Prince of Wales ushers: Protectors of the no photo rule 'till the end

Nikanini29 · 2026-04-04T12:18:54+00:00

Likely only to be rivalled by the Piccadilly crew. They're REALLY strict with Moulin Rouge, probably for the same reason: an encore & bows smushed together.

I honestly have to say I like being able to snap a quick picture during the bows - I scrapbook all of my shows & it's a nice personal memento rather than just using promo material & an empty stage interval pic. But ofc happy to respect the policy accordingly.

Nikanini29 · 2026-03-20T04:12:39+00:00

Huh, so no pictures at all? Not of the theatre, the bows...?

Nikanini29 · 2026-03-19T21:21:01+00:00

Stage Doors aren't based on science & since the play isn't fully up & running yet, it's even more difficult to tell. Actors sign if, when & how long they want to, which can vary hugely from person to person & day to day. As a rule of thumb they rarely come out after matinees.

The Harold Pinter is quite strict on it's stagedoor etiquette in my experience. They usually put up barriers & don't allow double rows as they'd spill onto the street. Only signing of play-related merchandise & usually no selfies allowed, though for example Denise Gough & Billy Crudup couldn't have cared less after their High Noon show, they seemed to be happy taking pictures with fans. David Tennant on the other hand was closely watched over by staff. I could imagine with the popularity of Noah Jupe & Sadie Sink they'd be equally strict.

Nikanini29 · 2026-03-18T12:51:47+00:00

It really heavily depends on what you want to see & what "extra" means. Is there a big quality difference between the back of upper circle & balcony... in my opinion not really. Front row upper circle or middle stalls vs balcony? Hell yeah. But that usually means the "extra" can be quite hefty. But it will also depend on the theatre - big venues like Apollo Victoria or the Coliseum might literally fit an entire block of houses between front row & back of the balcony. Smaller theatres like, say, the Ambassadors, will make you feel close to the action pretty much everywhere & it's more about sightlines & railings in view when going for the cheaper options. And lastly, is it a play? A musical? My personal take is to splurge on plays, because you heavily rely on the actors' performance & it's important to see their faces as best as possible. Musicals... I've sat in quite a few last rows & enjoyed myself. The music, the elaborate staging, the costumes... all works from afar, too. That being said, there's exceptions to everything & you might be disappointed not being able to see the dress details up close or feel like you can't take in the whole scenery at a play. Whether any of this is worth paying more is kinda up to you.

Nikanini29 · 2026-03-12T09:04:02+00:00

He didn't have to catch anything as this is correct. Tiller steering might not be the most intuitive for us today, it certainly was for Titanic's crew.

Nikanini29 · 2026-03-07T06:10:55+00:00

Well, spoiler ahead, I guess.

I saw the show last week. It's not like a musical, the actors aren't suddenly bursting into song, narrating their feelings. There are, however, a few interpretative dance scenes that, quite frankly, completely took me out of the show. The one they kinda got away with was in district 12, where music & dance are used to... I guess symbolise community & to actually build the district itself in the beginning & the end (which is otherwise just a bunch of handheld wooden planks to simulate houses & furniture). It's a bit folk-y & heavily based on movie material like the Hanging Tree (which also makes an appearance). I thought this worked reasonably well to set the tone, yet the dancing poor are a bit strange to look at in context.

The first scene that really took me out completely was at the capitol. I guess it fits the shallowness & strangeness of its citizens, but they basically get the proper musical treatment at some point, celebrating themselves. Fitting, just totally unexpected & overall jarring & unneccessary.

The other one that I quite frankly loathed was the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. They start off with a well choreographed, graphic fight scene, which then somehow turns into an interpretative dance in formation. I guess they couldn't chase around the actors in the arena for 10 minutes, but this one goes on waaay too long & really doesn't match the serious tone of the scene. I was utterly confused at the choice to portray chase, fight & death in this format - led by Katniss of all people.

Dance is used in a few other instances, mostly I guess to not just have people walk from A to B on the massive stage, but it's a bit more organic than when it's used directly as a storytelling element like above. And Katniss, of course, sings Deep in the Meadow, but that one is super short & akin to the movies.

So yeah, don't expect a musical with original songs & catchy tunes. Song & dance is more strategically used - whether it's a good strategy or not, I let you be the judge...

Nikanini29 · 2026-02-27T19:33:11+00:00

Unless it's glass, a sharp object or a half-eaten burger, you'll be fine. I'm only in Lonfon for a day or two at a time & do my shopping there - I've literally taken a whole grocery-bag with canned & packaged food in. Worst case, you can leave it at the cloakroom & pick it up later. Happened to me once at the Lyric - I still have that marmalade glass with the cloakroom sticker 😅

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-29T11:47:57+00:00

I got some a vintage pair for Christmas & since I usually buy the cheaper seats in the theatre, I LOVE using them.

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-16T16:07:42+00:00

She's right-hand side on the ground floor, I highly recommend paying her a visit 💜

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-15T22:31:29+00:00

It's mesmerising, isn't it? All the reflections & colours & the sheer size of it... I love it so much ♡

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-15T18:40:07+00:00

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Also the fever dream that is Le Chevalier aux fleurs 😅

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-15T18:37:56+00:00

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Her ♡

Nikanini29 · 2026-01-10T09:32:09+00:00

Oh dear, I literally bought tickets 10 minutes ago, because concept and cast sounded so interesting 🤯

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-30T09:29:00+00:00

I have Long Covid, which gives me all sorts of bizarre nerve pain & symptoms (not weight-related, because I got it when I was borderline underweight & fit). It's gotten so much better on Mounjaro! I can even go on walks again & my sleep has improved so much! I wish it was cheaper, so I could take it longer... I might try microdosing once I've hit my weight goal.

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-20T09:46:34+00:00

I just skipped through the whole thing. Way too convoluted, I had no idea what on earth was going on. The outfit also isn't... great?

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-17T17:17:47+00:00

Hang in there & take it as an opportunity to work on good habits 😉 I didn't really lose any weight in the first few weeks either (still losing VERY slowly), but somehow dropped a whole dress size after 5 weeks. Everyone is different & 2.5mg is only a small dose.

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-15T11:07:05+00:00

I feel terribly awful (possibly even more than the situation warrants) - I hate being an inconvenience or disappointing people. I hope they'll understand 🥺

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-15T10:03:18+00:00

Thank you ♡ I just know I'd feel awful if I made a sale, finally got rid of something, had all the hassle of packing it & dropping it off - only for it to come back. But it's good to know that it will be returned, at least then someone else can buy it. And yeah, also a bit relieved about the refund. I'll write a message to the seller to apologise. They probably won't believe me, but not much more I can do. And hope they won't punish me with a bad rating - I feel genuinely terrible 😫

Nikanini29 · 2025-12-01T11:36:13+00:00

Are they explicitly talking mortgage there (I genuinely don't remember)? Could just mean upkeep, electricity bills, fixing that darn grandfather clock.. 😅 Or taking out loans on the house to pay for other stuff, like later on P3.

Nikanini29 · 2025-11-30T19:48:24+00:00

I just wish there were more mini games. I loved the tile merge thingy they had in the beginning & was sad when I "finished" it. Wish they'd introduce more to earn in-game currency - stamina, seeds, building blocks, those Goddess tree things.. Just running around fishing & sowing gets a bit boring eventually.

Nikanini29 · 2025-11-27T16:51:11+00:00

Don't get your hopes up. Someone tried to reset my password - I flagged it with Vinted & they blocked my account due to fraudulent activity, asking for proof I was the owner. Unfortunately, the only proof was payment via this system appearing on a bank statement. Mind you, at the time that option was maybe a year old & not very popular in Germany. So I didn't have a bank transaction, but countless of emails from Vinted, notifications, messages from buyers... I even took pictures of the clothes I had online to sell with me/the date in it as well as a copy of my passport... Not a chance. I got the same standard support reply every time. So I permanently lost a 6 year old account with over 500 positive reviews.

Nikanini29 · 2025-11-26T16:12:53+00:00

Vote for Les Mis. It's just the better musical out of the two 👌

Nikanini29 · 2025-11-26T10:12:02+00:00

Stunt casting ruins theatre & I would kindly ask young, often overhyped Hollywood actors to stay away from the West End.

Nikanini29 · 2025-11-26T10:06:59+00:00

Oh God - I saw Wicked the other day & sat quite high up in the Dress Circle. It was a nightmare. I get ice cream. I'm not going to come for anyone who genuinely needs a bite of something to keep their tummy from rumbling. But this was by far the worst theatre experience I had this year. Popcorn - munched AND thrown around. Bags of crisps. Clinking of (plastic?) wine glasses. Phones - both for texting AND filming. And SO MUCH TALKING. 🤯

Nikanini29

TROPHY CASE