The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post.
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
www.philevans.co.uk

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Theatre Of The Absurd . . . Ticket Prices.

Sometimes life is a collection of Agatha Christie novels – full of mysteries.
Like, where does Channel Five find their terrible weekday afternoon films with idiotic titles like “Deadly Bereavement” and “Fatal Murder” ‘starring’ actors you’ve never heard of?
The appeal of the stage musical is a mystery to some people.
Where musicals are concerned, I sit on the fence – admittedly a very uncomfortable position from which to watch Les Miserables for three hours.
Those who loathe musicals argue that it’s ridiculous for characters to be talking one minute, then suddenly bursting into song the next.
The same people will watch a horror film in which characters are talking one minute and then being attacked by a possessed, carnivorous doll the next - but they don’t consider that’s ridiculous!
I’ve seen many hit West End shows - and some stinkers. I won’t name them because the list would stretch From Here To Eternity.
In the 90s, tickets weren’t cheap, but were definitely more affordable than they are now.
Then, some of the older theatres started charging a ‘restoration fee’, which went towards improvements of the building.
We had no choice but to pay it, even though we thought “Surely some of the money I spent on this ticket already goes to the theatre?”
This was on top of the ludicrous ‘booking fee’, which most venues seem to think is alright to charge. It’s like they’re saying “Because you want to see a show at our theatre, we’ll charge you extra for the privilege!”
Apart from enormous price increases, which meant some West End theatre tickets went soaring to £90 and more in the past 10 years, we now have the phenomenon known as ‘premium seats’ - some as high as £200 each!
A ‘premium seat’ is one that the management guarantees gives you ‘the best view in the house’. Meaning you can clearly see the stage!
But, surely, whatever amount you spend, you expect to be able to see the stage? Otherwise what’s the point of buying the ticket?
Next year, a new Harry Potter stage play written by J.K. Rowling opens in London and if you have children or grandchildren who want to see it, now’s the time to approach your bank manager for a loan.
Including train fares, hotels, taxis, meals and theatre tickets, I reckon £5000 should cover it.
Although, if you want ‘premium seats’... add on another £1000!

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Air Show:

Well, it looks like next weekend in Swansea, the sky really is the limit!
On 11th and 12th July, the 2015 Wales National Air Show will be visible along a five-mile stretch of the most beautiful Swansea coastline from Swansea Bay to Mumbles Head.
Things are looking up!
Not only will there be stunning air displays from the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a Typhoon (amongst many others!) there is also a whole host of attractions going on on the ground, too.
In 2013, there were 180,000 visitors to this show. This year, they are expecting many more - and is it any wonder, with ground attractions including trade stands, children's entertainment, fun fair and plenty of food and drink.
I'm going to pay a flying visit, are you?
As I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie, at this rate I might just look at getting my pilot’s licence.
This could all end in tears....

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It’s all in Neath

Regular readers of my column and keen followers of comedy will already be up to speed on the Neath Comedy Festival, which started last Thursday and continues throughout the whole of July.
As a performer and an avid supporter of live entertainment, you may have noticed that I am passionate about encouraging local talent.
The festival started last week and I witnessed two of my local comedy chums, Paul James and Ignacio Lopez, kick off the event in style, to a standard that you would currently be hard pushed to match anywhere in the UK.
These events are exceptionally good at generating revenue for the local community and indeed arts as a whole. As a result of the opening night’s performances many more tickets were purchased for the shows that follow in the next few weeks.
I urge you to check out what's going on in the area and to experience the magic of live comedy at affordable prices.
Get out there and enjoy the escapism that entertainment and the arts has to offer.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk