Royal Court Theatre

Theatre, West End Belgravia
5 out of 5 stars
(12user reviews)
Royal Court Theatre
© Helen Maybanks

London's edgy new writing powerhouse

London's premiere new writing theatre, the Royal Court made its name in the 1950s when it was synonymous with kitchen sink dramas and the Angry Young Men, and has scarcely looked back (in anger) since.

The commercially successful reign of Dominic Cooke was famously marked by his stated mission to acknowledge the nature of the Sloane Square theatre's audience and 'explore what it means to be middle class'. The quote probably came back to haunt him, coming to define a reign that was marked by lots of new writing from BAME playwrights, plus such towering West End transfer successes as 'Enron' and the peerless 'Jerusalem'.

Current Royal Court artistic director Vicky Featherstone has taken the theatre down a much more experimental route that frequently thrills but has perhaps endeared her more to artists than audiences. The Almeida and Young Vic having probably overtaken it in terms of influence, though certainly there's a willingness to try something that might not work that seemed to have disappeared somewhat in the Cooke era.

There are two venues, the tiny Upstairs and large Downstairs, plus a welcoming bar kitchen that's a fabulous place to visit for a gander at the cream of London's playwrights and creatives, who inexorably drift through throughout the day.

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Venue name: Royal Court Theatre
Contact:
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Address: 50-51
Sloane Square
London
SW1W 8AS
Opening hours: Check website for tour times and show times
Transport: Tube: Sloane Sq
Price: Various
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  • (© Manuel Harlan)
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    ‘The Woods’ review

    There are woods, a big bad wolf and a lost child… but Robert Alan Evans’s play is a very modern fairytale. Woods and wolves here represent not just dark imagination, but a bleak, all-consuming mental illness. A slithery, shape-shifting thing, ‘The Woods’...

    4 out of 5 stars
    Drama Until Saturday October 13 2018
  • (© Vicky Grout)
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    ‘Poet in da Corner’ review

    Buzzing with Dizzee Rascal tunes and daffy energy, Debris Stevenson’s ‘Poet in da Corner’ is boldly different from the sort of show that usually graces the Royal Court’s main stage. Grime saved her, she tells us. And, with a crew of three performers who...

    4 out of 5 stars
    Musicals Until Saturday October 6 2018
  • Theatre

    ear for eye

    Excellent, upper case-fearing playwright and director debbie tucker green is back at the Royal Court after a string of sparse, intense plays including 'hang' and 'a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun)'. Her new play explores...

    Drama Thursday October 25 2018 - Saturday November 24 2018
  • Theatre

    Still No Idea

    Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence's 2010 show 'No Idea' was a witty, personal exploration of stereotypes and how society sees disabled people. Now, they're revisiting the subject, nearly a decade on, to ask how much has changed. Mixing verbatim theatre,...

    Comedy Wednesday October 31 2018 - Saturday November 17 2018
  • Theatre

    Hole

    After 'Two Man Show', their furious, visual, iconoclastic exploration of gender, RashDash are the toast of the town. Now they're making their Royal Court debut by directing 'Hole', actor Ellie Kendrick's first play. Kendrick is best known for playing...

    Experimental Wednesday November 28 2018 - Saturday January 12 2019
  • Theatre

    The Cane

    Mark Ravenhill's pioneering 1996 debut play 'Shopping and Fucking' was at the shocking forefront of '90s in-yer-face theatre: his more recent Royal Court work includes the equally brutal 2008 war story collection 'Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat' and his 2009...

    Drama Thursday December 6 2018 - Saturday January 26 2019

Average User Rating

4.7 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:8
  • 4 star:3
  • 3 star:0
  • 2 star:0
  • 1 star:0
LiveReviews|12
1 person listening
tastemaker

This is such a sweet little theatre that presents a great variety of plays. The stage is an awesome space and often it's  amazing how it is presented particularly for kids' productions. There is a really nice space for coffees which is perfect for meeting up with friends prior a performance. 

tastemaker

Known as the Court Theatre; one of my favorites in London. Reasonably priced; interesting, contemporary productions and a great bar downstairs. Interior is cozy, quite quirky and very comfy. What else do you need for a great theater experience..

Tastemaker

Lovely little Theatre next to Sloane Square, great plays and a quirky bar. Seats are comfy and staff are friendly. Top tip Become a member and you can get ten pound tickets for lots of shows, failing that Monday's you can get cheap seats!

tastemaker

One of my fav venues in london - personal, intermette and modern. Have seen some fab plays on their £10 Monday deal.

The bar is good too with loads of the stars drinking in their after the show.

Good it's fab

tastemaker

My second favourite theatre in London! All the plays I've seen here have been brilliant, there is a good view from all the seats, they have good cheap tickets on a Monday and the bar is excellent for a pre show drink/dinner. Also it's next door to Sloane Sq station for those who don't like to walk too far!

Tastemaker

HOW? How have I not been to the Royal Court before? It's fantastic. Right next to Sloane Square station it's dead easy to get to. The bar has such a great vibe  and a nice selection of food, We shared a couple of charcuterie/Mezze type platters before the play. After it's lovely as lots of the actors turn up in the bar for a drink and it has a great matey feel. I was surprised to find they didn't do decaffeinated tea but that's a small quibble. It as also nice that there were plenty of toilets and so we didn't have to spend the whole interval queuing.


I am already plotting many many visits back - with my book group, with my children and with any other excuse I can think of and that's without even caring about the plays - but they were great too - see separate reviews!

Tastemaker

Great theatre located conveniently beside a tube station. Has a often rotating list of shows at very affordable prices. The acting is top notch and rivals that of the west-end productions. They have 2 theatres inside, one smaller more intimate one upstairs which I much prefer because it allows for closer proximity to the actors. In fact, there is no bad seat at all in the upstairs place and probably hence why the free seating. The downstairs theatre is large and is fixed seating. The larger theatre allows for larger set builds and larger companies.

Tastemaker

The Royal Court is one of a handful of London's theatres outside of the West-End that would still be considered top rate by theatre-goers and critics. It is well laid out, well catered for (with the bar and restaurant below), it has good views from most of the seats, adequate leg room and, on a hot day, it is nicely cool compared to many other theatres of the same size (very prevalent at the time of writing this review). It has two performance areas; one stage and a studio above that houses the smaller writing talent or the more out there plays.


The stage is a well sized and has been baron and had entire flat complex sets built on it.  The building isn't that old so you can see it has been designed to deal with the occasional ridiculousness of set design in modern theatre. The programme of the theatre has also changed in recent years with the appointment of Vicky Featherstone as Artistic Director. While Ian Rickson and Dominic Cooke (previous AD's) took a more solid, pragmatic approach to new writing, Vicky's is definitely more up and down. The Royal Court has always been built on a strong vision and programme from the AD and it seems Vicky is intent on bringing it to the forefront of modern exploratory theatre. I think this is a good thing but there have been some noticeably average productions come through in recent years. If this is the trade off for new, different, exciting theatre to be made more mainstream, then that is fine with me. 


£10 tickets on the day for Monday performances and £15 rush tickets means the seats aren't solely there for the well to do in the Sloane Square area but beware, if the production is reviewed well or has a big name in it, chances are the run will be sold out. 



Tastemaker

The Royal Court Theatre is a lovely theatre in Sloane Square that looks to be newly refurbished. They have comfy leather seats in the theatre with a good amount of leg room. A large space in the basement makes up the Royal Court Theatre Kitchen. This is a great place for a meal even if you're not seeing a play. There's a mix of couches, tables and bars to sit at and a casual atmosphere where you order at the main bar. The halloumi and mushroom burger that I ordered was delicious as were the chips, fresh from the fryer. There was also a great selection of wines, beers and ciders to choose from. The service was friendly and quick. The only draw back on our visit was that because we went for a pre theatre meal at 6:30, all the seats were taken and we ended up having to stand at a little bar to eat our food. It's best to go earlier or else after 7:30 if possible.

Tastemaker

The Royal Court is a brilliant theatre and it's worth a trip just to have a wander around the interesting building. The bar is also a great place to grab a drink or food, even if you're not seeing a play. The main theatre is one of the comfiest in London, with a mixture of mainly new plays and revivals of provocative writing from the last few decades. The upstairs studio often premieres new work from overseas. A great place!


A good tip - become a member and you get access to £10 tickets on Mondays. The programme here is generally very strong and it's worth taking a risk and booking ahead. And the bar is a great place to hang out before and after productions.


I went to the Royal Court when I first arrived in London decades ago - it knocked me out then and still does now - a proper theatre offering properly stuff - takes some risks but always delivers a satisfying night - great for local drinks and eating pre and post and right next to the tube.