Edinburgh Playhouse — Attraction in City of Edinburgh

I recently had the absolute pleasure of visiting the renowned Edinburgh Playhouse, and I cannot emphasize enough what a fantastic experience it was! From the moment I stepped foot into this magnificent theater, I was blown away by its grandeur and charm. However, what truly made my visit extraordinary was the exceptional service and assistance I received from an extraordinary employee named Kate Bubb.

Kate Bubb, without a doubt, is an embodiment of professionalism, warmth, and genuine care for every visitor who crosses her path. From the very beginning, she greeted me with an infectious smile and a warm welcome, making me feel immediately at ease and excited for the evening ahead. Her passion for her job and the theater industry as a whole was evident in every interaction we had.

Not only did Kate possess an extensive knowledge of the theater's history, shows, and events, but she also went above and beyond to ensure that my experience was nothing short of perfect. She patiently answered all my questions, offering valuable insights and recommendations that helped me make the most of my time at the Playhouse. Her enthusiasm for the arts was contagious, and she exuded a genuine love for what she does.

What truly impressed me about Kate was her extraordinary attention to detail. She took the time to understand my preferences and interests, tailoring her recommendations to suit my tastes. Her insightful suggestions led me to discover hidden gems and shows I may have otherwise missed. It was evident that she genuinely wanted me to have a memorable and enjoyable experience, and she spared no effort to make it happen.

Throughout the evening, Kate was readily available, always wearing a bright smile and radiating positive energy. Her commitment to providing exceptional customer service was remarkable. She took care of every aspect, ensuring that I had a comfortable seat, easy access to amenities, and any additional assistance I might require. Her warm and friendly nature made me feel like a valued guest rather than just another customer.

I must also mention the fantastic atmosphere at the Edinburgh Playhouse. The venue itself is breathtaking, with its exquisite architecture and rich history. The seating was comfortable, offering excellent views of the stage from every angle. The sound and lighting were flawless, enhancing the performances and immersing the audience in the magic of theater. It was a testament to the Playhouse's commitment to delivering top-notch entertainment experiences.

All in all, my visit to the Edinburgh Playhouse was an unforgettable journey, thanks in large part to the exceptional employee, Kate Bubb. Her passion, knowledge, and unwavering dedication to providing outstanding service made a profound impact on my experience. I left the Playhouse feeling exhilarated, inspired, and deeply grateful for the opportunity to witness such incredible performances in such a remarkable setting.

To anyone considering a visit to the Edinburgh Playhouse, I wholeheartedly recommend it, and I urge you to seek out the remarkable Kate Bubb. Her expertise and genuine care will elevate your theater experience to new heights. Edinburgh Playhouse and its exceptional staff, led by Kate, are a shining example of excellence in the arts and...

TLDR A complete trainwreck. Basically, do not go to the Playhouse if you want a nice evening where you can chill and listen to some music. It was horrendous, people talking during performance and very poor customer service. It was extremely disrespectful to the audience and the musicians. Honestly the worst theather experience I have had in my life, way worse than my sketchy village theater where 10 year olds interrupt films every 5 minutes.

Let's set the scene. It's a beautiful Friday evening, I'm really excited to see the opera Carmen at the Playhouse, it's been a long week and just want to chill with some Bizet quality music. I don't think it's too much to ask. My partner and I arrive at the gates and our first interaction sets the mood for the evening: we are asked by security to empty our water bottles into this bucket full of questionable looking liquids. Early warning sign: this venue clearly has an alcohol issues. I have been to many venues in Edinburgh and this is the first time they make me do this.They clearly want to squeeze as much money out of people as possible with alcohol sales at the bar. We go in, and find our seats. We had seats on the stall on the second to last row. Now, I did know when getting the tickets that this wasn't gonna be a great seat, and it said limited view on the ticket. I would have imagined that this was just not seeing all the stage, but YOU COULDN'T SEE THE SUPERTITLES. At an opera, this completely desengages the audience, you need the supertitles. These tickets shouldn't have been on sale. What a joke. Never been anywhere where you can't see this. As the theater fills up it starts getting more and more noisy. I thought that it would stop once the performance started, but no. During the overture, people were still sitting down and talking. When the first act started, people were still doing the same. Actually, during the entire performance people were getting up and talking. It was extremely distracting. The staff members didn't do anything about this. The only thing they did what flash lights at people with phones, which was even more annoying that the actual phone.

When the second act arrived, it was again a nightmare. There was a couple in front of us who just would not shut up. They were quite drunk and kept bringing in more drinks for the bar. It was unbelievable. Everyone was shushing them but they kept going to the point where it was disrupting a large portion of that side of the theater. I can't believe that they weren't asked to leave.

Basically it was a complete disaster of a night. I just took it as a social experience. Not much else I could do.

PS The production of the opera Carmen was rather poor and would also recommend people to not go to any Ellen Kent productions. They are tacky and lacking musical quality. But that's material for...

general theatre experience worst I have ever had. Made it very difficult to enjoy the show. Avoid this theatre if you can.

TL:DR Very poor sound, cramped seats, and rude security at door, enforcing all water and juice bottles to be tipped into a bucket if not sealed. No other water supplied until you go to the extremely busy bar to fill up bottle again yourself. I can applaud bag checks for security reasons/not allowing own booze in (licensing), and this is great procedure, especially for busy weekend shows, but this was the afternoon and an elderly women was made to tip their tiny water bottle away in front of me and expected to make her way to the bar herself. The security were not budging on this, and it was extreme, off-putting and bizarre. This is not an arena show or music festival it’s the theatre. And it was very clearly water.

This of course a not subtle attempt to sell more drinks at huge prices, and get you into the bar. The security staff by the way couldn’t care less about anything else in your bag. Only liquids.

when I questioned this I was simply told ‘I don’t make the rules’. Whoever does make them needs to take a look at themselves.

Not to mention the disgusting waste of water and juice I saw sloshed in plastic ice buckets at the door. Environmentally problematic, and unsafe for many to be without hydration for so long in such a cramped place.

If you refuse to let someone in with their own water bottle there should be water filling stations as soon as you go in for all to access easily and quickly. And staff on hand to help ideally. But I truly think the playhouse don’t care about customers. They get away with this policy by ‘offering’ water some places (bar), but the reality of getting this for many is unrealistic in a busy environment. Not to mention if you had any other access needs or requirements. And they don’t care.

Playhouse as it is now lets down theatre in Edinburgh. I’m sure the staff are all trying their best with what they have to work with and it’s no dig at the ushers and bar staff and door team. But the structure of this place is truly awful and it desperately needs overhauling. We want to encourage everyone to come back to theatre after covid not completely put them off.

People save up for years sometimes to afford a night out with their family at the theatre to see a big show in Scotland and this is what they get?

As the biggest venue in Edinburgh it has got away with so so much for so long. It is greedy to the core, but guess has the monopoly on large venues for big shows in Scotland so continues to make a lot of money at the expense of people. Not ever...