Last Friday saw the much anticipated reopening of the Borough Theatre, starting with the sellout tribute act - ABBA Forever.

The night was met with praise from many, with one local commenting: "Great evening, really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Another visitor remarked on the improvements the Theatre has clearly made, saying: "I was there for the last performance (APC Aladdin Feb 2020) before it closed in the theatre and also for the first (ABBA) when it reopened last Friday.

"There is a new state of the art energy efficient heating & cooling system, bringing fresh air into the Auditorium from outside. For the first time a new tension wire grid, to make it safe for the technical crew to access the lighting & equipment above us. A brand new bar, toilets & foyer space. New retractable seating (larger & more comfortable) & new lights and stage curtain (red).

"Room now to access the front of the Auditorium (walk at the front of the stage for the first time) all on one level & no steps. Plus it's created two boxes side on seating (6 per box) Seats will be removed for an orchestra at the front. Nothing has been done to the stage, dressing rooms or Corn Exchange as yet. However definitely a bigger improvement than before , despite losing a number of seating."

Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Borough Theatre, Cllr Sara Burch said on the event: “The Borough Theatre in Abergavenny reopened its doors last Friday to a sell-out crowd who were able to experience first-hand the high standard refurbishment of the auditorium, bar and facilities. Our brilliant team of volunteers and staff worked incredibly hard last week so the shows would go on and their hard work paid off. Many old and new faces attended the opening night and gave some great feedback.

“We have taken away many things from the opening and look forward to making this wonderful facility even better. "

Despite this, there were various spectators with a very different take on the night. The most common issue amongst patrons was the queues for the lavatories .

One stated: "Absolutely fantastic night, seating was amazing but have to say the toilet situation is absolutely appalling, unless you went when the show was on, the queues were bonkers in the interval."

In response to this disruption, a spokesperson from the MCC ensured that they recognised that there were "some issues on Friday night but these were resolved by the Saturday."

Upon questions of whether the facility was suitable for disabled patrons, an MCC spokesperson confirmed that the lift at the Theatre was fully functional to users from the ground floor.