Matinee stars ... Bertie Carvel (Leo Frank) and Lara Pulver (Lucille Frank) in Parade, Donmar Warehouse. Photograph: Tristram Kenton
There's nothing quite like the joy of a matinee. There's something a bit thrilling about doing during the day what one usually does in the evening - especially if it's a midweek matinee. The whole experience is a little naughty, as if you were skipping school or pulling a sickie - which, thinking about it, some of the audience probably are doing. Several of my own favourite matinee experiences came about through trying to avoid Wednesday afternoon biology lessons during my A-levels.
Theatre in the afternoon creates its own distinct pace and patterns. There's no frantic work-to-theatre dash, no pondering whether to squeeze in dinner before or after the show. I can have a lazy lunch, caffeinate myself in an agreeably lingering fashion, and arrive at the theatre with ample time to spare.
The most recent matinee performance I saw was Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, the dark, complex musical about the Leo Frank murder case in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was close to sold out in the evenings, but unless you're seeing a big family-friendly musical, the audience tends to be sparser in the afternoon performances. This has its advantages and disadvantages. You lose a little of that communal buzz, especially in comedies, but it can lead to a more intimate experience. Of course, you're also more likely to be bumped up to the better seats if the theatre has closed the upper circle due to low ticket sales.
Matinees tend to attract a different audience to evening shows. Old people usually predominate. The only times I've seen a thermos produced from someone's handbag, and the contents consumed mid-show, were during matinees. Students come in a close second, especially drama students. Occasionally you encounter what most theatregoers dread: the throng of schoolchildren with a teacher in tow.
For some, the afternoon show is a social experience; for others, it's a more solitary one. Certainly I quite enjoy going to a matinee on my own if I have a free afternoon. However, although the cast of Parade were superb (particularly Bertie Carvel as the nervy and aloof Frank), during other matinee performances I've been left with the niggling feeling that the audience weren't seeing the cast give their A-game, that they may have been pacing themselves for the evening show. When a big name lead is involved, I believe you're more likely to see an alternate or an understudy at a Wednesday afternoon performance than, say, on a Friday evening.
Afternoon cinema trips may have a similarly illicit fizz, but for me they still don't compare to the particular pleasure of seeing a play during the day and sliding out of the auditorium while it's still light outside.
