Located in the shadows of the world famous Tower Bridge (which crosses the Thames in Central…read moreLondon), the Bridge Theatre is hosting an excellent production of Guys and Dolls through a large part of 2024.
My wife discovered that this London production of 'Guys and Dolls' had an interactive part, where as part of the audience, one can be on stage at the same time as the performers. The 'standing' tickets actually cost less than the sitting areas (£39.50), so we bought them directly on the Bridge Theatre site a couple months before.
We took the Tube from Leicester Square, via St Pancras station, getting off at the London Bridge station. It was about a 15 minute walk to the theater from there. The theater has a beautiful view of the Bridge, definitely iconic.
We were allowed inside, about 90 minutes before the start. The ground level has a large bar, and definite sitting areas (though far less seating than there are audience members). There is a coat check in the back, and for folks standing, it is required that you check your coats and bags for the safety of everyone. They try to keep the theater as cold as possible for the benefit of the hard working actors.
We were allowed inside the stage about 30 minutes before the 7:30 start time. They had recreated 1939 New York, with various hawkers of wares, interacting directly with the audience. You can wander around the stage, and buy things like pretzels, hot dogs, cheap prop hats, bottled water. and programs. We bought a hat and a hot dog (each £5). There were also cafe tables set-up, which early arrivals could use to sit down and rest/prepare.
A little before 7:30, workers came around to clear out the tables, and put us in places. This is when I realized that the cement floor was actually a series of hydraulic lifts, capable of going as high as 5 feet in some places. The play started exactly on time.
Words can't really describe the experience as the play. From our vantage point, the closet thing I could imagine would be to have standing room, pit seats for a rock concert. It was unique for me, not ever participating in such a thing...it was crazy being that close to the performers, sometimes being less than 3 feet away. The acoustics were different...initially dialogue was hard to understand, but your ears/brain gets used to it. Plus, the story isn't that complicated. One thing to note is that there is a burlesque show during the intermission...it states that its appropriate for 9 and over, but many parts of it would definitely be PG-13 (at least in the States) for being that close.
Different parts of the floor would constantly go up and down, and "policeman" were constantly doing crowd control, moving people here and there. You really can't stay in one place (unless you decide to use the outside walls as a prop), and depending on your luck, you can be right below where the performers are acting.
It was a long play, with a 20 minute intermission. The most recognizable song was "Luck be a Lady, Tonight", song by the male lead right after intermission. The whole thing lasted over 3 hours, and even included a afterparty where some performers partied with the audience. It's a long time to be standing, so make sure you bring your comfortable shoes. But if you can do it (and don't mind a little jostling), this is absolutely the way to go. And it really makes you appreciate the talent and dediciation (and athleticism) of the actors. I would do this again in a heartbeat (for a different play).