National Theatre - Olivier
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3.9 (2) |  |
3.9 (1) |
Essential info
| Address | South Bank, London SE1 9PX |
| Box Office Tel | 020 7452 3000 |
| Website | http://nationaltheatre.org.uk/1541/three-theatres/olivier-theatre.html?1265111135 |
| http://twitter.com/NationalTheatre | |
| Map | View in Google Maps |
| Street View | View in Google Streetview |
| Nearest Tube | Waterloo |
| Getting there | Plan your journey there at Transport For London |
| Parking | Parking advice |
| Accessibility | Accessibility info at Artsline.co.uk |
Misc
| Capacity | 1,150 |
| Tiers | 2: Stalls, Circle |
| Seating Plan | Go to seating plan |
| Seating advice | Seating advice from TheatreMonkey.co.uk |
| Theatre Owner | National Theatre |
| Theatre owner's website | http://nationaltheatre.org.uk/ |
Historical
| Current building | 1976 |
| Designer/Architect | Denys Lasdun |
| History | History of the theatre at ArthurLloyd.co.uk |
| Wikipedia entry | Wikipedia entry |
Show Listings for National Theatre - Olivier
Editor reviews
Average editor rating from: 2 user(s)
Build a bridge...
| Overall rating: | 4.2 | |
| Overall rating: | 5.0 | |
| Ease of booking: | 4.0 | |
| Ticket fees & charges: | 4.0 | |
| FOH value for money (bar, progs etc): | 4.0 | |
| Toilet facilities: | 3.0 | |
| Location / transport: | 5.0 | |
| Seating comfort: | 4.0 | |
| Sound & sightlines: | 4.0 | |
| Friendliness / conviviality: | 4.0 | |
| "Hang Out" factor: | 5.0 |
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Venue Review
| Venue review body |
and get over yourselves, NT haters! Maybe it's down to the fact that I have seen the Olivier as my spirtiual home since 6th August 1982 - when I first saw the original Richard Eyre production of GUYS & DOLLS and realised what real theatre is all about - but the Olivier and it's public spaces are for me the perfect setting for a theatre trip. Walking through the door to the stalls is always a genuinely thrilling expereince for me - what I have seen there hasn't always matched that feeling but there are just some spaces that I always enjoy interacting with, no matter what all donkey flop I have to endure on the stage. I must love the place - I haven't taken into account the fact they didn't employ me! |
BETTER INSIDE THAN OUT
| Overall rating: | 3.5 | |
| Overall rating: | 4.0 | |
| Ease of booking: | 4.0 | |
| Ticket fees & charges: | 4.0 | |
| FOH value for money (bar, progs etc): | 3.0 | |
| Toilet facilities: | 3.0 | |
| Location / transport: | 3.0 | |
| Seating comfort: | 4.0 | |
| Sound & sightlines: | 4.0 | |
| Friendliness / conviviality: | 3.0 | |
| "Hang Out" factor: | 3.0 |
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Venue Review
| Venue review body |
Denys Lasdun's concrete mausoleum really is the venue London theatregoers have loved to hate for thirty years, but since its public sector beginnings it has developed into an unavoidable national treasure, and, once you get to know its foibles, you can be quite affectionate about it. Finding an entrance is less of a chore than it used to be, since signage is improved and the external lighting and colourful banners point the way from the river bank. The box office works well online and seat prices tend to be 15% or so cheaper than the equivalent in the West End - plus in the Olivier at least there are no really bad seats. The Travelex sponsorship delivers substantial quantities of seats for £10 to early bookers, and the value is outstanding. Legroom is excellent, the encouragement to use the free cloakroom obviates the need for bags, coats and hatboxes to be strewn round your own and your neighbours' feet - and in this auditorium it's important to keep the floor clear because that's where the air conditioning inlets are ... making the Olivier one of the most comfortable theatres in any extremes of temperature. Apart from the front two rows which have no armrests and are usually sold at knockdown prices, all the mauve moquette-covered seats are generous in width, and the stepping of the tiers usually means that you can see over the heads of the row in front without straining. Sound and sightlines are generally good. The complex is well-supplied with bars, coffee bars and restaurants and even in the interval it's usually not a long wait to be served - often by pleasant bar staff who speak good English. Prices are just a tinge on the upper side of fair, and although programmes are £3.50, they're usually more packed with information and less with advertisements than in Shaftesbury Avenue, and if all you want is a list of the cast's names - that's available for free. On a fine night, accessing the terraces (from the Olivier foyer) gives stunning views of the Thames, the London Eye, and the more graceful buildings on the North Bank (apart from that hideous post-modern monstrosity over Charing Cross station). There's a bookshop, plenty of well-serviced if not recently-renovated toilets, and an air of space and quality not found elsewhere. No wonder it's so popular with people from Weybridge. |
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
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Utilitarian but quite comfortable
| Overall rating: | 3.9 | |
| Overall rating: | 4.0 | |
| Ease of booking: | 4.0 | |
| Ticket fees & charges: | 5.0 | |
| FOH value for money (bar, progs etc): | 4.0 | |
| Toilet facilities: | 4.0 | |
| Location / transport: | 4.0 | |
| Seating comfort: | 4.0 | |
| Sound & sightlines: | 4.0 | |
| Friendliness / conviviality: | 3.0 | |
| "Hang Out" factor: | 3.0 |
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Reviewed by SueFebruary 18, 2010
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Venue Review
| Venue review body |
The Olivier is big and very grey, but despite the auditorium's lack of visual appeal, it offers comfortable seats, great sightlines and good legroom in addition to a technically impressive stage area. The National Theatre has a great amount of lobby space, but also a great number of patrons on a busy night. It has lots of facilities (restaurants, bars and bathrooms), but they generally lack warmth and snagging a seat can be a bit of a trial. I certainly don't harbour any ill will toward the spaces at the National Theatre, but at the same time I don't feel any particular excitement about hanging out there. It is quite utilitarian, much like its architecture. |
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