Maltly Theatrey.


This evening's debut Maltings Arts Theatre Mostly Comedy was an enjoyable way to kick off our St Albans dates.

My prevailing post-gig thought is it felt like a perfect fit. The auditorium is extremely comfortable to work in, and perhaps the most focused space where we’ve presented the club, with the Market Theatre or Leicester Square Theatre at a very close second-and-third place. While there are lots of positives about the Sun, the biggest stumbling block is how easy it is for the audience’s focus to be lost, particularly when the performer isn’t a well-known one with an instantly recognisable rhythm. It’s a vast, high-ceilinged room with a tiny stage in the midst of a wide wall, with so much potential for distraction. Our techie Paul does an excellent job of lighting it to make the best of what we’ve got, but despite the definite improvement since we first started there, it’s still lacks the cohesion to be a great performance space.

Theatre’s where the performers work 'on the flat' - like the Maltings is - often feel a little weak and anticlimactic, but the set-up here is just right. There’s a sense you have nothing to work against, which is always a bonus, particularly when trying new ideas (which I did about ten minutes-worth tonight). You’re not fighting for attention, plus the room’s just the right size for a good reaction to spread; tonight’s gig was about half-full, but it didn’t feel like it. Both Arthur Smith and Barry From Watford went down a storm, and Glyn’s and my stuff went well too. It was a very promising start, with just the right line-up. It makes me excited about the two remaining dates we’ve currently confirmed (the second of which with Reginald D Hunter and Hattie Hayridge is selling rapidly). The only negative I see is that performing comedy in such a nice space makes me wish we can transfer all the best bits to the Sun too; that’s nothing against the Sun as a venue, but when it’s pitched against a well-equipped theatre, it can’t compete.

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