A friend got a great deal on tickets for a comedy show in Leicester the other week. It was a Saturday night. Imagine the scene: hen parties (those fake net veils, small glossy handbags and short skirts), stag parties (loud yet incomprehensible heckling) and tired but happy Monday to Friday workers who wanted a break from it all.
My friend queued for food- had to get separately: food one place, drinks the other, annoying. The pizza with a name beginning with M...(not margarita, I forget...) was OK. Great chilli heat.
The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue (see picture above) gave a fast paced line up of visual gags to popular music. Fab, unusual and funny.
The venue on Granby Street, however, is lacking. Lacking bouncers (and perhaps even police), as the hecklers refused to leave and Chris Stokes became a lecturing teacher...he'd tried a few teacherly strategies (I am a teacher; I recognise them.) but nothing really worked. There were a few laughs to be made at the hecklers' expense. "If I was at school I would be beaten...here I am protected by my art...so why don't you just..." (Not as teacherly) You can fill in the...!
"One bouncer to 300" and "We're not putting the next act on until they leave..." meant that we decided to leave early.
A pity, I love comedy. Perhaps midweek at Ashby next time...
Just the Tonic, Leicester
21st July's line up:
http://www.justthetonic.com/Leicester-Comedy/shows/saturday-21-jul-2012/742/
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt seems Liz has forgot to mention the below email sent to everyone after the show so I thought I would take this opportunity to let everyone we see how we deal with show interruptions and customer service. It always seems to be voucher customers who have the most to say about a night out at the venue. Funny that.
I would like to point out at no point were there 300 customers in that evening (Comedians and their jokes!) If we did have 300 customers we would have had more staff on that evening to serve the customers.
We also have a strict no fancy dress policy at the venue so I'm shocked to discover the fake net veils made it into the room to be placed against the tired Monday to Friday workers.
Anyway back to the email!
Laura Williams
Just the Tonic Leicester
Hello
This is just an email that I felt compelled to send to offer our apologies and some sort of recompense, for the events that happened on Saturday night at Just the Tonic Comedy Club.
As the owner of Just the Tonic I try very hard to provide quality comedy in an environment that is conducive to both the comedians and the comedy appreciating public. In doing so we do not promote to or try to attract large groups of stags and hens.
Such groups are on a different agenda to most people out to watch comedy. Although the majority of people can behave themselves and respect others, even when in large groups, we have come to learn that some people feel that large numbers justify self centred and inconsiderate behaviour.
For that reason we request all large groups pay a security bond of £10 each when they come in. In this way, if they misbehave we take their money. This has, so far, worked. The group becomes self policing and the group will tell the idiots within it to shut up.
Unfortunately, a large group slipped through the net on Saturday by booking in several groups. By the time the staff realised what had happened it was too late. And, as you were aware, it took the police coming to get them out.
Whilst we are happy to tolerate some light hearted heckling and the odd bit of enthusiastic behaviour, we cannot expect the rest of the audience (you lot) to put up with a bunch of people that are not really interested in the show and that are happy to continually disturb it.
SO... we would like you to understand that last Saturdays show was in now way representative of what we do.
SO... we would like to offer you free tickets to any one of our shows starting from this weekend until the middle of September.
Hopefully you will take us up on the offer and come along and have a really good night uninterrupted by a few.
If you would like to take us up on the offer, please email Laura@justthetonic.com and specify the date that you would like to come. She will arrange for the same amount of tickets that you booked for Saturday 21st July to be on the door for you.
Please do not reply to this email as I am about to head up to the Edinburgh Festival and will not look at these emails for about 5 days.
Thanks for coming along, sorry for the chaos, please come again
Darrell Martin
Thanks for this Laura. I didn't get this email although I have found out that my friend did. I hope to come along again and give it another go. The comedians were great and they were worth seeing despite the heckling. It's great to get a response. I am new to blogging and want to give as honest an account as possible. I don't have lots of readers yet and am impressed you found this.
DeleteI think you are a bit unfair on voucher customers. They may complain more as they are trying out something different and are either disappointed or pleased. I was pleased with the comedians but disappointed with some of the audience.
I'm glad to hear that it wasn't a typical night and pleased that you have had a chance to respond.
Liz
For balance: a good review
ReplyDeletehttp://phoeberees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/review-just-tonic-leicester.html