The Stage

Sound levels must be reviewed

Published Thursday 26 January 2012 at 13:07

I have, somewhat belatedly, just come across the letters regarding the loud sound levels in the West End musicals.

This isn’t exclusive to the West End, it’s been going on in the regions for years to the point that I rarely if ever go to see musicals much as I would like to see some of them. What is the point if you can’t hear the songs?

The last time I attended a musical was to see Tommy Steele in Scrooge at the Sunderland Empire. When the company was on stage singing you were able to hear them but when Tommy was doing his solos he was completely drowned out.

It’s not limited to musicals either. On Ken Dodd’s shows he’s accompanied by a drummer and an electronic keyboard player who’s playing is far too loud drowning Ken out when he sings.

Surely it should be easy enough to have a member of a theatre technical crew to go round various parts of a theatre while the band/orchestra and cast members are doing a sound check and with the aid of a walkie talkie get the sound level adjusted to a comfortable level for the audience

Tony Hillman

Park Lane

Darlington

Co Durham