Yesterday evening, I went to see Bleak Expectations at the Criterion theatre in the heart of Piccadilly. It’s a (hilarious!) comedy play, from the writer of the radio show of the same name. There was a lot to enjoy about the show, but for me the standout performance was Marc Pickering as the Hardthrashers. Julian Clary was a force of chaos as usual, and the over-the-top performances from everyone really drew me into the ridiculous story.
In terms of hearing accessibility, the theatre advertises that they have a Sennheiser infrared system, and offer receivers with either a personal telecoil or in-ear headphones. They also have a telecoil system available in the foyer for the box office.
Unfortunately the last few days have been “bad hearing” days for me, to the degree that I was struggling to understand my wife talking to me. This did not bode well for the number of upcoming shows we have, and especially not for a play! However I was determined to make the best of it, and enjoy the show as much as possible — if nothing else, I could appreciate any physical comedy.
It was really helpful to know ahead of time exactly what capabilities the theatre provided. This meant that I could plan to bring over-ear headphones that I know work well for me, instead of having to adapt at the theatre and possibly remove my hearing aids in order to use earbuds. High marks for advance information.
We arrived at the theatre about 20 minutes before curtain, and chatted with a member of the front-of-house staff to find out how to get an assistance device. They immediately directed us to the dress circle “Click and Collect” bar, and I could see the receivers at the back.
There are two types available: an in-ear stethoscope headset, and a personal loop with headphone socket. I went with the personal loop version, so I could plug in my own headphones and I was able to leave the loop part at the bar. There was no queue, so there was almost no delay in getting the receiver. The staff member didn’t seem surprised by my request, and had no hesitation in checking whether I knew how to use it.
Once reaching our seats (dress circle, C27-28), I quickly set up my headphones and plugged them in. There was some pre-show music which was fairly quietly streamed to the receiver from the beginning, and I had to turn the receiver on when getting to my seat. It’s also a good idea with this model to check the “balance” dial on the back, to make sure the left/right audio balance is to your taste.
During the show, I found the audio through the receiver to be clear but very quiet. Some things were easier for me to hear through the receiver, but some were easier to hear “live” without my headphones. Because of this kind of mixed usefulness and the especially bad state of my hearing at the time, I didn’t mention anything to the staff at the interval.
All in all, the show was enormous fun and full of joy, and I hope to see it again before it closes. There were a lot of laughs, a lot of silliness, and it was just the thing to help my wife relax after a stressful couple of days.
If we do see it again, then I may be able to get a better idea of the sound quality from the hearing assistance system, or ask my wife’s opinion on its effectiveness.
Ratings
| Advance information | ★☆☆☆☆ | No information about hearing assistance on their site, and SOLT was outdated. |
| Technology | ★★★★★ | Radio system, which is the best and easiest to use. |
| Sound quality | ★☆☆☆☆ | No speech or vocals, just the orchestra. |
| Convenience | ★★★☆☆ | Advance notice was not required, but it did take a while to get the headset. |
| Staff support | ★★☆☆☆ | The staff member who got me the headset was pleasant enough, but I couldn’t believe their explanation of why . |
| Performance | ★★★★☆ | The dancing was unbelievably good, and what singing I could make out was also excellent. |
West End Access 