Britain's most famous theatre stars dread Saturday night audiences

Britain’s most famous theatre stars dread Saturday night audiences who nod off after a day of boozing or retail therapy

• Some of Britain’s stars say they fear the Saturday night slot because of crowd 

A trip to the theatre on a Saturday night can be one of the most eagerly anticipated – and expensive – highlights of any social calendar.

But some of Britain’s most famous stage stars have revealed that they view the Saturday night crowd with a degree of trepidation – because they often fall asleep.

Comedian and actor Reece Shearsmith said that when he starred in hit musical comedy The Producers in 2006: ‘There were rows of people who have finally got sat, having had a long day of trooping around, and they’re asleep. Rows and rows of people, like corpses.’

They tend to have had too much to drink beforehand, or have exhausted themselves by shopping and sightseeing ahead of the show.

Mr Shearsmith told Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon’s podcast, Brydon &, that audiences’ expectations are often higher on a Saturday night, too, saying: ‘Saturday night is often, in theatre, a much harder task than you would think.

Comedian and actor Reece Shearsmith said that when he starred in hit musical comedy The Producers in 2006: ‘There were rows of people who have finally got sat, having had a long day of trooping around, and they’re asleep. Rows and rows of people, like corpses.’

Dame Maureen Lipman, who recently won rave reviews in the one-woman show Rose, also told an upcoming edition of writer Gyles Brandreth’s new podcast, Rosebud: ‘We don’t like Saturday nights in the theatre because that’s when people think they should go to the theatre. It’s always a dumb audience on a Saturday night

‘People have got their arms folded, slightly clenched, thinking: ‘This is the thing we’re doing on our Saturday night – we’ve given you this, it had better be good. Often there’s a tense atmosphere.’

The expectation levels of audiences have also increased because of a rise in ticket prices, which tend to be most expensive on a Saturday night. Since the Covid pandemic, the average top ticket has hit £140.85 – up by 21 per cent from £116.09 in 2019, according to theatre publication The Stage.

Dame Maureen Lipman, who recently won rave reviews in the one-woman show Rose, also told an upcoming edition of writer Gyles Brandreth’s new podcast, Rosebud: ‘We don’t like Saturday nights in the theatre because that’s when people think they should go to the theatre. It’s always a dumb audience on a Saturday night.’

The League Of Gentlemen star Mr Shearsmith said theatre-goers are more likely to fall asleep if the seats are comfortable, as ‘[they] just settle down for the evening’. Fellow comedian Mr Brydon agreed, adding: ‘When I’m on tour and we do the soundcheck I look, and if I see these beautiful, luxurious seats, I’m not happy. Because they’re a night out in themselves.’

Getting the comfort balance right in a theatre is tricky, according to Mr Shearsmith. He said that when Mel Brooks, the creator of The Producers, visited the show, he warned that the auditorium should not have a temperature that is ‘too comfortable’ – but nor should it be too hot. Mr Shearsmith added: ‘The comment around that time was that the theatre was too hot. [Brooks said] ‘People can’t laugh when they are too warm.’ Hot is not funny.’

Of the best West End audiences, Mr Brydon said: ‘I came to love matinees – particularly the Saturday matinee, which I think has an atmosphere all of its own. I think the audience are time-rich. They’ve probably had a little drink over lunch and they know that when [the show] finishes, they’ve got hours.’

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