patrick youssef

Review of Belgrade Theatre Coventry

Went to see Shrek the Musical for my son's birthda...

Went to see Shrek the Musical for my son's birthday.

There is an NPC (car park) about 100 yards away, and on the way there are several restaurants including: Bella Italia, Pizza Express and Cafe Rouge. So if you are hungry before your show, there are a few options. The car park also allows you to pay for Belgrade shows for about 3.50. We went on a Sunday so the price was 1.50. I would recommend looking at the car park charges so you won't be surprised at the end.

Outside of the Belgrade is very nice. It has a nice fountain and greenery. It's nice to see grass and trees in the middle of a city.

Inside, it is very clean and well laid out. You can go from one side of the waiting area to the other in a straight line. No obstructions, so this makes the path flow. On the way is the: ticket booth, bar, toilets and at the other end is a cafe.

There were tables selling: programs, raffle tickets and other food items. The staff and volunteers behind the tables selling the products were very nice and friendly.

We rented a cushion, from underneath the stairs leading upstairs, for 1 pound. It was a good choice as the individual in front of my son was a bit taller so he was now able to see over them.

The actual show, excellent. It was humorous, musical but long. I'll mention why it was long below.

The reason I give it 4 stars:
The pros: It was clean. It has a nice outdoor area for before a show and during intermission to walk around and stretch your legs or have the kids run. There was friendly staff. There was a sign saying how long the show was including intermission.

The cons: The person under the stairs giving out the cushions and selling sweets and ice cream was alone. He was very professional, but it would have been good to have two staff working together. The mic for one of the characters cut out for about 2 scenes. They did fix it, but it took away from the play. A child was crying for about 15 minutes and no ushers asked the family to take their child out. This made the play seem longer as we were trying to focus on the play, but dealing with the family a few rows behind us as well.

I would definitely go again. Take a look at prices and where you will sit as there are two levels and box seats. Prices will be relative so have a look beforehand.