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Post by TallPaul on Mar 7, 2018 19:09:26 GMT
If you don't take the Drury Lane tour on this trip Elle, you may not get another chance. When the theatre goes dark for its extensive refurbishment, all the very historical machinery under the stage is going to be removed and placed in storage.
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Post by Baemax on Mar 7, 2018 20:05:16 GMT
Is there a date for that? I should probably get my act together and book it...
EDIT: in fact, never mind, I've booked myself in for this weekend!
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2,367 posts
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Post by robertb213 on Mar 7, 2018 21:13:17 GMT
Thanks guys. I will consider it despite the 👻👻👻 Definitely do, there are only a couple of stories for information, no tricks or shocks or anything to frighten. The tour is very much worth it 😁
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3,058 posts
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Post by david on Mar 7, 2018 21:34:46 GMT
I did the Dury Lane tour last year and really enjoyed it. The team that do the tour really make it both fun and informative. A great way to spend an hour or so at a bargain price.
Does anyone know if the Palladium does anything similar? I’ve been on the Really Useful theatre website and can’t find anything.
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Post by Elle on Mar 8, 2018 9:07:20 GMT
If you don't take the Drury Lane tour on this trip Elle, you may not get another chance. When the theatre goes dark for its extensive refurbishment, all the very historical machinery under the stage is going to be removed and placed in storage. You make a very good point, thank you for the info. So it's pretty much decided then that 42nd Street will not last beyond this year? If that's the case, that's a real pity. Definitely do, there are only a couple of stories for information, no tricks or shocks or anything to frighten. The tour is very much worth it That's exactly what I was thinking, that they would try and scare us on purpose. Thank you for clearing that up. 👍
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Post by alece10 on Mar 8, 2018 10:43:14 GMT
I'm doing Drury Lane tour tomorrow and will try for day seat for the evening performance
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Post by david on Mar 8, 2018 12:42:39 GMT
Does anyone know if the Palladium does anything similar? It's in their FAQ's that the "don't, right now." Thanks for the info. Missed that when on the site! Im surprised they don’t offer tours of the Palladium as it’s such an iconic theatre and I’m sure there are plenty of people (myself included) who would love to have a behind the scenes look at the theatre itself.
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1,064 posts
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Post by bellboard27 on Mar 9, 2018 16:08:21 GMT
If anyone is interested RADA are doing tours at 12 noon on 17 and 24 March: www.rada.ac.uk/whats-on/rada-toursTheir tours are intermittent, so not always easy to catch. I have done it and it is interesting - visiting all three theatres and other parts of the building and learning a bit about the place and its approach. When I went most of the others on the tour were people who might be interested in applying to attend RADA - they had some useful questions! Note that for the tour I went to the usual entrance for performances on Malet Sreet (as did several others). But we had to bang on the door to get someone to let us in as they said we should have entered on Gower Street. So, if you go I would check this as it is a bit of a walk between the two entrances! At least the Gower Street entrance is open so you can ask there.
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Post by ptwest on Apr 6, 2018 6:55:00 GMT
Doing the Drury Lane tour this afternoon. Really looking forward to it!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2018 20:39:32 GMT
Doing the Drury Lane tour this afternoon. Really looking forward to it! Reports?
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645 posts
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Post by ptwest on Apr 6, 2018 22:06:15 GMT
Really interesting tour, loved going under the stage and seeing all the workings. Also fascinating to see the tech crew testing all the sets and lights for the evenings performance. I think it helped seeing behind the scenes at a show I know well and love. An excellent guide as well. Struck lucky with having a small group as it meant we could go under the stage - apparently they don’t always do that if there are too many people.
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Post by ensembleswings on Apr 23, 2018 8:31:31 GMT
I know the website says the Drury Lane tour lasts for around an hour but is that correct? My friend and I are in London for the entire day next Monday so I'm considering booking this as a surprise. My friend keeps on about us doing the tour of Bristol Hippodrome (our local theatre), so I know they'll enjoy it and I'd love to do the tour before the refurb happens.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2018 9:07:14 GMT
I know the website says the Drury Lane tour lasts for around an hour but is that correct? My friend and I are in London for the entire day next Monday so I'm considering booking this as a surprise. My friend keeps on about us doing the tour of Bristol Hippodrome (our local theatre), so I know they'll enjoy it and I'd love to do the tour before the refurb happens. Its entirely dependant on the group your with and how long you want to spend taking photos. I've read reports of groups taking 1-1.5hrs, conversely I was on my own didn't stop to take photos and we got through it in 45mins. So worth doing though.
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Post by ensembleswings on Apr 23, 2018 12:10:04 GMT
@remark Brilliant, thanks
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Post by robertb213 on Apr 23, 2018 12:47:40 GMT
It was an hour when I did it, it felt like it's planned and scripted to be done within the hour
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Post by ensembleswings on Apr 30, 2018 8:39:17 GMT
Booked to do/go on the tour of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane later today, may sound a stupid question but do we have to collect physical tickets for it or is it just a case of state your name and present id?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2018 9:03:04 GMT
Booked to do/go on the tour of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane later today, may sound a stupid question but do we have to collect physical tickets for it or is it just a case of state your name and present id? Yeah just head to the box office 5-10mins before the tour is due to start and they'll give you your printed RUG ticket.
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Post by vabbian on May 2, 2018 10:42:40 GMT
Recommend the Royal Opera House tour.
You get taken up to the rehearsal rooms, seeing the ballet dancers rehearse is worth every penny! magical
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Post by Mr Snow on May 2, 2018 13:50:18 GMT
Sort of related Someone in our extended family was Mrs Snows Secret Santa. Someone had thought about her interests and purchased a Walking Tour of West End Theatres for 2. www.musicaltheatrewalkingtour.com/ So while half of London punished the pavements a small group of 4 of us joined Neil Maxfield for a jaunt round Soho and Covent Garden. Neil is a genial host and a real enthusiast for his subject, but not in a heavy academic way. He likes to sing a song relevant at many stops and interacted with all of us. (Apparently without the London Marathon as competition, groups can be much larger). The pace was easy and we had a lovely time in the sunshine. Architecture isn’t really the point of it but I liked the history of each theatre and the reference to some of the shows presented before even I was born, through to the current shows. For the real aficionado many of the tales are well worn but I’m sure he’d vary the content depending on the interests of the group. I would recommend as a pleasant Sunday activity for someone who was introducing someone else to musicals and we found enough to make it worthwhile.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 15:09:12 GMT
Just realized I never got to post my thoughts about the Drury Lane tour.
Loved it, the guides provide lots of info without making it tiresome. You get to go under the stage and the view from the circle is amazing (you are not allowed to take pictures of the stage tho). When the female guide came in in costume I thought 'great, audience participation 😑 ', but it wasn't too painful.
Fun fact. Lighting crew were working when we took the tour, and just as the guide was talking about ghosts, the lights went down. Great timing.
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Post by ensembleswings on May 2, 2018 16:11:41 GMT
Really enjoyed the Drury Lane tour on Monday, so glad I got my act together and done the tour before the theatre's refurb. It's a real shame all the historic machinery will be removed during the refurb, especially as it all still works (and is grade 1 listed), seeing that was probably the highlight of the tour for me. The crew were testing the set pieces/everything in the fly so we couldn't go on stage but I rather enjoyed watching them work/test everything, I could have quite happily spent the whole hour just sat watching from the royal box or the front of the royal circle. I've only ever sat in the stalls or the balcony (when seeing a show) but the view from the front of the royal circle looked amazing. My friend who I was with doesn't do ghosts or anything remotely scary but really enjoyed the tour, they didn't think the ghost tales in the cellar were all that bad in the end and definitely not worth missing the whole tour over.
Also it was confirmed to our group that the theatre's refurb will begin in March 2019, with a planned reopening in September 2020. 42nd Street will most likely close close to the start of the refurb but that isn't completely confirmed yet
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Post by jason71 on May 2, 2018 20:55:50 GMT
I'm going on the RSC backstage tour in two weeks time
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Post by CG on the loose on May 7, 2018 21:11:50 GMT
I'm going on the RSC backstage tour in two weeks time I liked that one... we went the day they were doing the get out for Richard II so some areas restricted but really interesting to watch from the gallery as they broke down the set. Enjoy
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Post by 49thand8th on May 7, 2018 21:15:39 GMT
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Post by david on May 7, 2018 21:52:43 GMT
I’m off to NY in the autumn so I will definitely keep an eye out for this to see if any dates become available while I’m over there!
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Post by bimse on May 8, 2018 5:32:57 GMT
It’s worth keeping an eye on the Heritage Open Days. Interesting buildings throughout the country are open for the public to view, and there are usually a few theatres involved, different ones each year , and not just in London . Last year I visited the delightful Plaza Theatre in Stockport . You could walk on the stage, view the dressing rooms, back stage, projection room, have a go with a follow spot , as well as view the beautiful Art Deco auditorium and foyer . There were talks at certain times in the auditorium , and volunteers giving short talks at different areas . A wonderful visit , and all for free. This year the Heritage Open Days are over two weekends : 6-9th and 13-16th September, but not all venues will be open both weekends or every day, so it’s worth checking out their site which will give details of venues from July. www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting
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Post by basi1faw1ty on May 21, 2018 12:19:25 GMT
Did a (complimentary) NT backstage tour on Saturday. Excellent insight from the tour guide (forgot her name but she had a hint of Newcastle/South Shields in her accent and was very nice), loved the props section on Drum Road, and it was all rather fun. When we entered the Olivier the stage wasn't of the Scottish play that I was expecting but they were building the set for Translations and the tour guide had to almost shout over all the sawing and drilling from the builders down below. It all looked very impressive still. (Loved also seeing a guy in a hard hat practicing the violin as we sat in the Olivier circle.) Then we got to the Absolute Hell set and I thought we'd be actually walking on it but she only took us to a little corner at the back and we weren't allowed to step onto the stage so I was a little disappointed in that. But after the tour ended I met a man named Speedy (who is involved in the 4 minute set change that happens in AH) and after I said how much I enjoyed AH and how impressed I was by the very fast set change in the middle of Act 2, he took me through his room and onto the set itself! I actually walked across the stage, past a woman testing the mics, over the rugs, past the bar area opposite a load of labour posters, then up the stairs into the club dining room. It was surreal.
No idk what I did to deserve it either but there you are.
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Post by jason71 on May 26, 2018 9:08:21 GMT
Recently did the FOH & BTS tours. Really enjoyed both tours. It was nice to go backstage & other areas that you don't normally get access to
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2018 15:23:08 GMT
The Palladium one is great, deffo do that
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2018 14:07:44 GMT
The Palladium one is great, deffo do that I cant find any available dates for this, is it still operational? I’d love to do this one, personally.
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