Swansea Grand Theatre — Restaurant in Great Britain

Swansea Grand Theatre is thankfully one of the only remaining theatres that we have left now in this city of ours. Sadly all the others have disappeared over the years, it is a beautiful old building, which houses inside a very impressive canvas of architecture and design, it is not a huge theatre in size and seating capacity, but it's a very homely atmosphere inside. The stage has been increased and modernised over the years, also the extended Arts Wing complex, with the ground floor bar and restaurant which make it a relaxing place to have a drink or meal, with much improved catering facilities. When open it hosts other small groups of entertainment and outside events using its space on the upper floors. Thankfully new ongoing seating and new carpet has been laid, which it badly needed, But be aware if you are a a tallish person with long legs, choose your seating carefully, it can be a little cramped in the space between some seats, also check you are not in some seats blocked by pillars, but the booking staff are very good in helping you with this. They have an excellent range of shows for all ages and genres, it attracts every type of audience, its extremely popular with the Christmas Pantomime season. But I have to confess, some times it is not as full has you wished it could be, especially on the Opera and Classical events, sadly the National Welsh Opera do not frequent this lovely theatre anymore, which is despicable when you think they are a Welsh company, but can perform outside of Wales. I don't know the reason why this is the case, but it's a huge loss for this Diamond...

A traditional and classy theatre showing great history in a subtle and elegant way. There are constantly shows and plays of all genres acted here throughout the year including 'Hairspray' the Broadway Musical this year and the theatre's own pantomime every year at Christmas and New Year.

There are shows for all ages and tickets are usually at a reasonable price, one or two downsides are the toilet facilities, which are especially busy during the intervals where queing is out of the door as there is only one block of toilets on each floor with around 4 stalls which isn't great, especially when the theatre is full with children needing to go with parents too.

Another small issue is that if you plan to buy snacks or drinks at the theatre, there is only a tiny snack shop with a very small selection of confectionery share bags which are overpriced along with a very small selection of drinks in a small drinks fridge. I would highly recommend buying your snacks and drinks in the large Tesco or Wilko just around the corner before entering to save some money.

There is also another issue which cannot really be fixed at it is part of the design is that the seating is very cramped, especially on the higher levels. If you are any taller than around 5"6, your legs would be very cramped and pushing up against the seat in front of you. If a taller person were to sit behind you, it can feel as though they are kicking or pushing your seat with the pressure of their legs against the back...

Have been here several times this year and each time a different show that has been thrilling o watch and participate in. This time we sat in the stall which was easy access for anyone, though there are a small amount of steps, there is a special access for disabled persons and wheelchair users. This time, there was a man with severe mobility impairment who managed to get access with no difficulty. One has to remember that this is an old building and access may not be as easy for some. Seating arrangements are sufficient for most though there were a few larger persons there this time who struggled (but they were very large bodies). Leg room is not the best but I refer to the era this place was built.. it is to most.. adequate. There is a lift to other floors but one will find that the seating arrangements in the balconies are a little more difficult to navigate and in the 'gods' the stepping is rather steep and care needs to be taken. However. a great place to go to see some excellent shows at a variety of prices, but...