Palace Theatre

Based on my last experience I'd give it 1 star but overall I know that would be super unfair. For a long time I think I romanticised the idea of this venue, it could do no wrong but the reality is it's not actually all that. The building is stunning and steeped in history, that itself is profoundly beautiful but reflecting on the actual experience of seeing a show here, it can be hit or miss.

Pros:
Many, many amazing shows passing through
The building itself
The history
The stage
Location
Cloak room
Concession prices on tickets
Merchandise stall for those that want a souvenir

Cons:
Can be very noisy during a show (can hear the dryers from the toilets, mobile phone interference affecting the speakers, ushers don't really tell noisy customers off)
Limited leg room
Certain areas have very restricted views e.g. mid/back of the stalls
Expensive drinks and snacks
Tickets can be overpriced

I'm an avid theatre goer and have seen so many classics here, I will not stop going but I think things needs to be tightened up. Going to the theatre is a real treat, anything that brings the experience down needs addressing.

A beautiful grand old theatre, with the capability of staging some of the biggest and grandest shows out there. The seating is somewhat old, so is cramped in parts, especially in the circle and upper circle, but given that the building is listed, it's not likely these are to be changed, but they have made efforts to make more of the theatre accessible for the lesser abled etc.

The costs within the theatre are hilariously high. There are multiple bars and lounges, which is pleasant, but the tiniest pot of ice cream you can imagine is £3.50, and even bottled water is more than £2.50 for the smallest size. Other refreshments and confectionery are equally extortionate, meaning that even though you can now "order from your seat" (by holding a menu in the air to get someone's attention) the Sainsbury's Local across the road does a roaring trade when a show is on at the Palace!

There is nearby parking available via NCPs and street parking, as well as some cheaper parking a short walk away.

Palace Theatre Manchester city centre

I have been coming to this theatre for over seven years now and every production I have seen here has been wonderful!! The theatre has got a lot of character inside. The seats aren't all that comfortable but what do you expect. This theatre has had lots of West End productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Priscilla Queen of the desert, the list just go on

I couldn't even count the times I've been to The Palace Theatre!! I've seen some amazing shows here.

Tickets to see most performances will be expensive, especially if you want the really good seats - I remember paying at least £65 per ticket for front circle for both Wicked and Lion King, but always worth it in my opinion.

The Palace is an old theatre, and because of this has some amazing features! But along with that comes the fact that their is little leg room and actually finding your seats means walking down some very steep stairways.. Especially if you're in the grand tier!

I see as many musicals as I can when they tour to Manchester and I always love the palace.

Last year for my Mum's birthday I surprised her with tickets to see 'We Will Rock You' at the Palace. Until then I'd walked past the Palace so many times, I'd been frustrated with the slow-moving children with their pompoms coming out of High School Musical and clogging up Oxford Road and I'd bought gig tickets from the theatre box office, but there had never really been anything I'd wanted to see there. I was intrigued.

On buying the tickets I asked about the 'limited leg room' warning on them (they were the cheapest seats at around £25 a ticket). I was assured that they would be fine for 'normal-sized' people, but remained a bit worried that we'd be stuck with people's knees in our backs with a view of the corner of the stage where no action was taking place. How wrong I was. Although we were towards the back and towards the edge we all still had a full view of the stage and could hear every word of every song.

The Palace is exactly how a theatre should be - complete with gold and red décor, long toilet queues, little binoculars, even littler tubs of ice cream on sale at the interval and the high probability that when you partake in the standing ovation, your overpriced programme will plummet to its death below. The Show Must Go On.

For me this really is Manchester's most charming theatre with a grand opera house (or gaudy music hall - depending on your view) crammed into a relatively small space but rising high into the vaults. I've seen opera, musicals, theatre, contemporary dance and this time, Avenue Q all performed expansively on this improbable stage. Affordable and central, it it always a great treat.

The footlights, the spotlights, the laughter, the tears... There's no business like show business!

The Palace is a stunning venue that is visited by all the biggest touring shows. The historic building does mean a few tiny compromises. We're a lot taller than our victorian relatives, the leg room is a little tight, but the plush red and gold interior makes up for it.

One word of warning is the price of drinks and sweets. I know this is how the venue makes its money (the ticket money mostly goes to the show producers), but I honestly think it puts a lot of people off. Once you're in you are a captive audience so a gin and tonic is £6. Be careful to with the wine. Ask for a glass and you'll be given a choice of a few, but they vary vastly in price!!

But you're there for the show, so sit back and enjoy some wonderful live entertainment!

What a fantastic night at the Palace Theatre, sat comfy in the VIP lounge having drinks and nibbles before the show. The Bodyguard was brilliant from start to finish very emotional. Well done Alexandra Burke and the rest of the cast. Truly amazing.

Now this is a proper theatre!
Feels haunted? Check!
Gives you vertigo? Check!
Red velvet and gold EVERYWHERE? Check
There's something about going to an old theatre that the new young pretenders could never hope to replicate. The drama, the romance, the scary toilets, it just can't be beaten.
I've only been the once but I did it right and went to see Bill Bailey ("Halal, is it meat you're looking for?"!!! Genius).
I enjoyed the whole experience, the seats where a little small and if you end up high in the cheap seats as I did, it takes a little time to relax and convince yourself that you aren't going to fall to your death, but as long as the act is engaging enough such small problems will quickly dissipate.

Im a huge fan of Musicals, and thank you for the Palace Theatre for bringing so many good shows to Manchester.

Manchester Theatres seem to do really well in getting the great shows what they have in the West End and sometimes gets shows prior to them going to the West End.

Ive seen numerous shows at this wonderful theatre including Joseph and his amazing dreamcoat,Mamma Mia,Les Miserables,Wicked,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and loads more.

The Theatre itself is very grand and is set on 3 levels, the stalls, circle and upper tier, we always go for the stalls tickets, but the prices range from low to high depending where you want to sit, the best thing to do if you can is to visit the box office which is open from 12pm-6pm monday to friday and they will tell you what is available at what cost and make sure to book early to get a great view!

The whole of the theatre is very well run from the ushers to the box office staff, The seating in the theatre isn't that bad compared to some theatres I've been in and seem to be quite comfy.

I will continue to visit this wonderful theatre to see more of the wonderful they bring for years and years to come.