Usher Hall is a concert hall and theatre venue located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It opened in 1914 and has hosted a wide range of music, comedy, and theatrical performances over the past century. With a capacity of over 2,200 seats, Usher Hall is one of the largest venues in Edinburgh and an important part of the city’s cultural scene. But is it a good venue for seeing live entertainment? There are several factors to consider when evaluating Usher Hall as a performance space.
Location and Accessibility
Usher Hall is centrally located on Lothian Road, in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre. Its proximity to Waverley train station and several bus routes makes it easily accessible by public transport. There are also numerous parking garages nearby for those travelling by car. The venue’s central position means it is within walking distance of Edinburgh’s main shopping and dining precincts. Patrons can enjoy pre-show meals or drinks on nearby Rose Street or Princess Street before performances. So in terms of location and accessibility, Usher Hall scores highly.
Facilities
As a venue that originally opened in 1914, Usher Hall lacks some of the modern facilities audience members may expect. The seating is traditional theatre-style and relatively cramped with little leg room. There are only a limited number of restroom facilities within the building, which can cause queues at interval times. However, the venue has an atmospheric Edwardian auditorium with three seating tiers and impressive domed ceiling. Acoustics are excellent, and most seats have decent views of the stage. Recent refurbishments have also improved accessibility and comfort levels. So while facilities are not state-of-the-art, the historic character of the venue adds to its charm.
Atmosphere
With over a hundred years of performances under its belt, Usher Hall has a wonderful atmosphere and sense of occasion. The elegantly designed auditorium and ornate features give the venue a special feel lacking in newer, more functional concert halls. Audiences are normally enthusiastic yet respectful, creating an energized but intimate environment for performers. The venue is large enough to attract big-name acts but still small enough to feel immersed in the performance. Usher Hall is especially well-suited to classical music, with the auditorium designed to enhance acoustics. In terms of atmosphere, Usher Hall offers a vibrant and charming setting.
Performance Programme
Usher Hall has an impressively diverse events calendar hosting everything from rock gigs to comedy shows. Some highlights of its annual performance programme include:
Classical Music
Usher Hall is the home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and hosts their concert seasons along with other prominent orchestras and soloists. The venue excels at delivering an optimal classical music experience.
Jazz, Folk and Rock
While best known for classical, Usher Hall also accommodates other genres well. Top names like Sting, Ringo Starr and Diana Krall have performed sell-out rock and pop shows there.
Comedy
Usher Hall is one Edinburgh’s main venues for comedy on the annual Fringe Festival circuit. Comedians like Russell Howard, Sarah Millican and Kevin Bridges regularly perform to packed houses.
Musical Theatre
Large-scale musical theatre productions like Chicago, Mamma Mia and Matilda have successful runs at Usher Hall on their UK tours. The venue can accommodate full-scale musical productions.
Special Events
Usher Hall is used for one-off special events like the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, Richard Dawkins lectures and the Stone Roses reunion concert. Its capacity, facilities and prestige as a Edinburgh institution make it suitable for high-profile occasions.
Reviews
To better evaluate Usher Hall’s merits as a performance venue, examining reviews from audience members and critics can provide useful insight:
Positive Aspects
Historic, elegant auditorium |
Central location, easy to access |
Intimate atmosphere with good acoustics |
Impressive, diverse event calendar |
Reasonably priced tickets |
Negative Aspects
Dated, cramped seating |
Long queues for restrooms |
Limited food/beverage options |
Variable sound quality for rock gigs |
While some facilities are dated, most reviews praise the beautiful auditorium, convenient location, intimate atmosphere and diverse performance calendar. The reasonable ticket prices also make it accessible compared to big arenas. Less favourable reviews focus on the lack of modern amenities and variability in sound quality for amplified music. But overall, Usher Hall earns its reputation as an excellent mid-sized venue in Edinburgh.
Comparable Venues
It is also useful to compare Usher Hall to other mid-sized venues in Edinburgh:
Venue | Capacity | Location | Facilities |
---|---|---|---|
Usher Hall | 2,200 | City centre | Historic, decent |
Queen’s Hall | 900 | City centre | Modern, good |
Edinburgh Playhouse | 3,000 | City centre | Modern, excellent |
The Corn Exchange | 1,000 | Outskirts | Functional, basic |
While other venues like The Playhouse have more modern amenities, Usher Hall competes well with its combination of character, capacity and location. It balances heritage with functionality more effectively than smaller venues like The Queen’s Hall. Overall, Usher Hall occupies an excellent middle ground as both a city centre concert hall and intimate live space.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Usher Hall stands as a world-class mid-sized venue, especially for classical music performances. While some facilities are dated, its Edwardian auditorium provides beautiful acoustics and an elegant setting. The central location, diverse event calendar and reasonable ticket prices also count in Usher Hall’s favour. Less ideal for contemporary rock gigs, it is otherwise an atmospheric, characterful venue to experience live entertainment. Despite areas for improvement, Usher Hall’s rich history and cultural status make it an Edinburgh institution that continues to attract talent and audiences over a century after first opening. For atmosphere, accessibility and acoustic excellence, Usher Hall remains a benchmark performance space.