Gate Theatre

Pros:
— Great location up on O’Connell; beautiful interiors.
— Amazing performance of The Importance of Being Earnest. Great acting, great set design, a lot of laughs.
— Delicious tea/​coffee options and a bar downstairs.
— Not a bad seat in the house!
Cons:
— Not a fault of the theater but people would NOT STOP coughing. I’m talking a chorus of coughs for the duration.
— The place is a little tight but not too bad.
— Pricey given the seats that I had (row N)

More than glad I decided to go. The theatre is really beautiful and cozy, very well preserved and the staff were just lovely. The acoustics are very good, no matter if the actors are on stage or the stalls. The sits are old but surprisingly comfortable. It is the perfect setting to get you caught up in the play.

Went to see ‘A woman of no importance’ here last night. Absolutely brilliant production, and Wildean wit doesn’t date.
However, I have never seen so many people with hip replacements in the one place. It was like being in a retirement home. The race for seats in the lobby almost got ugly, hat pins were unsheathed. And I saw at least three dodderry patrons *almost* fall down the stairs. Surely a theatre with less steep stairs would be better suited to so many period pieces?

I love the theatre, especially Irish theatre. So next to the Abbey, this place is like my own personal shrine, happy place, heaven. To sit in a theatre which launched the careers of Samuel Beckett, Michael Gambon, Orson Wells, and James Mason, which also brought the brilliance of Ibsen and Stringberg is awe inspiring.
Now on the the building. It was once part of the Rotunda Hospital built to house fundraising events. It is beautiful and cozy. I suggest going.

I had spotted that there was a revival of Glen Garry Glen Ross on and I’d really wanted to see the stage production since I loved the movie so much so we booked preview tickets. The production itself was brilliant and the place was totally packed out but the main reason for me giving this review is an announcement made by the staff before it started. They said that the car park in the Rotunda had a new machine which only accepted certain coins and to help patrons there would be a staff member at exit with change. Where would you get that level of care about your customers? I know it’s only a small thing but it really shows they give a damn. Great work The Gate.

Call me a snob but I am a massive fan of period productions and the Gate ticks all the boxes when it comes to that! They always show a good selection of quality productions, costumes are stunning and the theatre itself is charming! Though, not the most beautiful venue in the city, it has a certain atmosphere which makes it special and my favorite!
We’re lucky enough to have gone to this evening’s Little Women show, which was BRILLIANT! The cast was fantastic, the decors was polished, costumes were very pretty but what stood out the most was its original and fantastic production! I know the Little Women’s story by heart but they still managed to surprise me, make me laugh out loud and burst into tears! Overall, a great night out! I will for sure look out for the Gate’s next production!

I love the Gate. I worked there for a couple of months in ¹⁹⁹⁹⁄₂₀₀₀ and the place just got under my skin. The Gate Theatre was founded by Micheal McLliammoir and Hilton Edwards in 1928, their openly gay relationship being an accepted exception to the rule in a very Catholic society at the time. They renovated what was a ramshackle rundown premises and produced some wonderful theatre including many classical Shakespeare plays as well as introducing playwrights such as Brecht and Ibsen to Irish audiences. They also wrote and produced some of their own pieces, many based on Irish legends such as Diarmaid and Grainne and the exceptional «The Importance Of Being Oscar.» Orson Welles got his first break in the Gate at 18 years of age, as did James Mason and later Michael Gambon. Michael Colgan succeeded as Artistic Director in the 80’s and they had succeeded in the last 10 years of producing the most consistent high standard of theatre in the city.
The building is beautiful. It is a small theatre only holding a ground floor capacity of 312. I have in the last ten years seen some wonderful performances on the Gate stage, from a magical adaptation of Dickens «A Christmas Carol» including chestnut roasters outside the theatre, to Berkoffs sensual version of Wilde’s «Salome». The Gate productions are traditionally theatre but they do curb the trend every now and again, a few years ago producing a marvellous version of the musical «Sweeney Todd.» The staff are very friendly and professional, many of them there from my time ten years ago, it shows how much loyalty the theatre generates once you get exposed to it. There is a small yet elegant bar at the back of the theatre which is littered with pictures of previous productions on the wall. Tea and coffee is also available just opposite to the doors of the actual auditorium before the show. The gents is small and there is a constant queue for the ladies.
I was at the Gate Monday night to see the funny if not life changing «God Of Carnage» and will enjoy going to many more fantastic productions at the Gate for years to come.

As Aofie say’s the Gate is known for its period productions. It’s got a slightly snootier reputation then the Abbey (so a theater going mate assures me) and u
Went to see Arcadia here a few weeks back, the play was very interesting if a little long but overall I was impressed. I was probably on the younger side of the age profile here. The well heeled blue rince brigade were out in force.
One complaint is the place is a little on the pokey side, after 3 hours the seats were a little bit uncomfortable.
Check out the downstairs bar, which is new, very light and airy and the crazy cups at the tea and coffee counter. Someone’s granny’s house was obviously raided to give these 70’s hangovers a day out.

The Gate Theatre is generally considered most sophisticated and cosmopolitan than its rival the Abbey Theatre.
The theatre is much more elaborate and graceful than the Abbey and has an intimate auditorium, a old world bar with lovely round windows.
It stages plays that are a little more popular than the ones at the Abbey and very polished and professional.

If you like your plays classic and polished with beautiful period costumes, then you should head to The Gate.
In my experience, The Gate generally produces professional and smooth performances of classic plays. In the last few years, I’ve seen plays by Friel and Chekhov and adaptations by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Numerous Hollywood stars have tread the boards at the Gate, including Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.
The building itself and the interior are well-​preserved and stylish, making a visit all the more enjoyable. The seating is comfortable.
The plays are always visually appealing — a feast for the eyes — however the style is generally not experimental so best avoid if your tastes are risqué!

This also used to be part of the Rotunda Hospital, it was the supper rooms. Built specifically for fund-​raising and attracting high society.
Today it is a place to watch world class productions. I recently went to see Arthur Miller’s ‘All my sons’. Excellent night out, beautiful theatre.