I was watching the US Open Tennis Championship Finals over the weekend and the roof on the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York was closed, because of the unpredictable weather in the Big Apple.
I heard one of the commentators describe the noise levels from the crowd as being so high that they couldn’t hear themselves think. The great Martina Navratilova said that it felt like theatre, because of the roof being closed.
According to the dictionary, a theatre is, “a building or outdoor area in which plays and other dramatic performances are given”. On that basis I can’t disagree with Martina, but to me the size of the venue makes a big difference too. The main stadium in Flushing Meadows, for the tennis, holds 24,000. That feels too big for a theatre, by my definition.
One of my favourite musicals, Les Miserables, will be touring arenas soon, which creates a conundrum for me. Will Les Mis be as good in a big arena?
Back in 1986 I was at Maine Road, Manchester City’s stadium, to see Queen in concert. I was located about as far away from the stage as it was possible to be and I have to admit it felt like I was watching a show taking place somewhere else and that I wasn’t part of it.
I’ve seen lots of shows like that. During the varying restrictions of Covid19, I went to Harewood House to see an outdoor version of Mamma Mia! the musical. I’d already seen it quite a few times in “normal” theatres, so I knew the show very well, but I was sat quite a long way from the stage and found myself watching much of the action on the big screens next to the stage. I enjoyed the show, as I always do, but not as much as when I’ve been sat in the stalls at the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The World of Amateur Dramatics is even more intimate. Often shows are performed in Church Halls or other smaller venues. The great advantage of this, as an audience member, is that you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. My wife loves sitting closer to the action because she says she can see the actor’s faces, which of course are less clear the further you are from the stage. The problem with that, of course, is that the seats nearer the stage are generally more expensive.
The modern trend of the biggest artists and most popular productions is that bigger is better. The singer Taylor Swift is currently on a World Tour, which is exclusively in huge stadiums. My family and I have tickets to see her at Anfield next year, as my son is a big fan and I can’t deny I’m expecting to feel a little disconnected, unless our seats/standing places are close to the stage. On the other hand, there are upcoming AM/Dram performances of “Cats” and “Six” this month at Stockport Plaza and the Forum, Romiley later this month, which I’m looking forward to much more.
Manchester’s professional theatre’s which have Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar and Everybody’s talking about Jamie at the Opera House, Palace Theatre and the Lowry Theatre respectively and the capacity of those three magnificent venues is about right, in my opinion. They each hold around 1,500 and have tiers with a range of prices.
Whether it’s big scale theatre you prefer, of something more intimate, the great thing is there’s plenty of choice. I know what I prefer, what’s yours?
Don’t miss this week’s Break-a-Leg on Tameside Radio 103.6FM, Sundays from 7pm and Wednesday’s from 9pm, my guests include cast from Annie, Cats and Six plus loads of great music. Break-a-Leg
