The Murder Trial Live Reviews 1,088

Though the acting was great (especially the defence) the overall night was not what I had imagined.

Biggest bugbear being that I had opted for front row seats, what with the given tables being far too small for the alotted 12 jurors, we were all bunched up and I did not have visual of the show I'd paid a premium to see. Also, the room is a lot smaller than the ticket page would make you believe. I'd have been better off with a standard ticket.

The folding chairs do nothing in terms of comfort.

Paid £15 for parking, in a school. A little excessive, I believe.

Disappointed to witness the room be bribed for good reviews, for the chance in winning a bottle of alcohol.

All seems to be a bit of a quick cash grab, will be interesting to see if the company are still operating in a years time.

Concept is great which is why we booked. However, we left at the adjournment (aka intermission) as we were both bored.

Price for the event - acceptable until we experienced the event

Price for parking - not told about cost until after booking, and we were parking in a school playground, £15 per car, absolute rip off

Restaurant Quality High Tea - what a rip off. Sandwiches had sat out for a while so bread was crispy, a French Fancy and a slice of swiss roll do not count as quality sweets/cakes. A single cup of hot water to dunk your own English Breakfast tea in. Oh and it was served on a tray that you had to keep on your lap because the table for 12 jurors to sit around was big enough for 4 not 12. No way this cost anywhere near £25pp even including usual overheads. Absolute con not being able to take your own food in. Drinks I accept they had a bar, prices not too bad.

Plot - the information provided during the case for the prosecution too strongly followed that of a well known U.K. case that had been serialised. Case for the defence may have taken more of the facts from the US real life case but we couldn’t bear sitting through it.

Comfort - none. 12 folding chairs on uneven ground (grass beneath the flooring) around a table large enough for four to sit around. No air con. Spot lights shining in faces of jurors, we also had a large fan directly behind us just making noise and heat. Very glad our table was not the other side as the designated smokers area appeared to be directly outside the door. I’d have been fuming if I was seated there. As it is, I’ve come home in pain from unnecessarily uncomfortable seating (and yes, we did bring cushions to use), begrudging the parking and food costs. Such a disappointment.

Definitely do not recommend this event.

Amazing show - Niggles around other bits just slightly off for me.

Having read some horrendous reviews, We decided to still attend and give the show ago.

The show itself was good - the acting was great. The defence barrister was our favourite, he was very good.

The negatives -

The chairs are very uncomfortable, we planned ahead and took some cushions which helped to a point.

Snacks and Drinks are very expensive, you weren't allowed your own food and drink (we did purchase a drink but we also took some bottles of water with us as it was a very hot day when we went) luckily we weren't spotted with the water as a family on our table had a packet of sweets and the crew member who spotted this, came over to confiscate them but he was very aggressive in his manner and made the whole experience a negative one over a packet of sweets. This family also spent a lot on the afternoon tea package as clearly evident from the empty trays at the table so I don't feel this was appropriate, they were hardly cheating the system.

The whole space is quite crammed. A small table for 12 people is too much. Maybe suitable for 6. We were a group of 9 and even then too much.

Toilets, we didn't risk the toilets after hearing negative reviews.

Overall the show was good, maybe lacking in details which made it hard to come to a conclusive decision but the over selling, aggressive selling and nature leaves a sour taste and is really unnecessary.

Please remember we are paying customers and not just pound signs in your eyes. People talk and reviews hold a lot of weight.

Really enjoyable experience, realistic and the defence barrister is amazing! The lady usher is good at explaining everything as we go along, so we all know what we’re doing! Highly recommend this experience

The concept, execution of the jury discussion and performance of the trial was excellent.

Unfortunately, the organisation of the event failed to match up:
- Multiple repetitive emails after purchasing tickets - for food, car parking and one strange one about negative reviews.
- Chaotic on arrival. Table numbers were not clear as it was just a sheet of paper laid flat on a busy table which was easily covered up by other sheets of paper on the table. The verbal instructions to get to the table was quite confusing. Having a table legend on site for people to see would have helped.
- High tea was quite disappointing for £25. Add a better selection of sweet pastries and quality of sandwiches if charging £25.

Overall, the show was excellent but let down by the peripherals of organisation and food.

The venue were bribing the audience to leave reviews mid-way through the show with promise of free booze. Don’t trust all the reviews you read. The layout of the venue did not match the ticketing system. We had purchased tickets in the middle and found we were squeezed into a corner behind the judge and not able to see all the actors. 12 people squeezed in around a table big enough for 6. The show was very dummed down and did not go into much depth on any pieces of evidence. I wouldn’t go again. The production company was more interested in making money out of crappy food and overpriced drinks than delivering an excellent show experience.

Absolutely lovely professional service. Answered quickly kept me informed and Natalie was just fab at customer service.

The performance was fantastic. I cannot fault the actors or the script. However, the setup had a lot of be desired. Capacity was clearly a bigger priority than customer comfort. Folding chairs on an uneven floor were very uncomfortable. A helpful trial pack was not included and had to be purchased. Unless customer focus is improved, may party and I will not be attending future trials.

Over priced even with the 50% discount code from Facebook.

After booking with them we received an email saying that we have to pay £15.00 parking fee. No mention of this at the time of the booking. However no other way to get there other than going by car which they know.

Was under the impression that there was going to be street food available. Then we got another email saying we could book for afternoon high tea at £25.00 each. So pleased we didn't looking at what the person next to me received

Chairs very uncomfortable and it seemed to take a long time to start. Too busy trying to sell brochures at £8.00 each.

The acting was good and made a change but wouldn't go again.

Positives..The trial itself was good, engaging and decent acting. However. There were a lot of unanswered questions which made coming to a 'verdict' not so straightforward but I understood that given the time available we could only have a certain amount of info.
Negatives..organisation was poor. When we arrived we were hanging about in the foyer part of the tent, those who'd booked 'high tea' didn't know where to go or where to queue. We hadn't booked the 'high tea' expecting to get some street food which it said at the time of booking would be available, but it wasn't. The only food available was overpriced packets of sweets, (we paid £11 for 3 bags) (didn't take cash so be aware) or £8 for nachos with cheese sauce, salsa and jalapenos. The guy on the door said that some venues didn't allow street food vendors to be outside the tent, however, if this is the case we should have been told beforehand.
I'm glad we didn't order 'the restaurant dining experience high tea'. I saw someone near me who had ordered it and it was a cardboard tray with a couple of sandwiches, small cakes, scone and cheese and biscuits. Most people were eating there's balanced on their knees as the tables were so small you couldn't fir them on there.
On the pictures it looks like large tables with 12 people sitting around them. In reality there isn't room for everyone to fit around the table because they are too small.
The chairs were plastic fold up chairs which were really uncomfortable. The suggestion to, 'bring a cushion' was pointless as the back of the chair is the worst part and a cushion wouldn't have made any difference at all.
The big TV screens were too low down so even if you watched those rather than the actors in the middle your view was restricted.
The lighting was awful in the main tent. There was glare from the stage lights shining outwards into your eyes and the only other lighting was a small battery lamp on the table which you had to rely on to see to read the £8 programme (which was printed on black paper) I didn't understand why we had to be sitting in the dark??
As we left we walked by the porter loos. Glad I didn't have to use them, the stink was horrendous.
Would I recommend this experience? For the trial experience, yes. For organisation and pricing and everything else? absolutely not.

Just a good night out. Staff very friendly and helpful. Story line good and acting quite convincing especially the defence barrister who had great presence and was both intimidating and funny in equal measure.
Only negative comments would be (or advice really) is take a cushion as seats not comfortable for a four hour sit and drinks and snacks very expensive but non of that detracted from a highly enjoyable evening

We entered this evening's performance with relatively low expectations from the reviews we'd read.

In terms of the pros: the story was engaging avd compelling, the food was of an acceptable quality for the price, the staff were friendly and accommodating, and, on the whole, the acting was well done.

The cons: you are sat for a very long time, and the chairs are simple plastic folding chairs which aren't really conducive to comfort. The bar was a bit pricey, but within what you'd expect for a dedicated event. The acting tended to fall down when they were attempting to interrupt/talk over each other, the pauses and interactions didn't seem natural at all. However, by far the worst element of the event was the complete shambles that is the parking company they've outsourced to. They send passes on a shared site with a time limit of 30 days from date of purchase (so the download can expire before your event), they have no points of contact (they have phone and Facebook links on their site that don't work), and the email they send you to use to address issues is an unmanned "noreply" address. Also, in this day and age, expecting the general public to print their own passes rather than just register their vehicles is archaic and, frankly, cheap.

Overall, we had a wonderful night (we were very lucky to have a fantastic table of fellow jurors which made everything much better) but there are definitely opportunities to improve.

The show is really let down by the way everything is organised.
I would question the validity of all of the positive reviews as before the show even started they offered a prize to audience members for putting up a review.
I originally booked for Lincoln although the location was to be confirmed and then it turned out to be in Newark. I didn't realise until later I needed to pay for parking, which I then did but as I didn't print the parking pass straight away, the email wouldn't let me.
I joined the facebook group but it seemed to be full of people asking where their tickets were (I had to email them in the end to get my tickets) and where the show was actually going to be. I don't know why they're so cagey about it, like they've got something to hide. If it's in a tent at the Rugby club, then just say so instead of saying it's at Newark Crown Court Arena with the postcode of the Rugby club.
For the price I would have expected an indoor venue with proper toilets even if it had only been a leisure centre sports hall. I didn't have any food but the high tea didn't look like £25 worth of food considering it was served on your lap and tea in a paper cup.
The show itself was entertaining and it wss something different to do but I can't imagine it's at all realistic. I thought there was evidence for us to look through before we started but there wasn't. There was a constant spray of smoke over the area during the show and annoyingly someone kept nipping behind the fake courtroom!
I think if I'd seen all of the facebook posts before hand I wouldn't have booked. It certainly wasn't unmissable.

Overpriced, terrible acting and a farce rather than an attempt to replicate a real life court experience. Uncomfortable seat overpriced food and drink, definitely don’t bother with the high tea which is £25 for some sandwiches. Seats uncomfortable (you can pay extra for a cushion which is a joke when tickets cost £60). The venue is a tent in a field and the toilets are some of the most disgusting portaloos ive had the displeasure of using (and I’ve been to many a festival) so definitely not an experience that matches the price. I regret coming and advise anyone else to not waste their time and money

Fun set up and amazingly helpful friendly staff. Quite authentic acting and a lot of fun!

Great experience, really well organised. The staff were all very helpful. The facilities were also really good.

Fantastic night, we absolutely loved it! We didn't have the high tea - would have preferred street food (which it was at the time we booked it) but drinks and snacks was enough for us. We paid the extra to sit on the front row and it was well worth it - could see the facial expressions and everything! But there are screens around the arena too so that you don't miss anything. Just one gripe though - a crew member was going back and forth through the curtain next to the judge all night which we found quite distracting and took away some of the 'court feeling'. Was it necessary for him to do that?

Had a great time at Newark! Great fun and very interactive! Although the High Tea is expensive for what you get. I would definitely go again but without the High Tea. Looking forward to next year's 😀

Entertaining and immersive. Would definitely recommend!

went to the sheffield gig - and i quite enjoyed it.

Seen lots about it not being organised well but i didnt think it was too bad really.

Few issues for me - the email they sent us just gave us a road...the road is almost 10 miles long! so we got very lost but then found the what 3 words on the website - also it was in a cricket ground they could just put the name of the cricket ground its in.

Drinks are a little pricey but its no more pricey then any other event either - so had no complaints there.

The usher/presentor girl was brilliant

All the actors where good really

But the big issue for me was the noise - the machines to keep the tent inflated are a little noisy which is fine but set up more speakers so we can hear properly. there is 3 speakers mounted to the trussing for 500 people! 50% of the actors we could bearly hear it was soooo mumbled - they need to be putting more speakers around the venue - or more on the trussing - but the speakers just felt very "low quality" to me they was just not clear at all. - if you want to stay "in the zone" with the gig sound should be a high priority in my view! there should be stacks around the room or something - not just 3 active speakers mounted up there.

Tables where a bit crampt but not an issue if your not eating, chairs are a little uncomfy but didnt kill me.

But all in all i really enjoyed the evening , the script is good, the actors are good(A big shoutout to the defence barrister actor i thought he was amazing!) - one thing that made me cringe a little was the prosecutor barrister eye rolling a lot, it felt a bit cringe, and a lot of the actors kept giving "dead eye" to jack...which felt a bit cringe too..

But id rate the show a 9/10!

The venue and setup needs some improvements though in my view - mainly around the sound setup.

All in all, its something different and enjoyable.

some say its too long but it is a court case and there is a lot to get through - advertised 6-11 - it started at 7pm and we was delibriating by 10pm which i thought was fine really. If you find it its too long its probably because your not in the zone really! there is one break in the middle too to split things up.