"Great facilities and well organised and helpful staff."
"Fully accessible for wheelchair users (loo, entrance, doors, lifts) and not ostentatious, it makes you feel included and not 'special'."
"Top tip! There are toilets upstairs if you find yourself in a long queue."
"All very Covid secure now but done with charm and efficiency."
"It also has balconies and a bar on each floor."
"The Cafe and bookshop are helpful for the waiting time."
"There are plenty of entrances and easy access to restrooms and refreshments."
Cons:
"The decision to lock the toilets upstairs until the show started was odd as you either had to go back down or wait until the seats were opened meaning people were queueing longer indicating a general disorganisation."
"Poor signage makes navigating the site more difficult than it need be."
"Signs to find it was a little too small so I ended up wandering around before finding the entrance."
"The only problem is that the center aisle lacks handrails for those physically handicapped like myself."
"Much of the public space is beginning to look tired. Carpets are worn; lavatories overcrowded; lifts not always reliable."
"Expect to have to put your bag in the cloak room if it's bigger than a handbag though."
"Nice show, not very disabled friendly, the show we visited was just steps everywhere."
Location & Design
Pros:
"Cool location on the South Bank near to Waterloo station."
"Due to its modern design we didn't feel crowded."
"The National theatre is a truly lovely building. Always great plays/shows, good café, bars etc and makes for a great meeting place even if you are not seeing anything."
"Iconic brutalist architecture. Top notch shows and excellent eateries for all budgets."
"The brutalist architecture is stunning."
"An outstanding building both inside and out! This incredible brutalist building dominates the area."
"The architecture is amazing."
Cons:
"The Olivier theatre has all the charm of a Walmart."
"However, I have to say it left me a little cold."
"From the outside it's a concrete monstrosity as are the Festival Hall etc its neighbours."
"The actual building it’s a bit of a concrete block from the outside."
"Prime slot in Central London on the river and unfortunately it has hardly any windows so you are sitting in a concrete bunker."
"The intimidating and uncompromising exterior masks a spacious interior."
"The architecture you will either love or hate, but regardless the internals are all highly modern."
Seating & Comfort
Pros:
"The Olivier Theatre is a terrific auditorium: excellent views, even from cheap seat and clear acoustics."
"Comfortable seats and plenty of leg space compared to many theatres."
"However inside it's clean with a good bar, staff and most important, comfortable good sized seats with more than adequate leg room."
"The seats are roomy and you get good views."
"No obstructions, comfortable seats and always a good view of the stage from anywhere on the auditorium."
"All of the chairs in the Olivier and Lyttleton Theatres are super comfy and I have yet to find one with a restricted view."
"The chairs are on the large side for a theatre and really comfortable."
Cons:
"After a 3hr show, the chairs were a little uncomfortable."
"Only downside is the carpets on the stairs are getting worn and slippery."
"In the seats, themselves, you're rammed in like battery chickens."
"The seating in the auditorium was compact. Very little leg room."
"One criticism.... the hugely long queues for ice-creams and non availability of flavours once we reached the front of the queue ... v sad."
"We saw Jack Absolute Flies Again which we thought was excellent. We love the National Theatre, but there are so many stairs to the dress circle of the Olivier."
"It was horribly uncomfortable and after an hour I didn't care what was happening on the stage."
Staff & Service
Pros:
"Great facilities and well organised and helpful staff."
"All the staff were very friendly and helpful."
"The bar staff are great."
"The people who works there, are so nice and helpful 😊"
"Staff are always helpful."
"The service here is always helpful and friendly."
"Friendly and welcoming staff."
Cons:
"Unfortunately the experience was marred by an exceptionally rude front of house staff at the reception desk."
"The people working there... have some training needed in terms of customer service."
"Staff seemed disinterested."
"One point docked for the staff, some of whom are extremely rude."
"The Front of House and Box Office staff were absolutely horrendous. SO rude."
"Cafe staff need a little nudge in customer liaison skills, too grumpy and brusque for my liking."
"The bar staff are very rude, Especially the brunette, me and my guest waited for 8 minutes while the bar staff had a jolly laugh with other members of staff outside of the bar completely ignoring us."
Food & Beverages
Pros:
"I had a delicious hot chocolate mixed with cointreau."
"The food and drinks are a reasonable price."
"Inside you will find a great little cafe with lots of delicious things to eat and drink."
"Great food options, drink options, and show options at great prices."
"There are numerous food options, ranging from the expensive restaurant to the reasonably prices healthier fast food options."
"Drinks and refreshments were very good."
"Everything we ordered was yummy, the kids had a ball, very family friendly."
Cons:
"Food and drinks were expensive and lacking in option."
"The three stars is partly down to the lack of food options once inside the venue."
"The bar is ridiculously expensive. 2 drinks (singles) and a bag of crisps cost £26."
"The bar is a bit of a joke when it comes to queues and prices."
"Refreshment prices are rather extortionate, a packet of crisps were approx £2."
"The corporate evening has no vegan options."
"Gift shop was VERY expensive. Probably won't go back any time soon."
Value & Pricing
Pros:
"Love the productions on the National, always great quality of acting for ridiculously low ticket prices."
"Great seats (last minute) reduced from £56 to £20."
"If you book early they offer good discounts."
"Tickets start from £20 which makes it accessible for everyone."
"National Theatre offers affordable tickets starting from £10 to selected plays which is great way to attract more audience!"
"And the ticket prices are so reasonable."
"Book your seats cheap, for there isn't a bad seat, nor a lack of leg space."
Cons:
"Drinks and snacks are expensive but hey."
"The bar is ridiculously expensive. 2 drinks (singles) and a bag of crisps cost £26."
"Gift shop was VERY expensive. Probably won't go back any time soon."
"Wonderful but expensive. I've been attending the National and seen some amazing theatre. Since retiring I go along to watch the matinee on standby. They used to be great value at £15 tickets, but now they are £31!"
"The corporate evening has no vegan options."
"Refreshment prices are rather extortionate, a packet of crisps were approx £2."
"The bar is a bit of a joke when it comes to queues and prices."