Theatre Royal, Norwich

The show we saw

Knowing that I have wanted to see him for years now, my boyfriend bought me tickets to see Derren Brown for Valentine’s Day earlier this year. Unfortunately though, we had to wait until the middle of June until we could actually go to the show at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.

The Theatre Royal is located in the city centre of Norwich, which is easily accessible by bus, car and train. Although there is no parking at the theatre itself, there are plenty of parking options nearby. If you are coming to the theatre from the train station, you can look to take about a 20-25 minute walk. What I like about this theatre is that it is really easy to get to from pretty much anywhere in the centre of Norwich.

As you walk up to the theatre, it doesn’t exactly look like much in comparison to other Theatre Royals, such as the one in Nottingham which does look very impressive. The theatre is a very long building which, on first appearances, could look like any row of shops on a high street if it wasn’t for the show posters outside. In the day time especially, it would be quite easy to walk past the theatre if you didn’t know where you were going. However, at night time with the outside all lit up, it does look much better but with light evenings in the summer, I didn’t get to see this until after the show was finished.

Walking inside the theatre lobby didn’t have the best first impressions either really. As you walk in, there are elevators to the right and ticket desk to the left. Also on the right are stairs heading up to the circle level. Following the corridor to the left will take you to the refreshments counter, customer toilets and the bar, as well as another set of stairs to the circle level. Even though the lobby was quite plain looking, the downstairs bar was very nicely decorated and had a great atmosphere once filled with a fair amount of people. Upstairs, there is another refreshments counter and toilets as well as areas to sit and stand around whilst waiting for your show to start.

It isn’t until you get into the actual seating area of the theatre that it becomes more impressive. This particular theatre is split into two sections; the stalls in the lower section and the circle in the higher. We had seats about 8 rows into the circle section and before getting there, I was worried about the view I was going to have. However, the seats in the circle are nicely placed so that each row is slightly higher than the one below it. Even with these kinds of seats, they can still be too close together meaning if you have someone really tall in front of you, they can block your view. This, luckily, was definitely not the case at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.

Our view

From our seats, we had a fantastic view of the stage. Derren Brown’s ‘Infamous’ wasn’t the kind of show that had a big screen behind him like some do so that people right at the back can see better. However, from our seats in the circle, we had a perfect view and we could see everything that was going on. There were a couple of parts of the show that were a little trickier so a projection was used during these times but it still wasn’t the size of the back of the stage. In front of most seats in the circle are binoculars which can be rented for 50p if you are having trouble seeing the stage though.

Another thing to mention about the seating is the comfort. ‘Infamous’ was nearly two hours long but I was extremely comfortable staying in my seat for the whole show. The seats were also plenty big enough/ wide enough and they were very easy to relax in. Some other theatres have tiny seats that look and feel worn out but these seats were in perfect condition.

Although we didn’t use all of the facilities, the theatre does also have a café which serves lunch and dinner before evening shows. These tables can be booked in advance and meals begin from 5pm. Your table will also be reserved throughout the show in case you want to sit there during the interval or have dessert during this time. I did have a look at the menu online and the prices were more than what I would be willing to pay. For a burger and chips, you would be looking at £12. We chose to go to Wetherspoons not too far away as it is a much cheaper and quick option.

Overall, although the outside of the theatre doesn’t look impressive, the actual theatre and seating areas are. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time watching Derren Brown and I would definitely go back to the Theatre Royal, Norwich to see something else.

Address

Theatre Street

Norwich

Norfolk

NR2 1RL

Derren Brown: Infamous Tour

This year for Valentine's Day (which I know was WAY back now), my wonderful boyfriend bought me tickets to see Derren Brown at the Norwich Theatre Royal. Although not a typically romantic gift I couldn't have been happier. I was dying to see his tour last year while it was in Nottingham where I was at university but it sold out so fast so I didn't get the chance. 

Derren Brown is one of those people that never fails to amaze me. He has done such a range of things from theatre shows to television specials and they are never the same. Before heading to see Infamous, I had no idea what to expect. It really could have been anything considering what his other theatre shows (which I saw on TV) have been like. My boyfriend hadn't really seen many of his shows so he was even less prepared for what we were about to see but we were both super excited. 

Now, I have to say I cannot say too much about the show, not specifically anyway. During the show, Derren asked everyone to not give away secrets, to not tell others what actually happens in the show either while talking to other people or reviewing the show. So, because of that, I have to respect his wishes and I certainly wouldn't want to ruin any surprises for others who are planning to see it later during the tour. 

However, what I can say is that my mind was completely blown. Even though I didn't know what to expect in the first place, I was still in shock at what Derren managed to achieve during his show. While watching things on television of his, I always sit there and think if I was there in person, I would be able to figure some things out. That was not the case though. For the most part, apart from things that were actually explained, I was completely baffled and there is no way in hell I will ever figure out what that man does or how he does it. 

Not only is the show spectacular in the ways of what is done, Derren is also such a great showman. Audience participation is needed throughout the show and in this one, it was more than normal I would say. I loved seeing people a row in front or behind, or a few seats away, get picked at random even if I was really jealous that it hadn't been me. Real people get to be involved in a Derren Brown show and I cannot think what those people must have been feeling like after the show itself as they were a big part of it. 

Having seen a range of things at the theatre, from ballet, opera and musicals, Derren Brown is by far my favourite. I really doubt that I will ever see anything amazing as one of his shows, unless it is whatever he does next. I cannot recommend seeing Derren Brown enough. 

Fortune Theatre, Covent Garden, London

On my recent trip to London, my flatmate and I went to see The Woman in Black which now has its home at the Fortune Theatre. I haven’t been to that many shows in London so my experience of theatres here is a bit limited. 

Location

The Fortune Theatre is located on Russell Street in Covent Garden. The easiest way to get to the theatre is to get the tube to the Covent Garden stop and take a quick walk through the shops. There are maps all around Covent Garden so you will be able to follow these easily in order to find the theatre. The theatre is also a short walk away from the Holborn stop on the tube. The theatre is in a lovely area, very close to the theatre playing Shrek at the minute.

Russell Street, 
Covent Garden
London, 
WC2B 5HH

Appearances

As I said, The Fortune Theatre is very close to the theatre which plays Shrek. This theatre is quite grand looking with an amazing and impressive looking entrance. The Fortune Theatre does not have this. On first appearances, the theatre looks quite run down in comparison to others in the West End and honestly, looked like a complete dive. Outside the theatre are small banners hung on the walls advertising The Woman in Black along with some quotes from reviews. The name of the theatre is also on the banners on the walls in red which stands out compared to all of the black there is surrounding it. The outside of the theatre is very plain looking compared with others and if I hadn’t had tickets already, I probably wouldn’t have looked twice at it. 

Inside

As soon as you enter the theatre, the box office is on your right hand side. The box office is tiny and no one was working there when a member of staff opened the front doors for us. To the right are the different entrances to seating areas. As we had seats in the stalls, we were shown down a small set of stairs which seemed safe although they were extremely creaky and old sounding. In the waiting area for the stalls is a bar a small shop selling programs and sweets and further along, the toilets. The bar was small and only sold a limited selection of drinks which I did not buy.

The toilets were the worst part of the theatre for me. The ladies toilets are accessible through a door and then again, down a couple of stairs. I have no idea whether or not the theatre is accessible for wheelchair users on other levels but these toilets would not be ok for disabled ladies. Inside the toilet area, there is one sink and about enough space for one person to stand. If there is a queue, which there was, people have to stand up the steps and outside of the door, where there is not much extra space for people waiting. There are only two cubicles in the toilets and those were extremely small. Both my flatmate and I struggled to even get in the cubicle let alone move around a little bit in it. I know the theatre is quite old, as it opened in 1924, but I think it is in desperate need of some improvements. 

The theatre

Inside the theatre was much larger than I had expected it to be after experiencing the toilets. The stalls area was large and although we were in front row seats, it did not feel cramped at all due to adequate chair space. Above the stalls is the dress circle and even higher up is the upper circle. However, it is one of the smaller theatres in the West End only having roughly 400 seats. I didn’t mind this though. As we were seeing The Woman in Black, I think the smaller theatre made it more intimate and scary due to spaces being more confined than in other theatres. The seats were very comfortable and had plenty of leg room which isn’t something you normally get when going to see a show or a play. I had bags of shopping with me and I could still spread my legs a little bit.

The stage is, again, smaller than most. There were only two different kinds of scenery on the stage during the play, one being hidden for the most part by a curtain. However, the play did not need a large stage with lots of fancy props so I don’t see this as a disadvantage. Some aspects of the stage and surrounding area did look as though it needed having some work done to it but considering the play again, this only made it more atmospheric. I’m not sure the theatre could cope with a more modern or bigger staging though. 

Overall

The Fortune Theatre is old and a bit worn out and could do with a bit of an overhaul. However, for the play we went to see, it was perfect. My only wish is that the toilets hadn’t been so bad!