The Marlowe Theatre

The Marlowe Theatre

The Marlowe Theatre
4
About
The Marlowe is one of the UK's leading theatres. Our programme includes some of the biggest and best artists and companies, with regular visits from the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and the Philharmonia Orchestra. We have three spaces to enjoy: The Marlowe Studio, is a space dedicated to new writing and creative activity that reflects the spirit of Christopher Marlowe, Canterbury’s most famous son. The Marlowe Kit, located in Stour Street, houses a performance space, an Escape Room game and an innovative exhibition on Canterbury's writers. Our theatre also offers a major programme of creative activity for the community, that has seen thousands of people involved in workshops since we opened. These activities are for a range of ages and include regular sessions run by professional practitioners on theatre practice, playwriting and dance.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Pagey2912
    8 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pantomime Beauty and the Beast I think the venue is excellent with great views and facilities. The Panto however I think has some areas to improve. When you look at the audience many are young say up to 10 year who won't understand the sketches like for example the films & jokes. They keep telling us how good they are. It gets boring. They keep telling us to come next year. It gets boring. I think some of it goes on too long and for the £59 a ticket a visit to a cheaper local one without so called big stars is just as good if not better. My grandson had enough at half time. The sets are excellent though. I would give it 7/10. Can be improved and don't recycle stuff every year.
    Visited January 2025
    Traveled with family
    Written January 2, 2025
  • Stephen h
    22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great venue nice staff lovely evening. The level of events is great as well, from top signers to top comedians to ballet, cant wait for out next trip. The only downside which is out of their control is the price of the parking £12.50 for one evening (too much)
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 29, 2024
  • G Bains
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We went to see War Horse & had a meal in the Green Room before the show. The menu wasn't extensive but the food we had was cooked very well & was very tasty. The show itself was absolutely amazing & even though I had seen it many years ago at the National Theatre seeing it again still moved me. The Horses puppetry was amazing & the cast really put their all into the performance. Amazing show. The props weren't flashy or anything but were utilised so brilliantly & the time taken to make them must be phenomenal. My partner & I both enjoyed this show immensely.
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 23, 2024
  • Jon
    11 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    My general comment is some of the shows (singing/dancing/pantos and the like) are getting very loud and shouty. Could tone it back slightly. Fine for younger people, but quite a lot of senior citizens do support the Marlowe and may not be quite so enthusiastic.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 16, 2024
  • Mandeep Bains
    Kent, United Kingdom364 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited the Marlow on Christmas Eve for our annual pantomime visit. As usual, absolutely Brilliant performance from the entire team, so so funny. We’ve attended the Marlow on Christmas Eve for probably the last 10 years and it is amazing that we will really enjoy this every year, the writing of the script and execution is absolutely brilliant. Keep up the good work, already booked for next year.
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written December 27, 2024
  • KentMaynard
    Herne Bay, United Kingdom165 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great pantomime! Always excellent but once again mr. Maker n the dame made it so special. Maisie Smith was v v gd as were the rest of the company so pleased we always book a year in advance! Looking forward to Snow White.
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written December 23, 2024
  • faith b
    106 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Just been to the Marlowe theatre with 2 children on 9th December to watch Beauty and the Beast. Great show. HOWEVER, 4 year old needed the toilet and trying to take her out, the grumpy old lady at the exit covering the stalls said you can't take her out now. I understand it's maybe not great timing for you, but you wouldn't let her out the door for a wee. She's 4 for goodness sake
    Visited December 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written December 9, 2024
  • GrandTour728022
    15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We saw the full Monty yesterday at the Marlowe. It is the best show I have seen the actors were amazing and so funny and true to the film. It was the opening performance they were just fantastic every one of them. If you can get tickets to see it I would recommend you do.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written April 14, 2024
  • KentMaynard
    Herne Bay, United Kingdom165 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mickey Flanagan was brilliant and well worth the £. Was apprehensive about row E in upper circle but tbh was brilliant. Well worth the money. The show was warmly applauded and I would love for his return
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 19, 2024
  • Jamie McGinty
    Battle, United Kingdom14 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I go here oftentimes to watch the pantomimes. The Aladdin one was exceptional I can still remember it. Overall they are really great. If you would like to watch a show at a reasonable price but nice service, come here!
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written October 3, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,356 reviews
Excellent
724
Very good
362
Average
128
Poor
62
Terrible
80

Lorna H
Dover10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
Easy to book on line, comfortable seats and great view. The programme is available on line with plenty of notice of what's on so no need to miss anything you fancy. As is normal for all theatres, the bar is limited and pricey but there are plenty of local pubs for before and after the show and interval drinks can be ordered in advance to save on queueing during the break. Lovely local ice cream and Kent beer on sale.
Written May 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

matildadavis07
Canterbury, UK37 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
We went to the Marlowe theatre to watch the wizard of Oz as a family of four! We always sit in the same seats when visiting, row L for reference, but when booking these they came to be VIP tickets for the same price. We were not sure what to expect when getting the tickets as there was no detail of what the package contained. Upon arrival we headed up to the second floor to the bar where we were welcomed by a lady called Sharon. She showed us to our table where we sat down and were presented with a program each. After this the waitress took order of our drinks, one per person and a choice of any drink off the menu. When the food came we weren’t too impressed, a plate with cold cooked pepper, olives, mozzarella, melon and very very hard bread. It was meant to be crusty anyway but this was extreme and not very nice to eat. This plate was to share between two, not much food as you can imagine. We were also given the option to order mid show drinks, to which we declined the offer just because we didn’t want a drink. Overall a nice experience but definitely not worth the money!
Written February 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

UKSteve61
London, UK42 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
I understand the theatre needs to sell snacks for extra income. However, selling sweets etc in scrunchy plastic bags means many punters have a frustrating time trying to watch a show.

Saw a show this week but missed many of the lines being delivered as the couple in front grazed sweets continuously. They struggled to open each packet which was quite a noisy process each time, and the noise continued each time they stuck their hands in to get more sweets from each successive bag. The ceiling of the Circle is quite low so the acoustics of the scrunching noises rippled out to a radius of around 6 or 7 seats each way in the rows around them. The impact means the scrunching is louder than the lines from the actors on the stage.

Sometimes it can already be hard to hear (eg: 2.22 A Ghost Story had real problems with amplifying the actors' voices), and when there are various people around you opening and eating from scrunchy packets, it ends up feeling that is was a frustrating struggle to endure a show, rather than a rewarding, enriching experience. Maybe these bags could be emptied into a plastic cup by the seller at the point of purchase.

There's insufficient ushers so people were bringing their interval drinks into the auditorium in glasses, rather than transferring to plastic, so there's a risk of broken glass when people exit the shows. There's no request to make this switch in the automated voice during the interval giving the count down until the show resumes.

In addition of course, there's the interruptions from people who have forgotten to turn their phones off/silent, so there's the interruptions from ringtones or noisy vibrate settings. Again, there's no announcements before the show starts or resumes after the interval to remind people to turn their phones off/silent.

I want to like going to this theatre and they can resolve the things I've listed.
Written September 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

amelia26
Kent1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Family
Unfortunately this was a hugely disappointing visit. We took our children to see a performance of Billionaire Boy, something they were very excited to see.
We had purchased the best tickets and when we arrived were surprised to see spaces available either side and behind us. At the interval an usher came over and asked if we had purchased our seats or moved from another area?
Just before the start of the second half a large group of teenage Italian students arrived, filling all the spare seats around us. Throughout the remainder of the performance we endured them talking (loudly) to each other, including across rows etc and playing on their phones. Sandwiched between them we felt completely trapped, the kids got very upset.
My husband and I (and others) spoke to the group countless times to no avail. There were no ushers nearby.
At the end of the showing an altercation occurred in the lobby as theatre goers discussed their discontent with staff as well as the teaching staff of the group. The teaching staff were very apologetic and said they had raised concern with staff when they had seen the seat layout.
Marlowe Theatre - you clearly realised that where we were seated was likely to cause an issue. Why did you do nothing to rectify it??
We spoke to the Duty Manager who took all the information and assured us that they would deal with the complaint although I was asked to email the details in as well which I did that same night. I left satisfied that the issues were acknowledged and would be taken seriously but regret that since that date I have been ignored despite chasing them.
Marlowe Theatre - you should be ashamed of the service you provide which has been non existent and I feel completely ripped off after spending so much on tickets for an experience that I will remember forever, for all the wrong reasons!
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LINDA T
Canterbury, UK75 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2024 • Couples
went to see now thats what I call a musical on 18th September . 1st thing was the lights hanging into the front row whch made it hard to pass by other customers very intrusive in the space. 2ndly the show was awful the storyline was awful and the correography was poor too. dancing was poor and singing wasnt very good by a few stars. so bad in fact we left at the interval and went home could not sit in that cramped seat any longer with those lights hanging into the aisle. we were in a15 and a14 . as we are disbled we always book front row so no one in front of us as before when we have gone people in front standing up ruined our view . why on earth did they put hanging lights encrouching into the front row? should not be allowed. health and safety wise. we have gone to the marlowe many times and had a good time but this show was dire.
Written September 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark B
Chislehurst, UK8 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
I've waited 3 weeks to write this review because I've waited 3 weeks for a return phonecall from the Operations Manager at the Marlowe Theatre and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to receive it! I bought tickets for my GF and myself for The Strictly show - Keep Dancing, we went on 10th July. It was a very hot day and my GF is currently dealing with perimenopause. The theatre was hot, and the air conditioning was non existent. My GF was struggling through the first half of the show as were a lot of people who were sitting near us. The heat was stifling and it made the experience very uncomfortable. At the end of the first half we went outside for some fresh air as she almost fainted. I spoke to a member of staff (Ange?) and she was very sympathetic. I explained that we couldn't go back in for the second half of the performance as it was unbearably hot. I gave her my contact details as I felt I wanted to formerly complain. I received no call the following week. I then rang again and was promised a return call by the Operation Manager and this has not been forth coming. I'm really disappointed in the after care and the whole experience has put me off ever attending the Marlowe again.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Derek M
Deal, UK2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
We were gifted a £100 voucher which was arranged by our Aunties friend. This was just prior to covid. We were able to extend it to 2022 due to covid with a comment we could extend further if need be as covid was still rife. We asked last week for a credit or even partial credit as we understand we were late to request but we had personal circumstances which meant this could not be done earlier. We are totally disgusted that the manager said there was nothing they could do and we are very dissapointed with this.
Written May 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deborah W
Canterbury, UK6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
The Panto this year is phenomenon.
The Dame as usual is so funny.
The Adults were singing, shouting behind you, calling Hello Charlie & It's the law, along with the children.
My cousin at 50 yrs old & myself at 64 yrs old, had a GREAT TIME, mot sure if we embarrassed the kids, but think we might have
Written December 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KentishManOfKent
Tenterden, UK401 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
I have lived in Kent all my life but i'd never been to The Marlowe Theatre,
I took my Mum to see The King and I and luckily we secured front row seats for £34 each. This was row C, which i presumed meant 3rd row.
Excellent view and great value for money.
Written February 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara M
3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
This was to have been a birthday treat. My favourite film on stage as a musical. Firstly so loud my ears were throbbing. Singers seemed to be shouting the songs rather than singing them probably because sound not tuned in correctly lack of bass. Could not wait for interval so I could leave but really wanted to lave after first ten minutes. Sorry but such a dreadful experience has ruined what was my favourite film.
Written July 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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