From fine art to pop art, there's quite a lot happening around Norwich at night. Information on almost all of it can be found at the box office of the Theatre Royal, Theatre Street (tel. 01603/630000; www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk), where you can also pick up tickets to just about any event.
The Theatre Royal hosts touring companies performing drama, opera, ballet, and modern dance. The reduced Shakespeare Company troupe is among the regular visitors. Ticket prices run from £4 to £22, with senior and student discounts usually available for Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday matinees. The box office is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 8pm on performance days, closing at 6pm on nonperformance days.
Hosting productions of classic drama on most evenings, Norwich Playhouse, Gun Wharf, 42-58 St. George's St. (tel. 01603/598598; www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk), offers tickets ranging from £10 to £30. The box office is open Monday to Saturday 9:30am until 6pm.
An Elizabethan-style theater, Maddermarket Theatre, 1 St. John's Alley (tel. 01603/620917; www.maddermarket.co.uk), is home to the amateur Norwich Players' productions of classical and contemporary drama. Tickets, ranging from £8 to £15, and schedules are available at the box office, Monday to Saturday 10am to 9pm (till 5pm on nonperformance days).
Located in a converted medieval church, Norwich Puppet Theatre, St. James, Whitefriars (tel. 01603/629921; www.puppettheatre.co.uk), offers original puppet shows most afternoons and some mornings in an octagonal studio that holds about 50 people. Tickets are £7 adults, £5.50 students and seniors, and £5 for children 16 and younger, tickets are available at the box office Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm and on performance Saturdays 1 hour prior to the show's start.
The most versatile entertainment complex in town, Norwich Arts Centre, Reeves Yard, St. Benedict's Street (tel. 01603/660352; www.norwichartscentre.co.uk), hosts performances of ballet, comedy, and poetry, with an emphasis on ethnic music. Tickets are £3 to £20, and the box office is open Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm. On days of performances, the box office is open until 9pm.
Pay a call on Adam and Eve, 17 Bishopgate (tel. 01603/667423), the oldest pub in Norwich, founded in 1249, which serves a well-kept John Smith's or Old Peculiar.
Many beer drinkers prefer Fat Cat ★★, 49 W. End St. (tel. 01603/624436; www.fatcatpub.co.uk). Bartenders serve nearly three dozen real ales as well as their own beer (try Meow Mild or Top Cat). If you don't feel feline, opt for Black Dog Mild. Eight draft beers from Belgium and Germany as well as more than a dozen bottled Belgian beers and a dozen country wines are also featured, even Norfolk farm cider. In summer, tables are placed outside, and you can get a good lunch here, often meat pies, on any day except Sunday.
Finally, if you have a hankering for gay Norfolk men, dance the night away (on two floors) at the Media Night Club, 80 Rose Lane (tel. 01603/623559; www.medianightclub.co.uk). Later you can get better acquainted with your catch of the night on one of the black leather sofas. The website lists special nights such as drag shows and the like.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
