Theatre Royal

The theatre royal is a great place for a number of reasons. Firstly, the actual building. It’s from the Regency period and all the expected décor of the time is present. It’s a listed building for good reason! Secondly, it has a real intimate feel. There are your expected stalls, lower and upper circles and royal boxes, but everything is a lot smaller than equivalent theatres of London. Even so, you still feel like you have come out to a special place. My one complaint on this compact design is that being 6 foot tall you will end up a contortionist by trying to fit into a seat in either of the circles. The stalls aren’t so bad, but you certainly won’t have business class legroom if you are a tall patron.
They will present an eclectic range of plays, ballet, opera and other stage events throughout the year and you can find a full listing of up coming productions on the website. Prices are going to range from the very cheap to the moderately expensive, depending on the show and your choice of seating. Nothing gets to the point of being silly however.
If you want an alternative night of entertainment, you really should consider this theatre. It’s not every city that has the good fortune to have such a lovely venue to enjoy some on stage magic.

The Brighton Theatre Royal is Brighton’s answer to all of the big theatre’s up in London, and all of the little pub theatres that seem to dot Brighton. It is a big step up from the latter, but nowhere near the grandeur and opulence of the former, and that’s the main problem here: I go to pub theatres for a chance to see something exciting and different, I go to London theatres to see big West End shows. Why would I go and see Peter Pan or some washed up TV actor in Brighton?
And unfortunately, yes, that’s most of the stuff you’ll get to see here: the last hurrah for various TV stars on their way out, serial theatre performers playing the same parts over and over again, and adults performing to small children, which I’ve always found exceptionally creepy (and don’t tell me they’re more discerning than adults, that’s rubbish, have you seen kids TV?): why would I want to see any of those shows? I’d much rather see something experimental for less, or something good for more! Occasionally, there is the one good-​looking show, but tickets are immediately booked up by the frequent-​goers or whatever-they’re-called: very frustrating.
Still, when I’ve gone, it’s been quite good fun, especially if the show’s one of the lucky ones that isn’t a shot in the dark. Scan your programme’s carefully, find the one go show, and grab a ticket six months in advance: it’s the only way you’ll be getting in!

How grandiose, a night at the theatre.
A beautifully ornate and classic building, sitting in the upper tier looking down onto a spot lit stage there is an obvious air of excitement and mystique that surrounds live performance-​especially Swan Lake on Valentines Day (cheesy?).
The audience were ushered in and hushed themselves readily, as you would expect it was superb, and only added to by the atmosphere created by the history and tradition.
A wonderful evening in a stunning venue.

I saw Tintin here a couple of years ago and it was damn, spiffing good. In fact it was so good I would happily go all the way and say that it was good enough to exclaim the age old Tintin-​ism (well Captain Haddock-​ism) «BLISTERING BARNACLES!» as I walked out.
The tiered, grandoise feel of this place, means that it can host some really fancy and big performances, though it also has an intimate, cosy feeling which means it can also hold smaller pantomimes without making them feel tinny.
I Highly recommend, just don’t talk about that Scottish bloke who killed his ol’ Dunc…

I have been here on numerous occasions, to watch Al Murray, a ‘panto’ and a mathematics show by Jonny Ball. All were thoroughly enjoyable with my highlight being Al Murray. The atmosphere inside is fantastic and when you step into it you immediately feel a shift in your mood as I always seem to when I got to places with so much history.
This is truly one of Brighton’s must go places if you want to get a night that you will remember. It is situated so close to the town centre and is very close to the train and bus services so there are no excuses for those who do not have their own transport. With numerous hotels nearby it would be a great way to get away from the norm.
Front row seats in this place are like gold dust because you almost feel involved in the performance. However, as it isn’t that large any seat wouldn’t effect the performance.

I love theatres, especially golden oldies, like this one. Housed in a listed building in the centre of town, the theatre has been in its current location for over 200 years and is thus naturally steeped in history. The interior is beautiful with ornate decorations and furnishings typical of the Regency period.
The theatre hosts a wide variety of companies and performances, including comedies, tragedies and musicals from the West End. They also produce their own plays. The last thing I saw here was ‘Blood Brothers’, a couple of years ago. The musical itself was good, but I was far more interested in soaking up the atmosphere and history of this wonderful theatre. The seats are a little uncomfortable for long performances, but it’s a small price to pay.
With an impressive rolling calender of performances, the Theatre Royal will have something to suit everyone throughout the year. In the run up to Christmas, the theatre will welcome ‘Peter Pan’ — I can’t think of a more magical place to enjoy this classic children’s story! Watch out for Beauty and the Beast next summer too– it’s on for one week only in June 2010.