Hackney Empire

This is a fantastic building and if you haven’t managed to visit yet you need to get yourself along. I’ve been lucky enough to see both music and comedy here and the acoustics were fantastic for both. The sloping stage means that even if you are in the standing area you don’t miss anything that is happening on the stage and you get the best view of looking up at the ceiling which is one of the decorative highlights.
Good bar service with reasonable drinks which is very unusual for a venue like this and teh staff always seem to do a good job and keep the people flowing. This is a great example of how to run a theatre

Came hear as an Sri audience member of a TV filming of the John Bishop show, and gosh, what a gorgeous building!
After leaving early and rushing to work, the queue already snaked around the building. The staff were organised though, and you barely noticed the wait.
We were in the upper tiers (damn long queue) and the décor was fab, the stage was fantastic, the staff made the event run smoothly, and my life, that curtain! That is the most beautiful curtain I have ever seen!
They have lost a star, as I just couldn’t get comfortable in my seat, but I’m sure if I was further down and not leaning for the view it would have been fine.

Panto, Opera, Gilbert & Sullivan. Perfecto.
I think they probably do normal plays too but I’ll be honest the main pull of this place for me is the Gilbert & Sullivan production that livens the summer months. Recently came to see La Boheme, just in case you thought my tastes were a little low-​brow for you; I arrived a little early and had to wait in the cold to get in and to my seat, but it was worth every penny. I love that the bar is in the stalls, and that you can enjoy the performance at a table should you so wish.

Came here for my first pantomime show. Firstly the venue is really nice, right in the heart of Hackney, next door to the Hackney Town Hall. It’s an older Victorian-​like building that has been remodelled to a nice spec inside.
We watched the Dec 2014 panto here Mother Goose. Was a great night out and exceeded my expectations on the production and the quality. Nice costumes and stage changes, very similar to a West End musical!
We sat on the Upper Circle seats. To get here, you actually enter through the side of the building, instead of the main entrance. You then walk up several flights of stairs to the top seating area. We were sat right in the middle section, great seats with a good view of the stage. Not bad for £19.50 ea!
Being a panto, there were several kids in the audience but the whole production is very family friendly. I think the Hackney Empire does a great job and is definitely worth going for a visit. even to check out the other events there during the rest of the year.

Great venue — seen both comedy and music here and both times the venue amplified the evening well. Staff are always polite and getting in and out well staggered unless you have to climb to the stalls in the heavens of course — take your tramping boots! Good selection of reasonably priced drinks and service is prompt. Easy access to bathrooms — which are not the Ritz but they do the job. The place has great warm local feel.

Christmas pantomime at the Empire festive perfection. always a centrepiece of our celebration plans. A packed house, stunning restoration, friendly staff, great bar and some fantastic shows. So yes the seats are not the comfiest (beer helps) and the acoustics are not all thatbut this is somewhere to rejoice in a little piece of culture in Hackney

A beautiful theatre; they have done a fantastic job of restoring it. Hope that the café, incorporated in the corner of the building helps ensure its longevity.

Nice. I loved it. Came here tonight for the «Young kings of comedy» show, and I laughed my ass off.
I wasn’t too fond of their seating, but that’s the least to worry about.
Just go there to vibe, and have a good time.
Hackney seems like a decent place too. I don’t find any worst, or better than a borough in New York City.

Beautiful, beautiful venue. Unfortunately I’ve never seen anything that I really enjoyed here. I’ve seen lots of different things — theatre, music, comedy, panto, cabaret — and while none of it has been bad, it hasn’t been very good either. Its a shame because i really want to like the Empire. Maybe I’m just not very good at picking the shows!

This is Historic Hackney,
Something for everone!

The Hackney Empire was built in 1901 as a music hall, and is a Grade II listed building. It is a beautiful venue and was once performed in by Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel before it was turned into a bingo hall during the 60’s. In the 1980’s the building was threatened with demolition and was rescued by a theatre group. It became a popular entertainment venue once again and the comedians such as Ben Elton, French & Saunders, Bill Bailey and Paul Merton have headlined here.
There are regular performances at Hackney Empire, Christmas panto, music gigs, plays, musicals and stand up comedy. There are concessions for students and under 26 so its worth having a look in advance to get cheap tickets.

A genuine pillar of Hackney, there is something so heart warming about a place that has a local platform for the arts. Not pretentious contemporary art galleries, or places where ‘actors’ get together and practise Faust, Hackney Empire harks back to Britain of old, where the theatre meant escapism, vaudeville and quality family time.
There is currently ‘Mother Goose’ on here as their Christmas pantomime. Anywhere with a panto is fine by me. I’ve been and it’s it’s a marvel.
Anytime i pass here, there’s always hoards of people waiting outside to be let in. Families with their children, local lovers on a date, grannies and their beloved, it’s really heartwarming to see.
Check it out and see what’s going on. It’s easy to disregard this Borough as the new dwelling of ‘arty’ folk, but the Empire exists as a reminder that this is a family place, with a real spirit.

I’m really not a fan of Hackney at all. In my ⁶⁄₇ years in London town I’ve visited Hackney three times and unless there is a good reason, I’m not interested in visiting this borough at all.
However, there is a shining beacon of light in this grubby little place — the Hackney Empire. This place features a variety of music and comedy performances. The venue itself is really beautiful. It’s draped in red and gold and the stage and sound are absolutely superb.
I really love this venue, shame it’s in Hackney but, still, a great place for comedy and music…

This vaudeville gem fallen into inevitable disrepair by the end of the 20^th century was rescued by a group of comedians who raised and pooled money to resurrect it as a venue. In this rare, constructive act, these comedians have given Hackney a venue to be extremely proud of. The way it stands out in Hackney Central, adjacent Town Hall, is nearly stirring. Shame the programming isn’t a bit better, but then it functions as something of a roadhouse and is at the mercy of promoters and paying the rates. Still plenty of dance, music, theatre and concert events to choose from throughout the year.

By far the most exciting building in Hackney Central. It would be hard to miss it as the ‘Hackney Empire’ sign is erected on the side of the building, standing out like Hackney’s saw thumb.
Hosting a variety of events from such fields as music, dance, comedy and family entertainment, it is sure to have something for everyone. I went to see a band there a while ago, and the interior of the theatre blew me away. I always thought it would be nice to go, and it is great to know such a culturally rich theatre exists in Hackney.
I obtained ‘Orthello’ tickets for a young persons rate of 5 pounds. I suggest trying to get your hands on some, as seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company perform at Hackney Empire will be magical.

I visited the Hackney Empire a couple of months ago and I have to say I was very unimpressed by the experience. The building is special and the décor is impressive. It also has an interesting history it was formerly a Victorian Music Hall. However I was sitting on the first balcony and the acoustics were terrible. There was a bar behind where I was sitting, where people were drinking and chatting throughout the performance. This would not have been a problem, expect that the noise that they were making seemed to be amplified where I was sitting. The seats were also hard and uncomfortable. In an effort to be able to see and hear better we decided to move to different seats in the interval, However the acoustics there were even worse you couldn’t hear anything of the music on the stage so we moved back to our old seats. Definitely not recommended.

The Hackney Empire is such an amazing place, the theatre is beautiful, high standing amphitheatre, royal boxes, golds and reds ever so extravagant looking. I have been to see several shows at the Empire and went to see Cinderella there last xmas. It was such a let down for me.
Although the show was great, and one of the prettiest I have seen in a long time and to be honest it would be unfair of me to give bad feedback because of this one time experience. However I felt very strongly about what happened that evening and need to share because I do think that the Empire isnt built for children shows/​panto’s.
The people visiting the show (families), the staff and the management was a let down on that evening. They were allowing people to shift about, move chairs and enter the theatre even after curtains were down and the play had started.
This caused major distraction and ruined our evening at the Empire. I do not at all say that all shows will be the same, however strongly recommend that Empire is avoided when children shows are on as it is not built to be utilised in that way.

The Brothers is a great play written and directed by Angie Lemar ex dj from choice fm. It’s a play based on three really good friends who live together and have their issues mainly with relationships. So what Angie Lemar did is show everything from the mens perspective. So ladies you get a little insight about how men handle certains situations behinde closed doors. Really good acting and a few appearences from old faces.
I do recommend it for the ladies.

This is an amzingly suprising theatre. It looks nice but a bit pokey from the outside, but when you get in the auditorium is HUGE! It has 3 balconies and the stalls, and is stunningly done up.
They do a great variety of shows with a fairly high turnover, so if you keep an eye on whats coming up there is bound to be something you’ll enjoy. It is also famous for it Christmas panto, so if your going to a pantomime at christmas, then this would be a good one to check out.

The Hackney Empire is in my opinion one of the best live music venues in East London. It’s eclectic mix and refurbished décor has added to the charm of this antique theatre.
I saw Shakira in a charity concert here last year and it was a lot of fun, the place wasn’t too packed, price for beer was reasonable and the crowd was quite mixed so it made the experience a lot of fun. Recommended if there’s a good act on.