There are four pens of stage standing at the lower level
Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palladium currently offers £25 tickets where you are able to stand on stage.
My daughter and I tried it and found it an exhilarating experience being so close to the performers and getting such a unique perspective on their performance.
That said, it is important to remember that the show is staged for the seated audience. There will be moments you cannot see and scenes that are played entirely facing forward.
We knew that we were coming again to see the show from seats so were not too worried about this and found we could see enough to imagine the rest, but this might concern some who do not know the show or are not coming again. We have outlined how we found the process and what you need to know below.
THE STAGE STANDING EXPERIENCE
Plain dark clothes
You are requested to wear plain dark clothes with no logos. Those that don’t will be asked to stand at the back of their cages. When we went, everyone had made the effort to do the right thing and it seems like a kindness to the seated audience to do this, as you are very visible.
Pictures of opening night showed a guy in a garish football shirt – don’t be that guy!
Comfy shoes
The Palladium suggest closed toe shoes.
Also remember to choose comfy ones. As well as standing during the show, you will be queuing before going in at the start and during the interval.
Our chaperone told us people had been taking them off – eeeeeew – again, don’t be that guy!
Standing Seats line up to the right of the main door
Doors open an hour before and standing seats have their own entrance, just to the right of the main entrance.
It was easy to spot as everyone was in sombre colours!
You must be there by 40 minutes before the start of the show.
There is a drinking fountain in this area with cups.
Wrist bands
Your name will be checked and you will be given a wrist band. This gives you access to the stage standing area but also the cloakroom.
People were able to take their bags to the cloakroom after this, but we had travelled light and didn’t have bags.
You could go to the toilet at this point, though we had made sure we went before we arrived.
If you want to buy merchandise, this is best done after the show.
Yondr pouches
If you want to keep your phone with you, it is locked into a Yondr pouch. Alternatively, you can put it with your bag in the cloakroom.
If you want a quick getaway, and have no bag, the Yondr pouch is probably the quicker choice as it was fairly instant to get it undone after the show and then just head out.
If you are desperate to have your phone in the interval, then leaving it in the cloakroom may work better. Though by the time you leave the stage area and queue to return to it, you won’t really have that long to be using a phone.
We wished one of us had worn a watch as we had no idea what time it was after this point! (also no photos of our own…)
Queueing and checking
Once your phone is in your Yondr pouch, a single file queues to the right down the stairs to back stage. You will be scanned more than once by hand held scanners and given a free bottle of water.
You can’t really control which block you are in. People are counted until one is full and then the next group will be brought forward. Each pen has its own chaperone so if you need to leave, they will help you. There is ample space behind, so it felt like leaving if you had to would be possible.
One person did faint at our show and it was so smoothly handled, her own daughter didn’t notice! (I am assured she was fine).
In your pens
The pens are four sections of scaffolding, on different parts of the stage, below the orchestra. They are not too squashed so if you don’t end up in the front row, there is room to move around and look between heads. There is also a step in them which helps. People were pretty kind and short people were let in front of taller ones.
Performers enter right next to the pens and also perform directly in front.
Heat and noise
We didn’t find the experience either uncomfortably hot or uncomfortably loud. Earphones were on offer for those who needed them.
At times, we had a harmonising singer next to us which made it hard to hear the main melody, but that was all part of the experience!
All in all, this was a really positive experience. The staff were exceptionally calm, organised and helpful and we had a very special afternoon.
All stage photos, credit: Johan Persson