| Venue name: | National Theatre | Contact: |
|---|---|
| Address: |
South Bank London SE1 9PX |
| Opening hours: | 9.30am-11pm Mon-Sat (12noon-6pm Sun when there is a performance in the building) |
| Transport: | Tube: Waterloo |
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Things to doNational Theatre Backstage Tours
Subservience of form to function is bracingly absolute in Sir Denys Lasdun's building, which was completed in 1976. The Lyttleton sits at the apex of an L-shape, with massive storage areas behind and to one side. This facilitates the repertory system...
Walks and tours Until Thursday October 19 2017 -
TheatreAngels in America
Tony Kushner's landmark 'Angels in America' is a mad, eight-hour quasi-religious 'gay fantasia on national themes' that was written in response to – amongst many other things – the AIDS epidemic that was still raging upon its UK premiere at the National...
Drama Until Saturday August 19 2017 -
TheatreMosquitoes
There's a scene in Lucy Kirkwood's new play in which the entire universe ends. Now, you'll have to take it on faith that that's not much of a spoiler. But it is a fairly solid example of a way in which ‘Mosquitoes' transcends its famiiar set-up of a drama...
Drama Until Thursday September 28 2017 -
Things to doRiver Stage
The National Theatre's River Stage returns to the South Bank for Summer 2017, with another bustling line-up of free live music, dance, performance, workshops and family fun. Weekend evenings will see a varied programme of entertainment take place in front...
Festivals Friday July 28 2017 - Sunday August 27 2017 Free -
TheatreCommon
DC Moore's 'Common' is genuinely one of the strangest plays I've ever seen, a mad, rambling melange of hysterically divergent ideas that occasionally it feels like it conned everybody involved into staging it. I kind of admire its total otherness, though...
Drama Monday July 31 2017 - Saturday August 5 2017 -
TheatreThe Majority
Fingers on the buzzer: Rob Drummond's new show invites the audience to decide its path by pressing buttons at their seats. He'll use their input to navigate some of the most momentous referendums of the past few years, in a show about democracy that'll...
Interactive Friday August 11 2017 - Monday August 28 2017 -
TheatreFollies
Sondheim's 'Follies' is a wonderfully melancholy musical set in the '70s, where a group of faded actors reunite to remember their glory days. And after her wildly memorable turn in Sondheim's vaudeville musical 'Gypsy', it's a great chance to see Imelda...
Musicals Tuesday August 22 2017 - Wednesday November 29 2017 -
TheatreOslo
Important though they were, one doesn’t necessarily think of the Oslo Accords – which started, but sadly hardly finished the peace process between Israel and Palestine – as the obvious subject for a smash hit play. Nonetheless: after great reviews, US...
Drama Tuesday September 5 2017 - Saturday December 30 2017 -
TheatreJane Eyre
After a well-received run as a two-part production at the Bristol Old Vic, Sally Cookson’s newly-condensed adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’ has forged its way on to the National Theatre’s Lyttelton stage.Unavoidably, the first thing that strikes...
Drama Tuesday September 26 2017 - Saturday October 21 2017 -
TheatreSaint George and the Dragon
Rising star Rory Mullarkey makes his National Theatre debut with a drama that draws on the myths that Britain was built on. He'll reimagine the story of George, who slew a dragon and rescued a maiden, into modern day folk tale. But it'll probably be a...
Drama Wednesday October 4 2017 - Saturday December 2 2017
Average User Rating
4.8 / 5
Rating Breakdown
- 5 star:13
- 4 star:2
- 3 star:1
- 2 star:0
- 1 star:0
I have a good tip for the national. Their productions are excellent and often sell out very quickly. However they keep a number of tickets for each production to sell on the day. These go on sale at 9.30am for that evenings performance. I have gone twice for productions where the tickets were in high demand. On both occasions I was first in the queue despite arriving just before 9.30. The seats provided an excellent view (although some are restricted, I believe) and were only £15.
The theatres themselves are wonderfully designed and the view and acoustics are great from almost anywhere. The productions tend to be first rate and the auxiliary facilities in the South Bank complex are fabulous. For consistently high class shows, the National Theatre is possibly the best - in the world, not just London!
Great location, huge range of plays, multiple theatres in the same building, tickets for 15 quid, great seating areas to eat your sandwich first, tap water on all the bars - what more do you want from a theatre?!
After visiting the concrete central of National Theatre, we thought we would visit the Green Room cafe for dinner. It's a cool all glass building looking out onto Southbank market. It has a European menu and I would say the food is average. We ordered wings for starters and they were quite spicy. We asked for something to cool the spice and the waitress never returned till we had almost finished to tell us they didn't have anything. For mains we ordered a lamb hotdog and the cod dish. The cod dish was really fresh as it was served with garden peas and potatoes. The hot dog was not pleasant, the lamb sausage and bun were both very dry.
The service was also quite slow. We asked for water and would receive one at a time, always having to wait for one to be given to us. We let the venue know about this but they said some of the waitresses were still training so we can't really complain.
Perhaps not the friendlist looking place, but step through the doors and it is amazing the vast amountil at the NT offers. Not only has it 3 theatre spaces, offering a variety of cutting edge productions from both produced at the National as well as coming from around the country. It also has no fewer than 4 doffered places to eat including upmarket House restaurant, Terrace and one of the newestate additions, The Green Room which is out the back of the theatre. The NT puts on events outside overlooking the Thames during the summer, has an amazing bookshop and ample public seating with free WiFi. Got to be seen to be believed.
The national theatre puts on epically large productions with beautiful set designs that you can't help be impressed by. I love that they're so openly encouraging to get people from all works of life into theatre thought NT live and their young person discounts. However, my teeny tiny qualm would be that the productions can feel slightly too big - you sometimes loose the beautiful intimacy that you can find in my very favourite theatre (the Old Vic). That being said - a ticket purchase here will never be too far wrong!
An amazing contemporary venue that allows you get up close to stars big and small in a tremendously creative space.
We should all be proud of the Nash - concrete jungle it may be from the outside, step through the doors and you'll find new and classic plays at decent prices, a fab bookshop and some brilliant bars and eateries. A jewel in London's culture scene.
The National is one of the best places to see a play and the way it stages a production is awesome irrespective of the genre. The set designs are innovative, exciting and clever. They have a real variety of productions and consistently change things up. The cafe is also a good place to grab a drink if you’re ever on the Southbank.
It's a special place The National,I have been there countless times and never been disappointed by any show I have seen there. Putting on fine theatre and innovative works,it's a place to visit time and time again.
It also has some great places to eat and drink. Most recently I booked a table at Understudy bar before seeing a play and it was great. serving bite size mains,you can have a selection of hot dishes,ideal for a pre-theatre munch and a glass of prosecco.
It always has good ticket offers so you can get tickets at all prices,making it accessible to all.
A very good gift/book shop too : )
Might be the most special venue in the entire world for me. You could spend the entire day here and fell at home & entertainted. Contantly changing yet stays the most welcoming. It may look like a fortress from the outside but once you step in you just don't wanna leave. Magic space! Happy 52th birthday, btw )
A wonderful space for the public as well as a place to see some fantastic theatre, often at extremely reasonable prices. Really good coffee too!
Nothing like the National! Best night out in London and seeing the inner workings of his great theater is a delight! Don miss it!!
The National never fail in excelling with putting on some first class pieces of theatre. The Travelex season makes it even sweeter, as well as the building being a great example of brutalist architecture, and located in one of my favourite parts of London.
Outstanding. If you haven't been to watch something here yet, you haven't experienced true London. This is how theatre should be done.
