chance arises to visit this space, i would highly recommend that you do.
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sean28 - 20/06/02 Indeed Ophelia, somerset is quite far from london, but if you ever get the chance,esp to see dance or opera, its worth it.Take Mr Ophelia! |
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