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Post by d'James on Feb 17, 2016 5:52:43 GMT
Wow. I'm getting a complex.
The past two times I've been to the theatre I have tried to use the only cubicle and it's been blocked.
Is the plumbing that bad in theatres? Why do men only get one cubicle?
Other toilet rants?
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 17, 2016 6:54:34 GMT
I try to avoid.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 17, 2016 7:14:30 GMT
The worst thing about it is that when you come out of the cubicle having been faced with a mess, to find a queue of people waiting to follow you in...
Reminds me of that very old Lily Savage anecdote about going to the toilet on an aircraft. "All up the walls it was... All up the walls".
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Post by jellybean on Feb 17, 2016 8:24:58 GMT
I have a strict fluid intake limit in certain theatres, specifically to avoid rush for the ladies in the interval. Only exception is if I have an isle seat right close to the relevant exit for a quick getaway. I don't know how the gluggers in the bar manage - either they have cast iron bladders or have a lot of patience in queues.
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Post by Baemax on Feb 17, 2016 9:15:37 GMT
The advantage the serial theatre-goer has over the casual is that we know where the toilets are, which may only give us a 2 second head-start at the interval, but sometimes 2 seconds is all you need. I've never had a cleanliness problem with any of the ladies' toilets though, I do feel bad for the men in this thread.
(Actually, I'm beginning to suspect that a good way to avoid toilet queues is to sit quietly in my seat for ten minutes of the interval *then* go to the loo. I suspect most ladies panic about the queues and rush straight there, so as long as they've been fairly efficient working through the queue, there'd be very little left as the end of the interval approaches. I use the facilities before going in though, so I have yet to test this hypothesis.)
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Feb 17, 2016 9:48:29 GMT
The gents at the Southwark Playhouse weren't a pleasant experience a few Saturday's ago. I went after the show only because I was going on somewhere else. However it's just occurred to me that despite going to the various theatres in Manchester for years I've never been in any of the toilets.
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Post by Snciole on Feb 17, 2016 9:58:04 GMT
Almeida was strangely civilised when it came to toilets, my (female) companion and I hadn't had time to go before the show but the first act is on 35 minutes but it did help that I knew to run down the ramp and use the toilet as we only had 10 minutes (not the sort of play you were a play/jump suit for!)
I think what gets me is that, currently, I am a a young spinster with a good bladder but the majority of female patrons are older and may have had children-won't go into details but having children seems to mess with your bladder in all sorts of ways. There needs to be more toilets in theatres to cater for this.
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Post by viserys on Feb 17, 2016 10:35:55 GMT
The advantage the serial theatre-goer has over the casual is that we know where the toilets are, which may only give us a 2 second head-start at the interval, but sometimes 2 seconds is all you need. I've never had a cleanliness problem with any of the ladies' toilets though, I do feel bad for the men in this thread. (Actually, I'm beginning to suspect that a good way to avoid toilet queues is to sit quietly in my seat for ten minutes of the interval *then* go to the loo. I suspect most ladies panic about the queues and rush straight there, so as long as they've been fairly efficient working through the queue, there'd be very little left as the end of the interval approaches. I use the facilities before going in though, so I have yet to test this hypothesis.) You don't need to be a serial theatre-goer though. I usually go before the show to avoid the interval rush and to figure out where the Ladies are. If you do need to go during the interval, it's best in my experience to make an immediate dash for it (which might not always work when you're stuck in the middle of the row) and beat the queue. Most people seem to dawdle a bit, stretch, exchange a few words on the performance and only then realize "Hey, I should go to the Ladies" and then go in search of said location. It often amuses me to walk straight into a cubicle at the beginning of the interval and by the time I come out, the queue snakes down half the hallway. Not to mention that the cubicles are still sparkling clean early on. I don't think the queues are shorter before the interval ends, because many people don't think about it when the interval STARTS, but then (especially after that interval drink) think "hmm, I should go to the Ladies before sitting down again". |
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Post by anita on Feb 17, 2016 10:39:40 GMT
Always go when arrive at theatre in order to avoid needing to go later.
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Post by Polly1 on Feb 17, 2016 10:43:18 GMT
Ah, a toilet thread, now we all feel properly at home  |
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Post by theatremonkey.com on Feb 17, 2016 11:44:36 GMT
Making me feel a bit flushed, to be honest...
Anita is right - arrive early, be first to use them.
Rule 2: Don't use the ones that everybody else spots. Find those on the second level / in the basement / at the back etc.
Rule 3: Better still, as was discussed on the other boards, use a posh hotel / department store / Festival Hall (rather than the National) bogs before you arrive.
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Post by stefy69 on Feb 17, 2016 12:32:25 GMT
Making me feel a bit flushed, to be honest... Anita is right - arrive early, be first to use them. Rule 2: Don't use the ones that everybody else spots. Find those on the second level / in the basement / at the back etc. Rule 3: Better still, as was discussed on the other boards, use a posh hotel / department store / Festival Hall (rather than the National) bogs before you arrive. Or perhaps Monkey on your website you could colour code the loos as you do for seating plans  ?  |
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Post by lynette on Feb 17, 2016 12:34:15 GMT
There has been some improvement in facilities lately, especially in the West End. They can't always increase the number of cubicles but they are at least modern now and not what I expect Mrs Garrick had to put up with! I've always thought it was really silly of theatres not to invest some more space in the provision of toilets. If we gals can be assured of a comfort stop then we can also buy a drink, merchandise, sweeties whatever and provide more income for the theatre. As it is I usually wait till the end of a show and scurry home without spending more than that penny. Missed opportunity say I. The NT is and has always been disgraceful. Whoever designed the loo provision was an idiot. Even now with the so called refurb ( huh!) the entrance to the ladies is such that you cannot pass the people coming in to go out without all that 'scuse me ' stuff. And it is still like a railway station. We should have loos that make the whole evening a delight....
Nice thread d'james. I feel really at home now.
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Post by The Matthew on Feb 17, 2016 12:37:06 GMT
Another option: BoginaBag. (Also works as, ahem, a stool.) |
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