English Rewind - Entertainment: A night at the theatre 🎭

Hello! Andrew here from BBC learning English.

Just so you know, this programme is from the BBC Learning English archive,

and was first broadcast in February 2006 on our website.

And now, on with the show!

BBC Learning English dot com.

It's such a pleasurable experience.

I don't really go to theatre, but that was really impressive.

We came for a special treat.

Oh, I just love the theatre.

Hello, I'm Jackie Dalton. Welcome to Entertainment.

Those were some thoughts from people coming out of Drury Lane, one of London's most famous theatres,

after a performance.

Going to theatre in the evening is very popular with both Londoners and tourists.

And for Malcolm Jones, from London's Theatre Museum, going to the theatre is a very special experience.

Why is that?

I think what theatre is always is live and that's the thing. I mean when you are in the building on that one night

with those people who are on a stage, whether they're dancing, whether it's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,

Hamlet or a modern play about a very difficult subject, it's always that experience that only you

and those people on that night are ever sharing it.

Malcolm says that what makes going to the theatre so special is that it's live with people actually on the stage.

He uses the phrase 'and that's the thing.' He means 'that's what separates it from other experiences'.

Here's that phrase in a sentence: 'That's the thing about him; he's really friendly.'

He says that going to the theatre is about sharing the experience with other people in the audience.

Here's Malcolm again, with more on why the theatre is a special night out.

There is a sense of danger because  actors are there live in front of you.

There is that sense of something is happening in this space, but it's about audience and actors together.

It's not just about watching great actors on a stage, it's about the dualog that goes on between these two groups of people,

performers and watchers.

There's a feeling of danger because the actors are live on stage and something could go wrong.

They might forget their lines.

Malcolm sees theatre as being 'a dualog'. That means 'a conversation between two people'.

'dualog'

The prefix 'dual' means 'twofold' or 'double', like in the word 'dual carriageway', which is 'a two-lane motorway'.

'dual carriageway'

What about when there's just one person? Well, that's 'a monologue.'

'monologue'

'a monologue' is 'when only one person speaks on stage'.

'monologue' and 'dualog' are both theatrical terms.

Anyway, a performance, according to Malcolm, is about this conversation

between the audience in the theatre and the people on the stage.

Let's see how people coming out of a theatre in London feel about going to the theatre and the show they've just seen.

Absolutely entertaining. Wonderful!

I thought it was absolutely brilliant, yeah, very funny.

It was wonderful. We enjoyed it. We had a wonderful time.

I usually prefer serious plays, but um, this was excellent.

No I couldn't see it very well, so...

It was very well done actually.

These are just some of the things you might say to describe a night out:

'Absolutely brilliant!'

'Very funny!'

'We had a wonderful time.'

'I usually prefer serious plays, but this was excellent.'

'I couldn't see it very well.'

'It was very well done.'

BBC Learning English dot com

But for Malcolm Jones, not enough people go to the theatre these days.

Why does he think that is?

There's no getting away from the fact that I know people who feel that it's difficult.

They don't know how to go to the theatre is a great thing. Do I have to, I have to book in advance?

I can't just go like the cinema and buy a ticket before the performance.

Well of course you can in a lot of London theatres, providing it's not sold out.

But there is a sort of a fear of going to the theatre that people sometimes sort of have,

simply things like ticket prices, which in a lot of West End theatres are very high.

Malcolm says there are a couple of  things that prevent people from going to the theatre.

They think they have to book tickets in advance

and don't realise that you can just buy a ticket at the theatre before a performance.

Also, the ticket prices are very expensive in London,

but there's only one thing that can really stop you from going to a show.

Listen again to see if you can hear what it is.

I have to book in advance. I can't just go like the cinema and buy a ticket before the performance.

Well of course you can in a lot of London theatres, providing it's not sold out.

Yes of course, you can't go to the theatre if the tickets have all been bought, or are sold out.

I went to the theatre to buy a ticket,  but unfortunately it was sold out.

So there are reasons why people aren't choosing to spend their night out at the theatre.

Still, some kind of shows attract lots of different people.

A very wide social group of people I think go to musicals to enjoy them,

and for birthdays, for a good night out.

Musicals are very popular, and on that note, I'm off.

I've got tickets for tonight, and I wouldn't want to miss it!

BBC Learning English dot com