Great, when it's finished!

Saw Mike and the Mechanics. Brilliant. Theatre very nice.

Lovely venue.comfy seats and a brilliant view.

Best Theatre I've ever been !

Went to see Ben Portsmouth as Elvis on the opening night since the theatre reopened after renovation. But as there were a lot of people waiting on mass for the doors to open the bar area could not cope due to high demand for drinks. There was a long que but a lot of people decided to jump the que and it was just chaos. However the show was fantastic.

Fabulous refubishment. Roomy seating. Great sounds. Central beam light pre show lets i down thou

A great show tonight, but the overall impression of the £10m overspent, overrunning engineering works that is the Congress Theatre is..... "reopened whilst unfinished".

No sign for the gents (used power of deduction.... "ladies", "disabled/accessible", "blank"), wires hanging down, audience confusion as to which way is out (with people walking against the general flow), fire exit signs taped to the wall and a very strong smell of paint!

Staff were friendly and helpful in directing people around the place and the Duty Manager was certainly larger than life in welcoming us as we passed on the stairs!

The show must go on, but it seems an extra couple of weeks would have been handy!

Amazing refurbishment. Great staff. Good shows. What's not to like?

Concert was good. Seats very uncomfortable and cramped. No comparison for comfort with Dome at Brighton.

We enjoyed our visit to this lovely clean, modern and spacious theatre. Comfy seats too. The show was great, christmas with Elvis, fabulous performance. Large bar area and seperate coffee/tea lounge. Only issue was no cloak room for our wet coats.

Major observations on attending performance at the refurbished theatre. Positives: More toilets (much needed) and greater leg room in stall seats. Negatives: lack of colour and decoration in the building (call it bland) and lack of back cushioning in the stalls seats (terribly uncomfortable). I have osteoarthritis and consequently I am particularly sensitive to the quality of the seating. The reused old decorated fire curtain is in stark contrast to the plain walls.
If I return to the theatre it will take a major performance to attract me.

The Lady Vanishes
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne,
Monday 2nd to Saturday 7th, December, 2019

Star rating: 4 out of 5 for venue; 3 out of 5 for The Lady Vanishes
by Tony Flood

The stage version of the Lady Vanishes, presented by Bill Kenwright and The Classic Thriller Theatre Company, is menacing, humorous and very entertaining, but lacks the tension of the Hitchcock classic 1938 film.
Hitchcock's close-ups of the characters on screen helped create suspense, and that intimacy is missing in a large theatre like the Congress, Eastbourne.
The recently refurbished Congress has got a lot going for it - but not intimacy!.
This problem is partly overcome by a talented cast, headed by BAFTA-nominated Gwen Taylor and ‘Villain of the Year’ Andrew Lancel, reuniting for the first time since they appeared in Coronation Street.
Another excellent feature is Morgan Large's versatile set, which changes from a station to a train containing several cleverly designed carriages and a dining car.
Director Roy Marsden takes advantage of this to inject more pace and atmosphere in the second act, but the company was not helped on Monday by sound problems that resulted in some actors being unable to speak – or shout – their lines with sufficient clarity.
The threat provided by Nazi officers, just prior to the outbreak of war, is off-set by typical British humour.
Both are apparent from the start when a train to England is delayed due to an avalanche on the Austrian side of the neutral Swiss border.
Gwen Taylor portrays warmth and mystery as Miss Froy, who suddenly disappears. Fellow passengers deny having seen her, but Miss Froy's travelling companion Iris (Scarlett Archer) sets out to find the vanishing lady with the help of musician Max (Nicholas Audsley).
Archer and Audsley play off each other very well, without showing sufficient romantic chemistry until they finally share the longest of kisses.
Denis Lill and Ben Nealon skilfully bring comic relief as cricket-mad fans, while Andrew Lancel keeps us guessing as the enigmatic Dr Hartz.
One-time pop star Mark Wynter, who I interviewed as a teenager, and Rosie Thomson (playing lovers) and Natalie Law (a nun in high heels) are also superb in adding to the intrigue - and fun.

We've noticed on previous occasions that 'spoken' sound is very difficult to hear in both the stalls and raised stalls. This week we visited for 'The Lady Vanishes' and even in row L of the stalls could not hear certain actors at all. I wear a hearing aid for marginall sound loss but that made no difference at all - in fact is there a loop system at all. Everyone around us was complaining and this is something the Congress must get sorted out.

Beautiful theatre,,well laid out,, seats were good.. drinks reasonably priced,, easy walking distance from most hotels,

Been to a few shows here now, the latest being a Rod Stewart tribute. I like the theatre in general but would ask 'management' to consider the people in the grand circle when agreeing to the shows sound and light experience. Spot lights aimed straight at the audience not appreciated nor muffled sound. Staff are always friendly and bar service good. Will continue to support.

We have seen several performances and love it here. Staff are great.
I like it as every time we have been the audience has been respectful and not constantly going in and out, as happens in Brighton.
Sound has been good.
Always look for what is on here.

Saw the brilliant Pam Ayres with 17 lady friends (including my wife) and one man (Clive). She was extremely good, but the theatre no better for its expensive refurbishment. How much did they spend? (It seemed to be closed for ages while they did it) It is fine outside, a nice clean walkway takes you to the auditorium where a few staff are on duty but very little razzamatazz that you'd expect on a night out to see such a big star. No programme to read and just one long big queue to buy her autographed latest book. Pam's one-woman show was so good but the the place is uninspiring. Odd placements of some of the seats. The stage seems no bigger and not a patch on the ambience of the nearby Devonshire Park - a proper theatre. Good job there are good cafes and restaurants nearby as noine in the theatre. Nothing to eat except an ice cream tub, a few random. choc bars. The (alcohol) bar looks no different than from before, except bigger. And there is no staffed cloakroom - as before. That's a disgrace. It's bland and unwelcoming in its nature. Coffee or tea at the intervak from a cardboard cup. Really ? !. Good job Pam was so good. And of course it doesn't really matter what the venue is like when the chief attraction is a winner. Disappointing, though.

We do not recall ever visiting The Congress before so cannot compare with how it was prior to the recent refurbishment. However, we found our recent visit to be an enjoyable experience in a light, airy, comfortable and modern theatre. We would not hesitate to book another concert/show at this venue.

Great night. The theatre is well organised and easy to find our seats.
Lulu was fantastic - hard to believe she's 70!

My husband and I came here to see 'Fame' as a matinee There should have been more disabled loos. But it was very good. Thank you !

Came to eastbourne for a couple of days and visited Congress to see Annie ... great show and staff very knowledgeable...

Recently came to see Calendar girls here. The theatre has recently had some renovations and it does now feel very spacious in the lobby/ bar areas now. The outside are looked as if it had also had some work done to the gardens. It all looked very nice.
Calendar Girls was good, a little slow to start with (grown up daughter nodded off during the first 15 minutes!), but it gained pace and we ended up really enjoying it. Well done Gary Barlow!

The current production of Top Hat was excellent and the refurbishment of the Congress is generally first class. The seats are really comfortable and roomy. Some small attention to detail would help eg the steps leading up to the stage are badly scuffed and just need a coat of paint. But the main problem was access and signposting to get into the venue: given the demographic of the audience there are a lot of steps and very little information especially if arriving by public transport.
Great bar service but as ever ladies’ toilets too busy and too far away.

Mixed ability cast for a great show, although some unexpected serious issues with the refurbishment. The seating although now with longer legroom has poorly designed seating that offers no back support, a situation which you do not usually associate with good theatres. I suggest that a design review is arranged urgently. What opportunity has been taken to increase the number of toilets and the associated space which was always severely lacking? The new decor is rather modern and so unnecessarily dull and featureless - not an improvement really. Perhaps a desire to be modern accounts for the awful seating design.

Just visited the nearly revamped Congress Theatre after it being closed for about three years. The theatre now has a very up to date look with tones of black/white/grey and touches of yellow. A very enjoyable experience.