It’s not just because I adore chocolate that I love the Menier Chocolate Factory. In little over two years, the venue near London Bridge has achieved something that dozens of other fringe theatres only dream of: an Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer (the first time one has been presented to a venue, not a person), and last night its second West End transfer, for its production of Sunday in the Park with George.
The venue is now on the first night list for most national critics; instead of the slow trickle of reviewers, if they come at all, that you get on the fringe, the nationals attend en masse. The excellent pre-show meal that the Menier offers is no doubt an enticement, but food isn’t the only reason our appetites are encouraged – it’s already become a trusted brand.
And the success of the Chocolate Factory is breaking other rules, too. Instead of short fringe runs, co-producer David Babani swears by a policy of making shows play their natural life – Sunday in the Park ran there for four months in all.
But success comes at a cost, literally so for audiences – whereas you could see Sunday in the Park and be fed at the Chocolate Factory for £25, the West End top price for the ticket alone is £47.50. But it’s fantastic that the production is getting a further life, and though there was a ravishing, close-up intimacy in the Menier, distance in the West End has actually given it both more perspective and greater focus.
