n February I came to the Wyvern Theatre to see The Mousetrap which was accompanied by the sound of running feet in the adjoining building. Not the most conducive way in which to follow the plot of an Agatha Christie whodunit.

As I left the theatre, I saw an advertisement for Black Coffee which was coming to the theatre at the beginning of September and having already seen it at the Theatre Royal in Bath where Robert Powell played the part of Poirot, I bought a ticket for the Thursday afternoon matinee.

That was on September 4. I was a tad disappointed that Robert Powell was no longer in it and hopefully as the production goes along his replacement’s accent will be a bit reduced and easier to understand.

However, I doubt if he will be appearing in a theatre that has such a low regard for its paying customers.

This time the opening scenes were played to the accompaniment of not only hammering from the adjoining building, but two people at the back having a conversation.

The hammering was so loud and intrusive that the lady sitting directly in front of me went and complained and the noise stopped.

However, the talking continued until after the interval.

The hammering apparently was from the construction of a set in the studio next door.

I like to come to the Wyvern Theatre because the view is so much better as there aren’t any pillars or curves which affect views and the stage can be seen from all angles, but why is there no co-ordination between the two buildings?

When the lady complained about the hammering she was asked was it part of the plot!

Thankfully, by the second act all noises had stopped.

I did think about walking out midway through the first act but having paid £24 for my ticket I decided to stay.

I’ve booked a seat to see The Woman In Black which is supposed to be very scary. Again, I have seen this in Bath with several schools taking pupils who were well behaved.

What off-set noises is the Wyvern and its studio going to offer to spoil the play then?

At least with the ballet scheduled for October the music will drown any sounds out.

Penny Colman Portman Road Melksham

RESPONSE FROM THE WYVERN

We are very sorry that Ms Colman’s experience with us last week was less than perfect due to the noise being heard in the auditorium.

I am however glad that we were able to stop this as soon as we became aware of it. We are extremely grateful for Ms Colman’s support of the Wyvern Theatre. This support, and that of the thousands of people who attended Black Coffee last week, has enabled us to develop our programme of plays and musicals coming to Swindon that includes The Woman In Black, Copacabana, Dead Simple, Joseph, The History Boys and many others. We promise Ms Colman we will do all we can to prevent ‘noises off’ happening again.

Derek Aldridge Theatre director The Wyvern Theatre Swindon