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Post by showgirl on Apr 11, 2016 10:43:21 GMT
Following a discussion elsewhere on here, I thought I'd ask the above.
My own preference is for 3 pm or later, as this allows time for a second play/show afterwards but still plenty to do something else before the matinee. But what do others like best?
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Post by Baemax on Apr 11, 2016 10:46:29 GMT
I like the traditional 2:30pm matinee time, as I like to have time to walk between theatres and get something to eat before seeing my evening show, and a 3pm matinee or later doesn't always lend itself to this unless I'm very careful with my planning. Also, if a play is likely to be long, then I'm more than happy for the matinee to start even earlier. I couldn't help but feel for the cast of The Crucible at the Old Vic, having so little time between shows to get themselves together, fed, and ready to start again.
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Post by freckles on Apr 11, 2016 12:17:33 GMT
2.30 for me, but I don't mind earlier. 3pm can be a bit late if it's a long show and I want to get to something else.
I don't like any later than 3pm really, I find 4pm/5pm starts a nuisance.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 12:22:34 GMT
Agree with all the above, though I do like a 4pm/5pm start on a Sunday specifically - gives me plenty of time to get things done beforehand and I still get home for a respectable early night!
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Post by TheatreDust on Apr 11, 2016 12:44:30 GMT
2.30pm feels about right for me for a normal length performance, which gives time for a meal ahead of an evening performance.
I agree generally that a 4pm matinee on a Sunday works well, but I've recently been frustrated by two fringe shows I wanted to see on a Sunday: one starts at 4pm and the second starts at 6pm which is just a touch early to be able to be certain to be able to get to it from the first.
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Post by Mr Wallacio on Apr 11, 2016 12:50:13 GMT
Ultimately it depends on the length of the matinee show really.
I like to arrive at a theatre 30 mins before curtain up to use the loo, get a programme and get settled in the auditorium, and if you have a long matinee then travel time between theatres and getting food could be stretched.
I have been to London so many times now that there isn't really much for me to do outside of my theatre time short of wiling away time in a coffee shop.
If I've travelled up early to dayseat then a 2:30pm matinee is goid because I'll have run out of time wasting patience by about 1pm.
I saw the 3:30pm Funny Girl at the Menier followed by the 7:30pm Gypsy at the Savoy and there was just about time to grab a sandwich on the move between theatre visits, which wasn't ideal.
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Post by Mark on Apr 11, 2016 13:19:27 GMT
3pm for me!
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Post by JJShaw on Apr 11, 2016 13:40:08 GMT
not too fussed if its 2:30 or 3pm on a weekday, but agree that its nice to have sunday shows at 3 or 4pm
i wish we would go the way Broadway has and have more theatres dark on a Monday with a show on Sunday instead
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Post by showgirl on Apr 11, 2016 13:43:04 GMT
I think those who prefer the later starts are in the minority. I don't usually plan to eat out between shows; I always take food with me and eat it wherever and whenever I can - NOT in the theatre, in case anyone is wondering! My priority is to fit as much as possible into the day, provided I can travel to London (or wherever) off-peak, and the later matinees allow me time for a film first, plus errands such as booking other tickets in person if that avoids fees, collecting pre-booked tickets, etc. Also, if a play or show is short, I'd rather see that in the evening slot so I don't get home quite so late, but it's usually impossible to know which way round to book things unless you leave it relatively late.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 13:57:53 GMT
I don't mind really so long as it's a reasonable time when you can have a G&T in the interval.
So I guess I'm happy with a start anytime after 11.45am really.
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Post by freckles on Apr 11, 2016 14:14:34 GMT
Yes, fair point, Sundays are a bit different.
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Post by emicardiff on Apr 11, 2016 14:23:59 GMT
It really depends as people have said, if it's a long show I'm fine with an earlier start time than 2.30 because either I'm travelling home (as when I went to Bristol last week) and want to be home at a reasonable time to eat or I'm going to another show so I want time to walk there/grab food etc.
And from a show/tech point of view nobody on or off stage wants a turnaround so tight you barely catch your breath.
And as someone who travels home on a Sunday from London I'd like a few earlier ones so I can catch a Sunday show-those 4pm ones are too late usually.
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 11, 2016 14:25:21 GMT
It depends if I'm vacationing or I'm home. I'd prefer a 2 p.m. if I'm away from home because it gives me more time to do whatever after, but a 3 p.m. if it's in NYC, so I can sleep in and very slowly leave my house.
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 11, 2016 16:37:09 GMT
I prefer 3pm as I can go down to London later & have less time to have to kill between shows. I nearly always go to the theatre on my own & never eat between shows so the less time I have to spend wandering around London waiting for the evening show to start the better.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 11, 2016 17:41:59 GMT
Even 3pm start gives you around 2pm between shows, plenty of time for coffee and food.
I would think theatre staff front and back of house, plus actors would prefer a 3pm start.
3pm is the perfect start time for me, as I can sometimes get away from work at 2:30 thus giving me a better chance to see a matinee.
However saying all this, it is great in London that we have matinees on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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Post by Michael on Apr 11, 2016 17:47:32 GMT
I, too, prefer having as little time between shows as possible, so I prefer a 3pm start. However saying all this, it is great in London that we have matinees on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We do? Jersey Boys is the only Tuesday Matinee I'm aware of, and I don't know any on Fridays - I so wish there were some. For my weekend trips, I usually take the Friday off work anyway, so I'm in town early enough for a Matinee.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 11, 2016 18:36:50 GMT
The Woman in Black, The Mousetrap and Guys and Dolls have a Tuesday show also. In the Heights do/ did a Friday matinee.
So 3 more theatre opportunities than New York.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 11, 2016 18:38:44 GMT
Don't forget Saturday and Sunday matinees - they have been mentioned in earlier posts on this thread!
Shame the NT and the Park have given up on Sundays and a few West End theatres have that odd early evening one on Fridays (e.g. 5 pm and 8 pm), but so far as Tuesdays are concerned, the NT has some of those; the Orange Tree switches its weekday matinees from Thursday to Tuesday in summer; Southwark Playhouse has Tuesday matinees for a forthcoming show and the Finborough regularly has Tuesday matinees for the second play/show which runs Sun/Mon/Tues in tandem with the main one.
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Post by Michael on Apr 11, 2016 18:49:37 GMT
The Woman in Black, The Mousetrap and Guys and Dolls have a Tuesday show also. Two of them are plays, and I'm so not into plays. And I have absolutely no interest in seeing G&D. But then again, ITH have apparently switched to a Tuesday Matinee. In the Heights do/ did a Friday matinee. Not anymore.
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 11, 2016 19:06:06 GMT
But the question is Matinee Times - Have You A Preference?
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Post by Michael on Apr 11, 2016 19:18:59 GMT
But the question is Matinee Times - Have You A Preference? Asked and answered, your Honour. At the very top of this page. I, too, prefer having as little time between shows as possible, so I prefer a 3pm start.
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Post by caa on Apr 11, 2016 20:45:43 GMT
I used to like going to the Orange Tree Theatre when it had a Tuesday Matinee. As for Start times I don't really care although 4pm seems too late.
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Post by perfectspy on Apr 11, 2016 21:21:27 GMT
It depends for me. On Sundays I like 2pm starts, which the Finborough and Old Red Lion do. In the week a standard 3pm start is good.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 12, 2016 3:53:23 GMT
It'd be really interesting to know why some theatres schedule the times they do, and generally so unwaveringly. The valid point about allowing turnaround time on a 2-show day has already been made, and the NT varies the matinee (and sometimes) evening start times according to the length of the play, but why other theatres opt for relatively early or late matinees is a mystery to me and means much re-checking, depending on what I'm seeing. And at some theatres, e.g. the Park and Southwark Playhouse, I'll only go to a matinee because the evening performance time is too late (7.45 pm or 8 pm in the smaller spaces).
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Post by Steffi on Apr 12, 2016 5:59:22 GMT
I like a 2:30pm start. It gives me plenty of time between shows to meet friends for coffee, food and catch ups. And I rarely have any proper plans pre matinee so the later it starts the more time I have to kill. Having said that I like the late matinee on Sundays as it gives me time to catch a movie or (in the summer) spend time in a park and such without compromising a nice sleep in. :-)
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Post by viserys on Apr 12, 2016 6:24:44 GMT
I've actually never given this much thought. I tend to do a "double bill" on Saturdays when I come over and I guess I'm fine with the regular time of 3pm or 2.30pm. I don't want to do rush from theatre to theatre, since I want to be able to "digest" the afternoon show for an hour or two before seeing something else.
I don't want to have too much time to kill either though. Of course it also depends on where I am. If I'm seeing two shows in the actual West End, there's often just a short walk between theatres, so I end up killing time in the shops or in a coffee shop. If one of the shows is further away in Victoria, Southwark, etc., I'm glad to have plenty of time to get to the other location.
So either way, I don't really care and I've never looked into weekday matinees, as I'm usually only in London from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning. Even if there'd be a Friday matinee, I like to have time to do other things like meeting friends, shopping or go on day trips outside London since my life isn't entirely wrapped around theatre. If only the trains weren't so expensive. I also couldn't do some of the hardcore theatre-going others do, like stuffing ten shows into five days. I understand the wish to "maximise" the time, especially with hotel costs in London or Manhattan, but it would be overkill to me. For me theatre is like fine wine, enjoyed in gentle doses, and not a mad alcoholic binge.
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Post by Oleanna on Apr 12, 2016 6:49:24 GMT
2:30 for me. 3pm is fine if the show is no longer than 90-100 minutes.
I can't comment on Sunday, because I never go to the theatre on a Sunday. Never. Well, hardly ever...
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Post by Baemax on Apr 12, 2016 8:06:45 GMT
I'm very firm on the idea of seeing two shows in a day, because doing so means I keep my relative travel costs down, but I do like a leisurely Sunday afternoon with only one show. That's not to say I never do two-show Sundays but there is something to be said for having lunch, heading into London, seeing a show, then getting home with time to do necessary things before bed. I also like that the Globe's Sunday shows tend to be at 1pm and 6:30pm as opposed to Saturday's 2pm and 7:30pm, 'cos that hour really does make a lovely difference when you're going to the theatre on a school night, if you will.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 12, 2016 10:54:29 GMT
Hadn't seen myself as a binger (I regard it as making the most of my time) but suppose I am, given that I try to fit 3 activities into each London trip. It's also a case of trying to derive the maximum benefit from the train fare and travelling time involved. This isn't so easy when visiting other towns as in that case I'm lucky if I can manage a film plus a matinee, but in exchange I have the chance to see somewhere more pleasant than London for a change, e.g. Chichester or Guildford.
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Post by schuttep on Apr 12, 2016 11:45:16 GMT
I quite liked the NT's 1:30 matinees.
Combined with 1-1.5 hour shows, no interval. Bliss!
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