Salisbury – Arts & Entertainment – Theatres
From the outside, it looks rather odd. It looks like they tried to fit it into an irregular polygonal courtyard; maybe they had to?
It isn’t really fair to judge a theatre from the outside, though. I’ve seen excellent, professional productions given inside buildings not much better than a converted ex-Army Nissen hut.
But, the Salisbury Playhouse is no Nissen hut; far from it. Once inside, it’s spacious but comfortable, There’s a bar and restaurant on the ground floor, but we didn’t eat there, just had a coffee … which was, in my opinion, rather ordinary and somewhat overpriced.
The auditorium is the main thing. Comfortable seats, plenty of space and, above all, steeply tiered. I think the man in front could have worn a top hat, and I’d still have been able to see the stage. I did have a little difficulty hearing the dialogue early on. Whether that was down to acoustics, the actor’s delivery or the fact I hadn’t really tuned in, I couldn’t say. But, it seemed to sort itself out after only five minutes or so, and I was able to settle down and enjoy the performance.
Check out my review of Playhouse Salisbury – I am nomadkeith – on Qype
Travelrat's Travels 
Hi Keith,
A very unusual building I feel for a theatre. If there wasn’t a name on it I would never have guessed what the building was for. I would of loved to have seen the inside, by your description it is very nice indeed, and very well planned for a theatre, with “steeply tiered” seating.
By: magsx2 on November 25, 2010
at 8:13 pm
I’d give it two out of ten for the architecture, too. It looks like someone tried to be quirky and trendy, and failed miserably. But, once inside … the foyer and auditorium can’t really be faulted.
By: travelrat on November 27, 2010
at 9:18 pm