The Hexagon

I have been to the Hex lots of times and I think they put a on good selection of entertainment to suit most ages and tastes. the staff are excellent and are always friendly and helpful however the place itself has seen much better days and the prices charged for shows and refreshments are comparable to those charged at superior venues. the seating needs replacing urgently as it is tatty and uncomfortable and site has a very 70’s urban decay ambience which unfortunately detracts from the great work the staff do. that said don’t be put off visiting because they really do know what they are doing when they stage a performance.

I’m not entirely clear as to why the Hexagon is so named. It didn’t seem particularly hexagonal in shape, but I should probably look this fact up and return to it at another time. The Hexagon’s shape isn’t the important issue here though, what’s important is whether it was a good venue for Alexa G and I to learn about science and fawn over Brian Cox and Ben Goldacre. And the answer is YES.
This theatre might have been tricky to find in the first instance, but it’s handily located for Reading Central train station and a good few local amenities. The bar is expensive as hell, but aren’t they all in theatres? Meanwhile the venue lends itself very well to performances of all kinds. The great thing about the Hexagon is that even if you’re in the nosebleeds like we were, you’re still not actually far away from the stage. It’s small enough to be intimate yet large enough to hold a decent amount of revellers. While it seems a little dated in places, overall it harbours a pleasant atmosphere… and the bathrooms are pretty well maintained, which is always nice when you’re spending your hard-​earned on entertainment.
Overall, I’d be more than happy to attend another show at the Reading Hexagon. Four enthusiastic stars to it!

I managed to get front seats for the «Manfreds» show and saw them and their guests Cliff Bennet and Alan Price. (Pricey was superb)
The music was from my era which reminded me of my courting days in the late 60s.
I was pleased to meet them after the show in the foyer and was able to get some good photographs of them which I hope will be appearing on the «FansPics» section of the Manfreds website very soon…
We didn’t see Alan Price after the show which was a great shame (we heard that he had had to dash off at short notice)
I love shows like this, I knew all the lyrics of Mighty Quinn and HaHa said the clown.
Don’t stop the Carnival (which Alan Price actually played, dedicated to us when we were guests on a live BBC Radio show while we were on honeymoon in London in 1968!) brought back some memories !!!
We knew all the other tunes that were played and it was a pity the Hexagon was not full.
The ones that didn’t come to see the show were the losers.

It’s really a fairly small, intimate venue. I see that as an asset — you really get close to the artist, if you’re not sitting up on the balcony. I think that the shape creates a good acoustic environment for music, too. Parking is convenient if you go there in the evenings, you can use the council car park for free.

I was surprised how small this theatre was when we recently visited to see Derek Acorah. Saying that its not a bad thing because it made the performance more intimate. I didn’t think it was lit up very well from the outside — we parked in a multi storey right next to (more luck than judgement!) but had to ask directions.
It is a lovely theatre once you are inside with seating and food and a bar to enjoy while you wait. The doors are clearly signposted and the staff seemed very helpful and friendly. There was a good atmosphere in the theatre.

I have been to the hexagon on several occasions and have always liked it as a venue.
They managed to get in quite a few big names and the staff are usually very friendly.
The reason i like the Hexagon most is because they always seem to be activley improving their services. For example getting a drink at the bar between acts was usually a unplesant experiance, however now they allow you to pre order your drinks.
The website is very easy to navigate around, and It’s easy to choose good seats due to the info provided.