royal & derngate theatre

Took my teenage son to see this. Very disappointing. Lame and tired circus acts. Uninspiring music and singing. I have been visiting the theatre for years, the only production I have ever walked out of. The girls dressed as vamps were trying too hard to be sexy and ended up looking as bored as I felt. Very dull. The main character Dr Haze I found very hard to understand, the pitch and tone was all wrong. Promised the most bizarre circus acts on earth, yawn! It failed to deliver. We stayed for the first half of the show and tried to persevere with the second half hoping it would get better. The final straw came when they got a member of the audience up on stage and put a peeled banana between his legs for a cast member who was vertically challenged to retrieve, was I offended, only in as much as I saw the same act thirty years ago in Pizza Hut when an entertainer came in for some ones birthday. It was funny thirty years ago in Pizza Hut, it was pitiful thirty years later on stage in a theatre production. The same vertically challenged cast member flashed his privates throughout the performance, none of the other cast members were required to do this in the name of entertainment, only the dwarf, very 1980's, uncool and abit tragic! Maybe it got better, I couldn't be bothered to find out. Judging by the half hearted clapping from a small section of the rather subdued audience, I don't think I was the only one who wished they had saved their money and stayed at home.

The second time I have seen this company and they were as hilarious as ever. Wonderful evening watching skilful actors making fools of themselves, clever sets and fast action- when they got it "Right"- which they intentionally didn't ! Friends and I laughed our socks off- brilliant evening and a real tonic. Congratulations to the whole team, including those hard working back stage who inevitably appeared front stage at times.Marion S

If you want to laugh and laugh, you should see this production by the group which presented The Play what Goes Wrong. The context is the fable of Peter Pan but the adaptation is outrageously funny. One of the wonders is the ever changing scenery, including collapsing bunks for the children Peter Pan flies in and out but needed a sub at half-time. One of the children is over 70 with a long beard ! The actions are fast and furious..........the rehearsals must have been bedlam but no actors were killed in the process. It is so different to any other production that you must see it, if not in Northampton, then somewhere else !

Dear KitKatReviews, Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about your experience if Oklahoma. Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the near future.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear George G, Thank you for your feedback, we are keen to ensure that the experience is perceived as one which is not thought as very expensive. This year we increased the number of lower price tickets across the Pantomime run. In addition we increased the number of packaged offers across our Food & Beverage range. Where possible we endeavor to benchmark our prices for Food & Drink on the local outlets, and ensure there is a product range suitable for all. We are carrying out further work with our suppliers to ensure we can further improve.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I hope we get to welcome you back soon.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear tazbeano,Thank you for your feedback, we are keen to ensure that the experience is perceived as one which is not thought as very expensive. We endeavor to benchmark our prices for Food & Drink on the local outlets, and ensure there is a product range suitable for all. We are carrying out further work with our suppliers to ensure we can further improve.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the next occasion.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Dennis B, Thank you very much for your review. It is our aim to ensure all our customers are welcomed and well looked after throughout their visit. We take on board your comments regarding the parking, and we will share these with Northampton Borough Council. I would recommend using the Albion Place surface car park, which has a number of blue badge parking bays. These bays are situated closer to the theatre and on fairly level terrain.We look forward to welcoming you back soon.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Anthony R,Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about our productions, and the seated experiences at the Royal & Derngate. We endeavor to benchmark our prices for Food & Drink on the local outlets, and ensure there is a product range suitable for all. We are carrying out further work with our suppliers to ensure we can further improve.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the next occasion.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Doll00,Thank you for your feedback, we are keen to ensure that the experience is perceived as one which is not thought as very expensive. We endeavor to benchmark our prices for Food & Drink on the local outlets, and ensure there is a product range suitable for all. We are carrying out further work with our suppliers to ensure we can further improve.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the next occasion.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Annette W,Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about your experiences at the Royal & Derngate especially around the stregth of the performances. Please be assured that all comments we receive are shared with the team.I look forward to welcoming you back soon.Best wishesRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Puppydog 56,Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about your experiences at the Royal & Derngate especially around the excellent service that you encountered. Please be assured that all comments we receive are shared with the team.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back soon.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Joan C,Thank you very much for your lovely review. It is our aim to ensure all our customers are welcomed and well looked after throughout their visit. Therefore I am delighted that you enjoyed your experience at the Royal & Derngate. We hope to welcome you back in the future.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Christine M, Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about your experiences at the Royal & Derngate especially around the caliber of productions. Please be assured that all comments we receive are shared with the team.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the next occasion.Best wishesRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Brenda M, Thank you for sharing your very kind feedback and completing this review. I was delighted to read your positive comments about your experiences at the Royal & Derngate. We endeavor to ensure that our ticket prices are comparative to our neighboring theatres.Thank you for choosing the Royal & Derngate on this occasion and I look forward to welcoming you back on the next occasion.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director

Dear Superbadrun,Thank you for your feedback.I am saddened to read your review and I am very sorry that you did not have a positive visit.We receive a lot of complimentary comments regarding our acoustics, and I am saddened to learn that on your visit that you felt the acoustics were poor. I sincerely apologise for this, and I can assure you that you have not experienced our ordinarily high standards. I do hope that you have a change of heart and that you are able to visit us once again.Kind RegardsRichard ClintonOperations Director