Bridge Theatre

"Stalls: "Young Marx" (October 2017). I nearly bought a stalls strapitan seat but decided against it until I knew exactly what they were. I saw a couple being used and they are a little like a cabin crew jump seat that completely folds away once you stand up. They seemed quite small, no arms but they do have a back which folds away as well. From what I could see, they are probably best for very small/thin people."

"Stalls: "Nightfall" (May 2018). Unfortunately tonight my wife and I left at the interval. Although in a good seat in the stalls, we couldn’t pick out the words. The theatre is terrific in most ways but for us acoustically it doesn’t work. We’re older, so that must be a contributing factor, as also must have been the accents and deliveries employed, but we haven’t experienced this anywhere else to the same extent. It was wonderful to see such a young audience, but laughter, when it came appeared from isolated pockets rather than more generally suggesting we weren’t alone in failing to appreciate everything being said. It would be interesting to find out if we are alone in finding this a problem."

"Promenade: "Guys and Dolls" (May 2023), (Bob Pickett). No idea what the show was like from the seats, but being part of it (nice touch is how the cast would come off stage and talk to audience members, it really brought you into the show) was a fascinating and different way to see a show. I was worried about standing the whole time - the first half is pretty long - but as you move about a lot it isn’t so bad.  Yes you run the risk of someone moving in front of you, but at least you can change position… something you can’t do in a seat. If you feel you can handle standing, go for it.  It will reward (and if you’re so inclined you get to join in and mingle with the cast at the very end)."

"Promenade:"  "Julius Caesar" (February 2018). I was promenading and thought it was excellent value for money and actually probably the best way to see it as you are right in the action. It should be advised that if you are shorter you should try and get in earlier to be closer to the front. But be warned - the front row of people may be slightly showered in the spit of projecting actors!"

"AA36: Booked on a whim and bagged a £15 ticket. Front row, facing the stage, absolutely cracking seat!! The leg room is exceptional (a good four or five feet between seat and stage) and, even at just 5' 5", the edge of the stage was just under my eyeline. There were minimal bits of action that were missed but hardly worth mentioning. Fantastic value for money."

"A 1 to 3: "Guys and Dolls" (March 2023). We sat in stalls Row A 1-3 and had a wonderful view of stage, highly recommended BUT very, very limited legroom to the point of real discomfort. I'm 5'7" and my friends 5"5' and I watched the 2nd half standing in front my seat which luckily didn't obstruct the patron behind." 

"A26 and 27: "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" (November 2019). We picked up £15 tickets on the front row A26 and 27 which are to one side. The stage is very high so probably not suitable for small children. The venue does warn about this when booking however and booster cushions are available. I'm only 5ft 2" and I didn't find it too much of a problem. There's plenty of legroom here and you are very close to the action in fact one character died at my feet!"

"A64: "A German Life" (April 2019). Got Day Seat A64. First row, left-hand side - best view in the house for first half, but slightly restricted view during the latter parts of the performance.

"A65: "A German Life" (April 2019). On the side but great view."

"C22 and 23: "Guys and Dolls" (March 2022): Enjoyed sitting here. The seats are quite high off the ground (good for the rake), but there is a bar to rest your feet on. Seats are angled towards the stage. The overhang means you miss some of the overhead neon lighting coming down, but on the plus side, the happenings on the stage are at eye level."

"C34: "Straight Line Crazy" (April 2022). A very good seat, good rake and plenty of legroom. With the thrust stage setup, I think some audience members in the stalls seats at the upstage ends - those with the lowest and highest numbers - struggled when actors where downstage addressing the audience. Not lots of the time, but sometimes. I'd say seats 18 to 48 where preferable in this layout. Still, it's a really nice theatre in my view."

"C38: "My Name Is Lucy Barton" (January 2019), ("Thrust Stage" layout). The rows of seats have very decent leg room – it’s possible for people to squeeze past without those already seated having to stand up to let newcomers by. Each seat has its own arm rest too. C38 is to the left of centre of the stage, and the fifth row back; but a good rake means it was extremely unlikely to have your view blocked by heads in front. It is in the ‘premium seat’ category but does give a very good view of the stage."

“C63 and 64: “Guys and Dolls” (May 2023), (Bob Pickett). These seats are... strange.  For some reason the theatre has elected to install high chairs, meaning you have to put your feet on footrests.  Even at 5'10" I could feel my feet losing feeling after a time; for my wife at 5' 1/2" she struggled to get in them, move about and retain any feeling in her legs. I wouldn't sit here again.”

"DD 22 and 23: "Guys and Dolls" (March 2023 - "in the round" layout." Whole row affected. The stalls restriction for £55 seats is absolutely ridiculous. I was so disappointed last night not to see ANY of the lighting design they are emphasising so heavily in publicity. Like taking a West End stage and slapping a blackout across the top half."

"F39: "A Number" (February 2020). One seat away from the aisle in the central stalls block so not particularly central, but the design of this theatre means you are never that far away from the stage.  Sightlines and rake were good and legroom adequate."  

"J1: "Young Marx" (October 2017). £15. View restricted in that you miss the back corner of the set and from what I gather a repeated visual gag. However that's all you miss. Great value good view of everything else. BUT you do have to go along the row from seat 20 down to 1 which was causing a lot of tutting from people today - there's no way to know that before you get in and no other way in or out. My seat mate and I did pass that on to staff as feedback though."

"J9: "Young Marx" (October 2017). Front row, very comfortable seat, plenty of legroom. Stage was pretty high, had to sit upright to see the floor, but no problem."

“J19: “A Christmas Carol” (December 2022), (Taljaard). As good as ever.”

"J 70 and 72: "Allelujah!" (July 2018). Just wanted to say that £15 tickets row R Gallery 1 are excellent value. For Allelujah, sitting in R 72 I could see most of the stage. R 70 was even better."

"K8: "Young Marx" (October 2017). I paid £35. This was a seat angled towards the stage, rather than a high chair. I had a very clear view and no one in front leant forward, and even if they did the rake would have taken care of that. It is a side view but I thought it was good value for money and each seat is individually angled so the view is taken care of. I would say for a new theatre the seats are quite small in width, however the legroom was fine for me (I am 5ft nothing). The slightly angled seats do mean you can lean in the space behind the seat you are beside so you don’t crowd your neighbour on the armrest. Next time, I would choose Gallery 1 left, because they seem to have another entry and exit point halfway down the section (between seats 69 and 70 from the plan) which made it easier for people to get in and out. Gallery 1 right has a door in that corresponding area, but it is ‘fire exit only’ so all the rows and seats have only one entry and exit point. The room to manoeuvre up and down the rows is limited so don’t arrive late as you will cause quite a kerfuffle. Like you say, it is very much like the Dorfman and it feels quite intimate, even with your fellow audience members, I had lots of chats with the people around me who were all very excited about the new theatre. I nearly bought a stalls strapitan seat but decided against it until I knew exactly what they were. I saw a couple being used and they are a little like a cabin crew jump seat that completely folds away once you stand up. They seemed quite small, no arms but they do have a back which folds away as well. From what I could see, they are probably best for very small/thin people."

"K17 and 18: "Julius Caesar" (February 2018). Did not know what to expect as these were marked as "high seats". It turned out they were superb, with an excellent view of the whole production - the staging moves around but we saw everything. At £50.00 per seat they were not cheap but I chose them because they were among the cheaper seat for this particular production. You have no one sitting behind you and I had no one to my left so at certain times I could stand without affecting anyone else's view of the stage. I am 5'2 and my husband is 6'. We both found the seats far more comfortable than we had expected - the seats have arms, a high back and a foot rest. I would have no hesitation in choosing these seats again in the future or recommending them to others."

"L21 and 22: "Young Marx" (October 2017). These are high seats, but they are proper seats with backs and armrests (i.e. not stools). Because of a railing separating row C from row B, there is little space in front of the seat, so even if you're standing up it is very difficult for someone to pass you, unlike in a conventional seat. But there is no constriction of space for knees because they are not banging up against the back of the seat in front. And thus the seats were comfortable to sit in for the duration of the show. The view was fine, and the height of the seats meant no obstruction by the heads of anyone in front. However, the overhang of "Gallery 2" cut off the view of the top of the set, and in Young Marx there is a little bit of action there that we had to dip our heads to see. Acoustics were also fine; it was not difficult to hear almost all of the dialogue despite the distance, even though there was the occasional phrase or word that got lost."

"L 57 and 58 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (June 2019). Acoustics, view and seat comfort all fine BUT the seats are immediately in front of a wall outlet for the air conditioning causing an extremely cold blast of air to the back of the head/neck for the entire performance. Despite it being a warm summer’s evening we had come prepared for an air conditioned theatre with jumpers and a wrap but these were totally inadequate against the power of the unit. Reported to staff who lent us a fleece each (very much appreciated) and promised to investigate. I would not choose these seats again and suggest they should not be marked in green on your website."

"N5: "Allelujah! (July 2018), (Josepha). A large stalls with good leg room. I had an excellent view with good leg room from N5 in the stalls. I am not sure how good the view would be from the gallery levels as they are at ninety degrees to the stage eg like at Cottesloe or slips at Covent Garden."