The Maltings has just been refurbished and is looking pretty spectacular now. They seem to be…read moreputting a lot more events on like stand-up comedy and more films, I saw Jason Manford there in April. There is a really good bar downstairs which is open whenever a show is on which is really unusual with big hanging lampshades. the cafe is called the Maltings Kitchen now and is run by david foxton, it is pretty cool too. There is a fairly full amount of events every week, they are open from Wednesday to Saturday all day and evenings, the bar is open from about 6.30 too.

The management, all credit to them, endeavour to attract popular and mildly famous 'acts' to this…read moretheatre. However, even the exciting presence of a B list "celebrity" on stage, cannot disguise the odour of 'musty pensioner' eminating through the auditorium. At the bar, I was asked "glass or plastic" which was not regarding the type of receptacle I preferred for my drink, but in fact, which type of hip replacement I would like so I could join their exclusive members club. Looking around, at the pretentious and sad faced individuals frequenting the pre show bar, I eagerly declined the offer. However, if venturing to a public theatre to drink pots of tea, while wearing a matching, home knitted hat and scarf combo before watching someone on stage that may or may not be worth the ticket price, is your idea of being part of the 'in crowd' then I'd advise that the plastic hip option may be lighter and more economical. Wine gums available at reception.

We went to see the new musical Wild Rose on its second night in The Lyceum Theatre. What a lovely…read moresurprise. The front is modern, it is lovely organised, but the real surprise is inside. This is a lovely little theatre and makes for an intimate performance but at the same time it looks marvellous. A very nice place to enjoy a great performance.

The lion king at Londons lyceum theatre is the best show in London right now I cried most of the…read moreway through it the actors dancers sets staging music just every aspect of the show is fantastic every body concerned with that show deserves an award the highest that can be given in the feild of theatre i hope it runs forever i will never see it again but the memory of that wonderful night will live in my heart forever thank you thank you thankyou to all concerned the best night of my life

The couple that work here are great . Lost my tickets and she got it all sorted for me to get into…read moreconcert

Wow. If you want to buy tickets for a gig, without a doubt Tickets Scotland is the place to go…read more Situated in Rose Street, Tickets Scotland is right in the centre of the city and it is just around the corner from the main shopping street in Edinburgh, Princes Street, and so it is a convenient place to reach. This is the place I always go to every year to buy my T in the Park ticket and I am never disappointed, as one year I left it super late and I phoned up asking for tickets thinking they were going to laugh in my face, but it turns out they had spares - win!! They sell their tickets at the RRP which is good as it means you don't get scammed into buying a ridiculously expensive ticket so it is definitely a safe option to buy your tickets from this store. Tickets Scotland sell a huge range of tickets for concerts and festivals, and I walked past the store the other day and noticed that they are now selling tickets for the Cream Fields Festival. If you want a safe and reliable place to buy concert tickets, Tickets Scotland is without a doubt the best place to go.

We came to see Chicago the musical and it was so fun! This venue is gorgeous and every seat had a…read moregreat view. The inside was ornate and special and the seats were comfy. They had multiple snack and drink bars that were averagely priced - nothing outrageous. The bathroom lines at intermission were organized, with staff trained to keep everyone moving. The show itself was sooo well done and entertaining. There was awesome dancing, singing, acting, and lots of jokes sprinkled throughout for added entertainment. As of last week, you must show a vaccination card at the entrance and wear a mask during the show unless you're eating or drinking.

A really beautiful venue. I went and saw Dynamo here a few weeks back, this was the perfect space…read moreand from the upper balcony we could see everything perfectly on the stage. Lines for snacks and the bathroom can be quite long pre show and during intermission. Very easy to navigate within the venue and the architecture is gorgeous.

Until very recently, I had never actually been to the King's. I'd been to the Playhouse, Festival,…read moreLyceum and Traverse theatres, but not the King's. Time to change that. On Wednesday, I came here to see the new touring production of Dracula, and it was fantastic. The cast, costumes, set and lighting design, down to the special effects all felt like the spectacle of a West End production. It did not feel like a touring production at all, and I can assure that if you catch it on tour, you won't be disappointed. The King's itself is a gorgeous theatre, if not slightly dated. The actual auditorium is beautiful, with a glorious domed ceiling and beautiful ornate box seating areas, but I thought the bar and foyer areas seemed a bit pokey. The theatre is due to close for a major refurbishment in 2021, so hopefully they'll do something about the foyer. The prices for programmes, ice creams, drinks etc are the usual for theatres - slightly overpriced. The in-house programmes are £3.50 which I think is quite a good deal, as the programme for Dracula had a gorgeous design and contained lots of information about the show. I'd imagine that the contents will vary between productions. Ice cream is £3 which is a bit of a rip off to be honest, but it's S Luca so you know you're paying for quality. There is a Scotmid across the street if you want to be cheap. Most theatres tend to have a supermarket chain around the corner, I guess to make trade off anyone who doesn't want to pay extortionate bar prices. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the King's and I can't wait to come back to see some more top notch plays!

I saw a few shows there and I always like to go back for more, not only because I really like this…read moreold theater inside and out. The interior and exterior are both mystic and spooky in its own way. Being one of the last to leave after a show really lets you explore this place. Walk up and down the stairs and take in the presence of old time past. Apparently the theater was founded around 1850 and pretty much still display ,or seem to, all its original features: boisterous chandeliers, large stair cases, red carpets and curtains, amazing architecture and lustrous statues. It is is also true that the seats are not the most comfortable or that it is not always easy to see the screen with people sitting infront of you or that the downstairs hallways are quite tight and could cause claustrophobic feelings. But this should not be a reason to miss out on a spectacular show only because you are not into old places.

Although the original building wasn't designed for it, the Festival Theatre is now the largest…read morestage in Scotland and is the de facto home for opera, ballet and large scale touring musical productions. Seating just a shade under 2,000 people, it also serves as the main showcase venue during the Edinburgh Festival (as you might expect from the name). This location has held a theatre since 1830, and is Edinburgh's oldest theatre site. Resurrected from the old Empire Palace theatre, the restoration involved preservation of the auditorium and not much else. The front of house was replaced by a light, airy glass-fronted façade which, while not exactly sympathetic to the surrounding buildings, is at least an exciting addition to the area. Inside there are spacious foyers, bars, cloakrooms and a cafe area, with a central staircase providing access to all levels. There are plenty of toilets and some function rooms that you can hire for conferences or events.The contrast between this modern structure and the traditional auditorium is quite startling. The backstage area was completely rebuilt from scratch, and the actual stage is enormous - the largest in Scotland - with a side stage and rear scene dock of similar size, enabling it to stage some of the larger European operas that come to the Edinburgh Festival. In 2013 they added a Studio theatre in a new building on Potterrow, providing extra rehearsal space or a smaller performance venue for dance and small companies - a welcome addition and much needed in Edinburgh. Now, a little bit of history for you: The Moss Empires were a chain of theatres around the country, known for their large-capacity wide auditoriums, and many of them still exist, such as the Liverpool and Hackney Empires, and of course there was the infamous (and now sadly vanished) Glasgow Empire. In style they are all quite similar and can seem quite plain architecturally, favouring function over form, compared with some of the smaller more intimate theatres. This particular theatre was originally designed by the renowned (and prolific) theatre architect Frank Matcham; but you would be hard-pressed to recognise any of the characteristic Matcham features, as the building burned to the ground in a disastrous fire in 1911 during a performance by the famous illusionist, The Great Lafayette. Although the safety curtain was lowered, a piece of set prevented it from coming in fully, causing a draught which fanned the fire into an inferno killing Lafayette, ten members of his company, the lion involved in the illusion he was performing, his horse and some stage crew who were unable to escape the stage as Lafayette had ordered all the doors to the stage locked to prevent unwanted interlopers discovering his secrets. His body was soon found in the wreckage and sent to Glasgow for cremation. Two days later however, workers clearing the debris found an identical body, identified as Lafayette by the fancy rings he wore - the original body found was his secret body double, his means of performing many of his illusions. Or was it? Some say that the first body was the correct one, and that his shade haunts the theatre to this day because of the mix-up... His funeral procession through the streets of Edinburgh attracted an estimated crowd of 250,000 people, and he was laid to rest in Piershill cemetery. Because of this tragic accident, legislation was passed requiring all theatres to drop and/or lift the safety curtain at each performance in sight of the audience, just to prove that it is functioning correctly. So the next time you are at the theatre and see the safety curtain being lowered, spare a thought for The Great Lafayette, a real-life tragedy more dramatic than any play.

A great program of both mainstream theatre and more unusual performances such as circus, ballet and…read moreopera. I'm aiming to see at least one new piece of theatre each month this year so I've been here quite a bit because the programme is so good. The building itself is impressive with a glass front so you can people watch from all levels, my favourite is the first floor bar area. Being a relatively modern building there are a good number of ladies toilets so you don't end up spending the whole interval in the queue and still have time to get ice cream. The seats in the theatre are not that comfortable but are OK for most length performances. If you are planning on going to more than two or three shows a year it's worth while becoming a 'friend' of the festival and kings theatre for £39. You get 2 for 1 tickets on most opening nights plus 20% off other performances and discounts in various nearby restaurants. Plus you can book in advance so with some careful planning you can book 18 months of theatre with one year's membership.

I've been to the main Pleasance several times, either as a Festival gig or some other event, but…read morethis was the first time I'd been in the 'Forth' venue. Having collected my tickets and wandered around the packed courtyard for a while looking for it, I eventually found a sign pointing down the back stairs towards the toilet block, where a queue was forming at the basement. Ah, that's handy enough, thought I - until we got in and had to schlep up several flights of stairs to the top floor. I think they mis-spelled the name; it - it should be 'Fourth' for 4th floor!

For eleven months of the year this place is one of the Edinburgh Uni's Student Unions, but during…read morethe Festival in August it's a really popular and well-used venue for comedy and music shows. It's a small venue, I'd say it seats around 20-30 with more room for a standing at the back, so if you're going to see a show here you should get there early! That said, the reason I gave it 3 stars and not 4 is how cramped it is. Even if you do get there early enough to be far enough forward in the queue for a seat, if you're bigger than the average hobbit you'll struggle with the lack of leg room. And this is also where being small is a disadvantage - although you get much more intimate performances here, it'll also be 30oC and really smelly by the time the interval comes around. Which is just as well - there's a bar adjoining the theatre so you can cool down with something cold and alcoholic, and not even have to walk more than a few metres for the privilege. If that bar is full, during the Fringe there's always a beer garden set up in the courtyard outside which is a gorgeous suntrap during August.

Went to this place recently and was very impressed they have films on and live theatre the stage is…read moreon a level with the front line of seats so you dont have to get a crick in your neck looking up There are loads of painting on the wall from the bar to the stage area to buy from local artists The bar does tea and coffee as well as drinks from which they serve generaous measures and ice creams are sold at the other end It has some local companies as well as larger names but is not expensive Well worth a night out

It's quite a surprise that Alnwick boasts such a theatre and cinema. The Playhouse puts on a range…read moreof productions throughout the year including music, theatre, dance and pantomime. Music ranges from traditional Northumbrian through contemporary and even stretches to a decent opera programme. The cinema does tend to concentrate on popular hit films, but they often have one-off showing of great older and foreign films. It's easy to recommend the Playhouse and it's very surprising that Alnwick has such an upmarket and interesting theatre in its midst.

Although it's a bit out of the city centre, this is a great venue for seeing a show. It belongs to…read morethe council, so it's run along much the same lines as the other council-owned Assembly Rooms - functional yet still retaining some of that old-school glamour associated with the theatre. I went to see West Side Story here not long ago, and I much prefer this place to other venues like the Festival Theatre. It's a bit smaller, and so you won't get as many big names playing here, but I've never been disappointed. It has 5 resident stage companies at any given time, but it's also a Fringe venue so if you're up here for the festival you'll no doubt find yourself in here at some point. My one tip... although the council recently spent loads on a refurb, they didn't make the bar area any bigger. If you're wanting a drink during the interval then don't hang about when the lights come back on!

The Churchill Theatre is an attractive and really traditional venue for the performing arts in the…read moreMorningside area. It's fairly grand, and quite a prominent landmark in the area, but still retains its feel of being a local theatre in terms of character and ambience. The first time I came along to see a show here was for my sister's group dancing performance, put on by the dance school she was attending at the time. Watching a show here is comfortable and enjoyable viewing, and the auditorium is cosy, yet at the same time a decent size, so you don't feel too squished in. There are a lot of dance performances here, plus the theatre is used regularly by several amateur theatre companies, so it's a good chance to see something different and up and coming. The Churchill is also a Fringe venue, so is worth coming out to for shows, and if you're not from the city, you'll get to see the bustling and popular Morningside.