Theatre or Television? The Stage is Still Going Strong!

In ancient days gone by the theatre was one of the only forms of entertainment. Back in the days of ancient Greece the options of an Athenian fun hunter were just the theatre or maybe pulling an oar in a trireme. It only a couple of thousand years for the dawn of the moving picture and television, a revolution of art and a cheaper, easier way to find entertainment.

Does the theatre still hold a bit of magic though?

TV has been fairly great, recent years have seen some brilliant television programs, and drawn millions of views together across the country at the same time has been incredible. Some ardent television fanatics think the theatre has had its day: when a TV is cheap and easily entertaining in your own living room, but a theatre show requires advance planning, travelling into town for a whole evening. And so certain cantankerous individuals might accuse the theatre of being superfluous; why sit through an endless rendition of Hamlet when you could stay in and watch the X-Factor instead? In any case, they may say that surely any good theatre script can be transferred for television, Hamlet itself has seen some great television renditions, from Lawrence Olivier to David Tennant and even legend Mel Gibson.

Those few luddites don't see the magic of the theatre. There is still a grand swathe of the British public who don't believe that convenience is king, they enjoy the spectacle of the theatre. The effort that it takes makes the experience more rewarding, booking ahead builds anticipation, travelling into town and eating dinner out makes the experience into a real unforgettable evening, not like being slouched in front of the TV for the sixth night in a row.

Then there is the spectacle of the stage, better than your living room, indulging in the opulent grandeur of a venue like the classic Palace Theatre in the world famous West End is enough to blow anyone away. The full force and volume of the theatre is a spectacle great enough to blow anyone away, or even to draw them in and pull on their emotions like no little television set can.

So, the television is fun, some shows are relaxing, some shows are distracting and others are a fun way of winding down with friends and family, but nothing will ever compare to the urgency and spell binding grandeur of a West End show.