Singin' In The Rain - The Mill At Sonning
Feb 9, 2020 15:17:26 GMT
dippy, Nicholas, and 5 more like this
Post by Dr Tom on Feb 9, 2020 15:17:26 GMT
dippy has provided a few thoughts here, but I think this is worth its own thread, even though it closed yesterday after a two month run. Plus, I have a few notes about the venue that might be useful to other people, so hopefully this will make it easier to find.
I've only seen Singin' In The Rain once before (with Adam Cooper, a few years ago) and I remember it being slight. But I was tempted by a trip to Reading when I saw that Philip Bertioli was in the lead role as Don Lockwood. Tickets were hard to get (or I booked too late), so I ended up with the Friday evening performance.
This is a dinner theatre, so there's a restaurant and a separate theatre. It is in a village somewhere near Reading. Google Maps suggests you can walk to it, but you can't! You end up on roads without pavements. I don't even think you can get a bus there as the buses I saw drop you of what looks like it might be close, but I believe you end up in territory that isn't walkable again.
So, my attempt to walk ended up with me using Ola, which is an Uber like service (Uber isn't licensed in Reading - there are some out of area drivers, but in practice they were impossible to book). On a positive side, it means I could use a new customer code for a discount. I was able to get an Ola fairly easily after the show too, once I managed to get a signal, but they mostly drive out from the centre of Reading to find you. You might prefer to book a local cab service, but with light traffic this is £11 each way.
When you enter, you'll see your name on a blackboard with a table number. Then you go upstairs to the restaurant, collect a plate and select from a small carvery service. It was busy, so I couldn't really take in the options, but the meat was gammon (one slice). There's only a small vegetable selection, but the potatoes were decent.
You are then shown to your table, where you can order drinks. There's a programme on the table, a pretty decent A5 professionally printed colour booklet (half about the show, half ads) and you can order drinks to have with the meal and for the interval (where you can use the table again if you wish). After the main course, you're served a desert (I went for a decent apple and pear crumble) and tea/coffee. As a single theatre goer, I got a relatively private corner table, which was appreciated, although was forgotten about for coffee. Unless you eat exceptionally slowly, I'd recommend not getting there too early, maybe 7:30pm for an 8:15pm start.
This is all very much designed as an entertainment complex, a meal before the show, the bar is open afterwards with a pianist on hand. I did find one flaw, which was a lack of toilets, which is a reason why I prefer not to have a big meal before a show.
The people sat around me were interesting, including a single female theatre goer who was visited by Mr Bertioli, but I couldn't quite place her, as well as senior couple Len and Ann, who according to the programme had sponsored the rain effect for £16,000. This isn't a cheap theatre to see shows at to begin with, but I rather get the impression that it's dependent on sponsorship.
Around 8pm, everyone was encouraged to move downstairs to the theatre, which has tiered seating. My request for a seat near the front ended up with me on the back row, by the aisle, in a strange seat with a pillar at one side which I presume is automatically given to the sort of people who attend the theatre on their own. To be fair, there are only six rows and the view is good, but there's also a continual flurry of activity behind you with ushers, as well as actors entering through the aisles.
The performances were good. It's a slight show, but they manage to work in some dance routines. Filmed sequences. Sound quality was high. John McManus was missing, so Oliver Bingham doubled up and played Roscoe on top of his usual role (there was a slip in the programme). The front row were warned when to pull their plastic blanket up, after which point the rain started and Philip Bertioli took great delight in splashing the audience. He also made sure that Len and Ann (sat in front of me) got value for money by running up the aisle and flicking his umbrella at them. It was a great effect, although installing this for just one show is an interesting choice for a small theatre.
So, in some ways, I'm glad I wasn't in the front row.
I enjoyed it. Performances were good. Glad to have seen Philip Bertioli in a lead role and he's due a lot more of them after this performance. Don't go for the food and the venue is rather inaccessible without a car. For the financial outlay, I think there would have to be a show I really wanted to see to go again. With that said, they are doing Top Hat next Christmas, which is a great show, so I could perhaps be tempted by a Saturday matinee if they could sort a system where you know where you're sitting before you turn up at the theatre.
I've only seen Singin' In The Rain once before (with Adam Cooper, a few years ago) and I remember it being slight. But I was tempted by a trip to Reading when I saw that Philip Bertioli was in the lead role as Don Lockwood. Tickets were hard to get (or I booked too late), so I ended up with the Friday evening performance.
This is a dinner theatre, so there's a restaurant and a separate theatre. It is in a village somewhere near Reading. Google Maps suggests you can walk to it, but you can't! You end up on roads without pavements. I don't even think you can get a bus there as the buses I saw drop you of what looks like it might be close, but I believe you end up in territory that isn't walkable again.
So, my attempt to walk ended up with me using Ola, which is an Uber like service (Uber isn't licensed in Reading - there are some out of area drivers, but in practice they were impossible to book). On a positive side, it means I could use a new customer code for a discount. I was able to get an Ola fairly easily after the show too, once I managed to get a signal, but they mostly drive out from the centre of Reading to find you. You might prefer to book a local cab service, but with light traffic this is £11 each way.
When you enter, you'll see your name on a blackboard with a table number. Then you go upstairs to the restaurant, collect a plate and select from a small carvery service. It was busy, so I couldn't really take in the options, but the meat was gammon (one slice). There's only a small vegetable selection, but the potatoes were decent.
You are then shown to your table, where you can order drinks. There's a programme on the table, a pretty decent A5 professionally printed colour booklet (half about the show, half ads) and you can order drinks to have with the meal and for the interval (where you can use the table again if you wish). After the main course, you're served a desert (I went for a decent apple and pear crumble) and tea/coffee. As a single theatre goer, I got a relatively private corner table, which was appreciated, although was forgotten about for coffee. Unless you eat exceptionally slowly, I'd recommend not getting there too early, maybe 7:30pm for an 8:15pm start.
This is all very much designed as an entertainment complex, a meal before the show, the bar is open afterwards with a pianist on hand. I did find one flaw, which was a lack of toilets, which is a reason why I prefer not to have a big meal before a show.
The people sat around me were interesting, including a single female theatre goer who was visited by Mr Bertioli, but I couldn't quite place her, as well as senior couple Len and Ann, who according to the programme had sponsored the rain effect for £16,000. This isn't a cheap theatre to see shows at to begin with, but I rather get the impression that it's dependent on sponsorship.
Around 8pm, everyone was encouraged to move downstairs to the theatre, which has tiered seating. My request for a seat near the front ended up with me on the back row, by the aisle, in a strange seat with a pillar at one side which I presume is automatically given to the sort of people who attend the theatre on their own. To be fair, there are only six rows and the view is good, but there's also a continual flurry of activity behind you with ushers, as well as actors entering through the aisles.
The performances were good. It's a slight show, but they manage to work in some dance routines. Filmed sequences. Sound quality was high. John McManus was missing, so Oliver Bingham doubled up and played Roscoe on top of his usual role (there was a slip in the programme). The front row were warned when to pull their plastic blanket up, after which point the rain started and Philip Bertioli took great delight in splashing the audience. He also made sure that Len and Ann (sat in front of me) got value for money by running up the aisle and flicking his umbrella at them. It was a great effect, although installing this for just one show is an interesting choice for a small theatre.
So, in some ways, I'm glad I wasn't in the front row.
I enjoyed it. Performances were good. Glad to have seen Philip Bertioli in a lead role and he's due a lot more of them after this performance. Don't go for the food and the venue is rather inaccessible without a car. For the financial outlay, I think there would have to be a show I really wanted to see to go again. With that said, they are doing Top Hat next Christmas, which is a great show, so I could perhaps be tempted by a Saturday matinee if they could sort a system where you know where you're sitting before you turn up at the theatre.
