Which is cheaper, Soho or Bush?

Bush Theatre is generally cheaper for new plays — usually £15-£25. Soho Theatre is similar for plays but their late-night comedy creeps up to £20-£28.

Are they walkable from the tube?

Soho Theatre is a two-minute walk from Tottenham Court Road. Bush Theatre is right next to Shepherd's Bush Market on the Hammersmith and City line.

Which one is better for a date?

Soho if you want food and a drink after, Bush if you want a proper play and a slower evening.

Soho Theatre vs Bush Theatre: which one to actually book | rifio

Two theatres, two completely different feelings, and people keep asking me which one to book. So here we are.

What they actually do

Soho Theatre is a comedy machine with a play habit. The main space does new writing — sometimes brilliant, sometimes you wish you'd gone to the pub — but the upstairs comedy room is where they make their money. Late shows, work-in-progress nights, names you'll see on a Netflix special in two years. The basement does cabaret and the kind of one-person show that wins awards at Edinburgh.

Bush Theatre is the opposite. It's a new-writing house first, second and third. Two spaces, both small. The work tends to be by writers you haven't heard of yet but will. They've premiered alot of stuff that's gone on to the West End or the National.

The actual experience

Soho on a Friday night is mental. You're squeezed past tourists, the bar is three deep, someone's filming a TikTok of the queue. It's part of the appeal, honestly. You're in Soho, you're meant to feel like the night is alive.

Bush is the opposite kind of nice. The café bar is actually somewhere you'd choose to sit. The crowd is half Shepherd's Bush locals, half theatre nerds who've come from across town. Nobody's filming anything.

Programming this season

Soho has been doing well on stand-up — last month I saw a work-in-progress that was rougher than I'd have liked but had three minutes of the funniest material I've heard all year. Their plays have been more hit and miss. The current run in the main space is the kind of thing that gets four-star reviews from publications who feel bad about giving three.

Bush has been on a run. Two of their recent productions transferred. One of them is at the Royal Court now. If you book a Bush show six months out you're often booking something before it becomes the thing everyone's seen.

Tickets and tactics

Soho's pricing is fine but not generous. £20-ish for most things, £28 for a hot ticket. Their student standby is decent if you can be flexible.

Bush is genuinely affordable on previews — pay-what-you-can means you can go for £5 if you're skint, £25 if you're not. Their main run sits around £20. If you're picking one to take a chance on a Wednesday, Bush wins on price every time.

Getting there

Soho Theatre is on Dean Street, two minutes from Tottenham Court Road. The walk back to the tube after a late show in summer is one of the better things about going. You can definately fit dinner at Dishoom Carnaby or somewhere on Berwick Street before.

Bush is on Uxbridge Road, two minutes from Shepherd's Bush Market. Less to do nearby but the Bush Hall is across the road if there's a gig on. Eat at Damascu Bite if you're in the area, it's a fiver and brilliant.

Which one this month

If you've got mates visiting and you want a proper night out, Soho. If you want to see something you'll talk about, Bush. If you've got £40 and two free evenings, do one of each — the contrast tells you alot about what kind of London nights you actually like.

Both have decent websites and both sell out the good stuff a fortnight ahead. The Rifio London this-week page lists both alongside the rest, so you can see them next to gigs and meetups instead of sitting on two browser tabs.