Shout out for the Tivoli cinema in Bath.
Ten days ago during half-term (my wife is a teacher) we had a short break in the city.
Things got off to bad start when we were six hours late setting off from our home in Cambridgeshire.
What happened was this.
Minutes before we were due to leave my wife shut the bedroom door to stop the dog getting in and when I tried to open it the handle wouldn’t work.
All my efforts to open the door failed and we couldn’t leave because our neatly packed suitcases were inside the room.
So too was my iPad which I never leave home without.
We therefore rang a locksmith who said he was on another job but would come over as soon as he could. He estimated his time of arrival at two hours.
Four hours and several texts later there was still no sign off him so we rang another company and 60 minutes later a locksmith who happened to be in the area duly appeared.
Needless to say it took him no more than a few seconds to open the door, although he did have a ‘special’ tool.
He then removed the latch and explained that the spring had broken and we should think about changing every latch in the house.
With these words ringing in our ears we finally set off for Bath, arriving at 7.00pm.
Anyway, back to the Tivoli.
If you’ve stuck with this blog for a number of years you may be aware that I am a big fan of the Everyman chain of cinemas.
Auditoriums are generally on the smaller side but they feel quite plush, with comfortable twin-seat sofas and lots of leg room.
As a rule I'm not keen on people eating during films but for some reason it doesn’t bother me at the Everyman where staff bring food and drink direct to your seat from the kitchen or bar.
Sometimes, before the film starts, a member of staff will even take a moment to introduce it.
It’s a welcome change from the usual bland and impersonal cinema experience.
Well, the Tivoli in Bath seems to have copied the Everyman’s cinema cafe concept and cranked it up a notch.
When we arrived the programme had yet to start so we sat in a very tasteful lounge bar and ordered drinks from a friendly waiter.
The film we had booked to see – On The Rocks with Bill Murray – was showing in the smallest of the Tivoli’s three auditoriums.
It was called the Director’s Lounge and when we made our way there we found just eight two-seat sofas, four on either side of a wide aisle.
The seating was steeply raked and well distanced so it was impossible not to have a clear view of the screen.
It was what I imagine a perfect home cinema might be like.
I understand there are other Tivoli cinemas in the south west.
Fingers crossed, more cinema cafes like this and the Everyman chain will open in other parts of the country.
Because if this is the future of cinema, count me in.
PS. Highlight of our visit to Bath was lunch at Menu Gordon Jones, a tiny (and pleasantly informal) Michelin restaurant.
It was fully booked yet the eponymous chef found time to not only cook in the kitchen, he also greeted guests at the door on arrival, and visited our tables to explain several of the (seven) dishes.
Now that’s what I call service!
Below: Bedroom door following a visit from an emergency locksmith. It’s now my job, apparently, to find and install a new latch.
