Palace Theatre

"Box X. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016). The view of the stage is OK, but SPOILER ALERT we were watching feet act every time they climbed those staircases. and the Dementors are a lot less scary when you can only see their robe tails. SPOILER ENDS. Having read the script I knew what was coming most of the way through, so to be honest the view did not detract from our enjoyment of the play, and it was wonderful not to be packed into the seats with all those other bodies. For the price I paid for the tickets, I will be very happy to use this box again."

"(Jay Hunt). The view from here was terrible - as other reviewers have pointed out, the back third of the stalls, including the rear boxes, are distant from the stage. From this particular box the top two thirds of the stage was obscured, as was a good third of the lower part of the stage."

“Box X: “Priscilla”: "Box X offers an impressively obstructed view with two thirds of the top of the stage missing. All the main action can be seen, and it feels close to the stage. They've installed two monitors - left and right the auditorium - to catch the stuff that it missing... a shame that the image quality is worse than youtube videos though. Okay seats, comfy with lots of room but not worth their usual price. It's a joke they sell them for £45."

“Dress Circle: (Siobhan): Dress circle are the best seats.”

“A13: The leg room is not as bad as that described by Theatremonkey. The view is superb but certain seats have lighting units affixed to the front of the balcony that project forward. At £50 a ticket you don't expect that. Watch out for A13, which was one of ours."

A 13 to 16: I took advantage of an offer which saw me paying £35 for £60 seats. I didn't find it too bad, we were in 13 to 16, and I wasn't uncomfortable.. but as some people mention you cannot stretch out as much as in the other rows. The seats were fairly central and had a great view of all the action."

"A14 "The Commitments": I bought J8 balcony for £35 from a ticket booth, but they were offering an upgrade to stalls or dress circle for an additional £10 GBP, so I took them up on it, and was quite pleased with A14 in the dress circle. I won't bother with the balcony again."

"A19: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016). I was very happy with the seat. I'm short so leg room is pretty much never a problem, and it wasn't here, I guess a taller person would possibly have a problem but they'd have a better view! When I first sat down I decided the only thing that would be restricted was if someone was to lie down on the stage in the first 1 or 2 metres. There's a bar quite far out that causes a small restriction but it's only right in the centre so won't affect many seats at all, think it stops around between one and two seats further to the left. Most of the time the bar is irrelevant, every now and then it'll obscure someone's feet but that's about all. However a couple of minutes before the end of Part 1 something important happens in that area, I sat up as straight as possible and did see what was happening. So, so far a very nice seat, especially for the thing that happens just after the thing that I'm talking about at the front of the stage. In part two, two things happen in the restricted view area, one in the same place as at the end of part one, the other is that a person walks down some steps off the stage and up the aisle. Obviously from that seat the person disappears from slightly faster but there are other things happening on stage at that point.

At the end of the show once my fellow row occupants had left I quickly tried a couple more seats, the bar restricts the important central stage area from A19 to A21, A22 is fine, and then it's the same 3 seats on the other side of the aisle as well. In all cases a bit of head movement or sitting up will allow you to see it even when you're relatively short. At part two, instead of looking over I looked under and moved my head slightly to the left.

A19 and 20: "Singin' in the Rain." Marked red on the seating diagram. Surprisingly, I found this position to be great. The legroom was a little narrow but I have had much worse (and expected much worse)– I think it gets narrower the further from the centre you get. However, it has to be said that being of well above average height, I could see over the railing without any of the lights getting in the way, or having to lean forward. Obviously I can't compare this with the view anywhere else in the circle for the same money but I was very pleasantly surprised." 
“A19 and 20: “Singin’ In The Rain,” (Chris B). The view cannot be faulted and has to one of the best on the West End, in what has to be the most grand theatre. Centrally located, a clear, unobstructed view and the perfect distance to appreciate the whole stage, yet still see all the facial expressions. However, the legroom is a little cramped (fine for me at 5'8" but any taller you might struggle) which is the only drawback to these amazing seats. A19 is an aisle seat though allowing a bit of extra legroom if needed.”

“A25 and A26: (K Favelle). The legroom in was so tight that I was finding it uncomfortable at just 5 foot 6 inches in height. My husband, who is 6 foot 6 inches tall with much of that height in his extra long legs, was absolutely crammed in and was forced to spread his legs so wide he was intruding into the space of his neighbours. A25 also had the added disadvantage of a metal strut (for the lights, attached to the front of the dress circle balcony) reaching up and over the balcony which meant it was not possible to lean forward and rest ones arms on the velvet balustrade. Which is a shame as the seats were so tight they gave me backache and I had to keep changing position in order to avoid cramp. I absolutely second Theatremonkey’s comment about dress circle row A seats being "outstandingly awful."

“Row B: (Celia Robinson). Had an excellent view of the action.”

"B7 and B8: “Priscilla” (March 2009), (James – regular reader). It would have been nicer to be a little more central but at a discount this seats were fantastic!"

"B19 and 20: (Jayne). We booked these after reading the Theatre Monkey reviews. The seats in my opinion are the best in the house, you feel so close to the stage even though you are upstairs. You can see everything and are central to the stage - better seats than row A in front of you. Without Theatremonkey I would have booked tickets in the stalls, but I'm so glad I read the monkey reviews first. I paid £64 each for the seats, plus the usual booking fee, but for me it was well worth it. I understand how costly this can be and there are cheaper tickets available - but all I will say is, 'just go the once and splash out.'"

"B 19, 20, 21 and 22: “Priscilla”, (K Braithwaite). As recommended by "Theatremonkey." Would sit here again. We had an excellent view of all the action."

"B30 and B31: "Priscilla", (James – regular reader). Despite being quite a way off on the side, the view was perfect from here and you don't miss any of the action, although you do have to turn slightly towards the stage."

"C15 and 16: (James – regular reader). Amongst the best seats in the house."

"C17 and C18: “Priscilla” (James – regular reader). The seats were perfect for the view and the sound. I went during the preview period and was lucky enough to get them for £50 by booking early. However, I’ve since discovered that these seats are in the designated premium zone which means they now sell for £82.50 and a staggering £92.50 at the weekends, excluding booking fees! It seems that there a large amount of seats like this for this production so it’s definitely worth checking out the ticket price seating plan on this website and then searching for seats just outside these areas."

"C 23, 24 and 25: (Paul Nicholls). Just about the best seats you can get." 

"C25: (Paul Nicholls). Excellent view, plenty of leg room. If you were to take your own seat into the Palace Theatre, this is where you would probably put it!"

"C 25 to 27: "Harry Potter" (July 2016). They were really great seats. You get a very good view of the stage, although because of the curve of the circle you might miss a tiny amount of the corner of the stage but really only if you've got a tall person in front of you. It's also a perfect seat for the ending of the HP Part 1 and I'd happily sit there again just to see that. You don't feel far away from the stage and the seats have a decent rake to them and not bad legroom." 

"C33 and 34: (James – regular reader). A little far to the side at top price as you start to lose a little bit of the action but take them at a bit of a discount."

"Row D: "Priscilla" (March 2009), (Jess B). Brilliant seats and had a perfect view of what was going on."

"D6 to 9: “Priscilla”, (CC Queen N.Ansari). We were not disappointed (apart from one bit in the show where we wished we had sat in the stalls!). Previous reviewers commented on the lack of visibility on these seats but the view was great. Not obscured at all, and sitting in the front few rows offers a really good view of the stage whichever end you sit."

"D9 and 10: "Singin' In The Rain" (August 2012), (N Ansari). We had a fantastic view of the entire show."

"D12 to 14: The Dress Circle is my fave place in this venue. D12 to 14 were perfect in every respect, so I'll say no more... apart from we were told by the guy on the door that Bette Midler had sat in these seats / or one of them anyway!" 

“D18 and 19: “Priscilla”, (James – regular reader). I managed to get them at regular top price, which was fair, but these seats are usually in the premium allocation and would then be very over-priced."

"E18: "Singing In The Rain," (Faris). This has no obstructions to the top of the arch an has an excellent clear view of the stage. I normally prefer seats in the stalls but sitting in the circle gives a nice overview of the dance routines and action."

"E18 and 19: The most perfect seats ever. Clear view, comfy, lots of legroom and an aisle to lean into. Well worth the 55 quidies we paid!"

"E24: I paid £35 per ticket through the GILT ticket offer (runs January to March each year). I'm 6ft tall and felt that I had plenty of legroom. I was able to see the entire stage, except for a couple of occasions when the person in front of me lent forward, but that wasn't really an issue. Overall, great seats!"

"E29 and E30: The best we could get at short notice. Excellent seats albeit with a slightly sideways view and a very tiny amount of stage not visible from E30."

"F 23 and 24: We found the view excellent, with a full view of the stage including the very top (which is important for this show). Your plan shows these seats as red which we don’t understand. We thought they were good with adequate (for West End) legroom."

"F23 and F24: “Priscilla” (June 2011). These were fantastic seats, more leg room than I thought, and we could see everything that was going on, no problem seeing the Divas descending. I think they would have been worth their full price (£66.00), but we got them on a special offer for 47.99."

"Row G: "The Commitments" (October 2013). The offer (seat in dress circle plus a free glass of wine for £23) was too good to miss. Good seats with plenty of leg room, great view of the stage, wine was pretty horrible and served in a plastic cup but it was free."

"G11 and G12: "Derren Brown - Infamous" (June 2013). The view was fantastic, if maybe a little bit too far to see Derren's facial expressions - but overall, you get the show. We are both tall, 6'3" and while there was enough to sit comfortable-ish, our knees were touching the front seats."

"G11 to 13: Excellent view of the stage and the booster seat provided for my ten year old helped a lot. Only criticism was that it was very hot and stuffy in the Dress Circle. Had it been a serious play I would have been in danger of nodding off!!"

"G30 and 31: Seats were really good. View wasn't at all obstructed by the wrought iron metal work as commented by one of your readers. Upper circle was over hanging us which meant you couldn't quite see the top of the pros arch, but only just and for this show you didn't miss out on much of the action. My partner is 6ft and found he had adequate legroom, aided by the aisle to stretch into. On the whole really good seats, although I did get a discount through the GILT promotion (January 2007) so didn't pay the full whack."

"H15: "Singing In The Rain," (Faris). Got through the annual "Get into London Theatre" offer. I was in the dress circle seat H15. Which is currently marked red. For previous productions the top of the stage may of been missed but for SITR nothing is missed as they don't use the full height of the proscenium arch. ("Red" as it just isn't great at top price, editor). Politely asking the steward got me moved to seat E18. I wouldn't pay full price for row H but it is perfectly fine. If at full price go for a few rows forward." 

"H 15 to 18: “Priscilla”. Have to say they were great seats especially on a discount, we paid £40 rather that the top price of £60.

There was only one row behind us, and they would have been affected by sightline issues, but only when the divas descend from above; we just managed to see them all. There were no sightline issues from where we were situated. Leg room was adequate, bearing in mind I am 6'+, and found them to be pretty comfortable too. I think I preferred being up in the dress circle to being in the stalls from where I saw' Spamalot'. I would agree with the monkey's opinion that some of the best seats in the house would be up here. I wouldn't hesitate to buy seats in the dress circle again."

"H 19 to 22: Although these seats are classed red in your opinion I can say that they were great seats which had good leg room and a superb view of the stage. Although the Grand Circle does intrude into the sight-line, only the very upper part of the set is lost - but in 'Spamalot' this is only clouds. (Helpful to know, comments the monkey, who would also sit here if there was a substantial reduction - even consider at top price as a final choice - Editor).”

"I5, 6 and 7: "Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert" (March 2009), (Vicki). Legroom was acceptable but it's worth noting that seat 5 is more tucked in behind H6 than the seating plan suggests, so if you're choosing that one to stretch out in, it's really no better than any other end-of-row seat. With regards to this particular show, I think I would actually categorise these seats as having a restricted view, as the over-hang of Upper Circle really does obscure some fantastic bits of the performance. I think the view improves towards the middle of these rows as seats are definitely higher at the sides. Avoid row J at the back as these seats sit a lot higher than row I, so their view must have been very disappointing. Selling these seats at top price is pretty scandalous if I'm honest. 

Please warn people that if they are paying this top price for the Dress Circle (and who on earth can afford those premium priced seats??!) that they should choose seats towards the middle of the rows and as far forward as they can find. 'Priscilla' is a gorgeously visual show and so it's worth picking your seat carefully so you don't miss an inch of the sparkle."

"I21 and I22: "Singin' In The Rain" (February 2012). Offered a good view of the stage (this was the back row of the Dress Circle). However, if someone is sitting in front of you, the view is quite easily obscured. The legroom is restricted - I am 5'8" and I wasn't too cramped but my partner is 6'4" and was quite uncomfortable and wasn't able to have a lot of room to move his legs at all."

"I29 and 30: “Priscilla”. Since you asked about sight line issues at Priscilla, I thought I would mention that most of the Dress Circle should be fine except for the back three rows. We sat in I29 and I30 almost at the back and to one side and could see most of the show although we did have to lean forward to see a few things like the faces of the performers when they are on top of Uluhru in the climax. A couple of rows in front no one was leaning forward so I believe they had no issues."

“Ask the box office what seats they have in Dress Circle Box A or box C. Seats 1, 2 and 3 in both these boxes are sold as restricted view but the view from them is really excellent so they are great value for money (for "Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical" they are top price, though, so perhaps less value). If they only have seat 4 available in these boxes then don't take them as they are at the back of the box and you don't get to see much. The box office also warns that these seats are not for those who dislike loud noise, as speakers are situated among them.”

"(Jay Hunt). Here we enjoyed a fantastic view. If I go to see this show again, I'd be tempted to book the same box or the front few rows of the dress circle."

“Box A: (Annie Gross). We had tickets for Box G and were upgraded to Box A, which was fine. Sideways view, but you don't miss too much, and you are almost close enough to touch some of the performers. All the seats in the other 2 Dress Circle boxes (B and D) are very restricted so if that's all they have then you'd be much better off elsewhere, unless legroom is a factor. The second time we bought tickets from TKTS and got tickets for the stalls, full price £60 but we got them for £30. Row F seat 3, a little bit to the side but still a really good view of the stage! It's lovely to sit that close to the actors!”

"Upper Circle: (Gem) The seats in the front rows are cramped but the sightlines are superb and completely unrestricted, and at the reduced price I think they are very good value for money".

"A15 and 16: (June). I would not recommend these seats. The ticket did alert us to the restricted leg room although at 5ft tall this is not an issue for me. The lack of restricted view warning was much more of an issue for me. I lost about one third of the stage if I was sitting back in my seat as one should. The only way for me to have full view of all the action was to lean on the cushioned area in front of me. Hence I had a really sore back next morning."
I would not recommend the seats 15 and 16 in row A of the Grand Circle. The ticket did alert us to the restricted leg room although at 5ft tall this is not an issue for me. The lack of restricted view warning was much more of an issue for me. I lost about one third of the stage if I was sitting back in my seat as one should. The only way for me to have full view of all the action was to lean on the cushioned area in front of me. Hence I had a really sore back next morning."

“A23, 24 and 25: "Priscilla" (March 2009), (Jos Hockley). Make a note because these are probably the best seats to get. Once we made the climb down stairs that rivalled the Himalayas (most people went sideways), we wedged ourselves into the seats (my friend is 5' 0" and she struggled to find legroom), petite comes to mind when describing the space around us, but the simply there wasn't any. Despite descending mountains and being shoehorned into our allotted space, we had the perfect view. Sitting back I could still see the edge of the stage (I'm 5'3"), and were perfectly situated for the aerial views and the 'shoe' where, at 15 foot away from the performer, we had direct eye contact! Simply, we missed nothing. 
However, I would advise caution in buying tickets as this performance involves a slightly higher stage apparently - and lots of aerial and performances on top of the bus. People lower down will miss the fantastically funny shoe by being underneath it, and have to crane their necks to see up. Those sitting too far back will be obscured by the overhangs from the balconies above."

"A36 and 37: "Harry Potter" (July 2016). Leg room was tight but I'm 6'1 and if I sat right at the back of the seat I had one inch of gap in front of my knees. I would sit there again as view if stage was great! Restrictions on the view wasn't a problem we maybe couldn't see 10% of back left corner although seats to the left (higher numbers) the view deteriorated very fast so would suggest avoiding unless heavily discounted."

“B 30 to 34: A small corner of the stage couldn't be seen without leaning forward, but not enough for it to be a problem. Any further round and it may have been."

"B31 and 32: Good value tickets, and the comments about the seating plan where spot on. We had to lean forward slightly to see the front LHS corner of the stage once or twice but otherwise the seats where fine."

"B34 and 35: (Jan). The view wasn't bad - except the usual problem of the people in front of us peering over the top of the ledge, caused us all to follow suit! It seems that the trend to bring the set out into the auditorium, which looks good, also cause the audience in any of the front circle seats to have to lean over to see any action going on down the front near the Orchestra pit causing the wave of 'peerers' and 'leaners!' I hope they realise this and start raising the stages higher!
But, even though the Grand Circle is the third level up, it is on top of the Dress Circle (some would say the best seats in the house) so the general view is OK. "

"B35: "The Woman in White" (December 2004). The view was perfect really - especially when it is only £15"

"B41: “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”, (Mark – regular reader). Quite restricted, but when I leant forward could see most of the stage, missing about 25% at the front (You only see 1 of the people when the phone calls happen etc). The good thing with these is when you lean forward there is nobody behind you so you aren't obstructing their views."

"Row C: Although I could see everything that was happening high up, I was not happy about what was going on near the front of the stage! These old theatres like the Palace were designed in the expectation that the front of the stage would end at the proscenium arch, but when the stage is extended out six feet or more beyond that into the auditorium and any action takes place right at the edge of the apron, then there are problems for people sitting in the higher levels, especially when the people in the front row lean forward and further obstruct the view of the people sitting behind them!"

"D 8 and 9: Priscilla" (March 2009). Upper Circle Restricted seats at the edge aren't actually too bad - though I would advise sitting on the left side rather than the right (D8-9) as quite a lot of action takes place on the right hand corner but not much on the left. They also cost £25, £20 less than the seats directly next to them. Bargain."

"D16 to 18: "Singin In The Rain" (February 2012). The view was spectacular! Only one problem, any action happening downstage - like the bench scene ending -happens downstage of the corner that is obstructed sitting on this side, my advice would be to get tickets with higher numbers than these if in the upper circle as we could see the other downstage side but nothing happened down there. (It's due to the stage extending over the orchestra pit, the monkey and reader jointly concluded).”
"D20: "Priscilla" (March 2009). Great seat and great view!"

"D23 to 26: (James – regular reader). You do feel very high up but as long as people don’t lean forward in front of you, it’s a fantastic view and the sound is great from here too. I only paid £1 per ticket which was a bargain ("Spamalot" December 2008 promotion price - editor) but at regular price (£42.50) it seems a bit on the pricey side. Also, it was quite hot and legroom was not great here.”

Reader Jaime Coniam says,
" D29, 30 and 31: (Jaime Coniam). Clear view of the stage, however the "looking down" on the stage is a problem if the view of a vast black stage floor detracts from the scenery."

"D31 and D32. "The Commitments" (November 2013). Both seats on The Monkey's map get a white designation. We would tinge D31 in pink. It isn't bad and the steep rake ensures a good view, but D31 does lose a reasonable corner of the stage. D32 loses a slice, but is significantly less affected. Legroom didn't seem as bad as people said. I was comfortable enough for the entire show, but did enjoy an interval stretch of the legs. As regards the vertigo issue. Can I suggest for anyone that does suffer that they eschew the central steps and take their seats via the stairs at either side of the theatre. The side stairwells have handrails and break up the downward path into what feels like a more segmented and steady trip, as opposed to the "straight down, no handrails, hope you brought a sherpa / goat" position the central stairs provide."

"E10 and 11: The strange thing about these seats is they are on a very noticeable slope, but for £20 they would have been absolutely fine."

“E10 and 11: "Priscilla" (March 2009)."We had the "Restricted View" seats in the Upper Circle; these were NOT restricted view in the slightest. Could see everything apart from a tiny corner in the bottom of the stage, which really didn't matter at all. Considering we paid half the amount of the people sitting next to us, I would make these seats GREEN for value for money. You can see everything extremely well. Would rather have sat here than the back of the stalls where I have heard there is so much restriction from the overhang. Probably the best value seats I have had in quite a while."

"E16: Good seat, and I only paid £20 for it off a woman who had double booked and was selling outside of the box office (bad practice but she was obviously genuine, and I got a £45 ticket for £20). Was just about to book a restricted view one for £5 more so was very handy! I don't think these are worth £45, I'd rather pay £20 less to sit 4 more seats to the side, but hey I was happy getting it at a bargain price. (A risky gamble indeed, feels the monkey).”

"F35: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (August 2016). This seat has a restricted view. For Harry Potter it is not classed as having a restricted view and carries no warnings. The seat is full price (second highest price). However the handrail for the three steps up to the row obstructs the centre of the stage. It is an "n" shaped rail so does obscure the view quite a bit. The adjacent seat has a great view. I presume, but don't know for certain that seat F10 at the other end of the row will have the same issue."

"G 21 and 22: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (August 2016)." These worked very well for us. View was excellent, especially as they were central. Facilities were immediately accessible although I had to go upstairs for a hot drink where it was a bit crowded in the bar but I was able to be served in time. I did find the diction very clear and audible from all of the actors throughout, which I greatly appreciated. We were at the back, so you couldn't see actors' facial expressions, although I did take binoculars which at least helped get some take if not continuous close ups on each of the main cast.
Which leaves the comfort rating...
Had I been in the middle of the row, I think it would have been good practice for my economy long haul flight on Monday, but, sitting on the end as I did, it did work out as planned I am glad to say, with room at the side to compensate for the more limited space in front. So apart from stretching etc in the intervals, I felt no need to stand up or move to stand behind (which I could easily have done, had it been allowed) during the performances. However my daughter who is only five feet three did complain about the limited space when we first took our seats but seemed absolutely fine throughout thereafter."

"G 29 and 30. The view from here was ok, there was no restriction apart from the very front left corner of the stage, and the legroom was fine. However, it did feel like a long way from the stage. I would think it worth it to pay the extra £15 for top price seats for a closer view if available - £45 seems very steep for this position, although as so much of the action takes place high on the stage, I would think it is better to sit here than the restricted view seats lower down."

"G30: "Pricilla" (March 2009): Bad value at £45, much better seats to be had in the upper circle." 

"G31 and 32. They were not restricted view, and we could see everything up to the top of the stage very clearly, apart from only the edge of stage right that was slightly obscured by the curve of the front of the Grand Circle itself."

"G31 and 32: Booked via the get into London Theatre Promotion - January to March each year - so I only paid £35 pounds for each seat). Seats were okay, a bit distant from the stage but not really obstructed. However it was pretty tight, which is why we were moved to Box X in the stalls."

"Box: At 'Spamalot' (2006) we sat in a box to the left of the stage and even though we sat pretty close to the stage we couldn't see half of it. We also sat just next to the confetti-blowing-cannon which came as a shock in the end, but they did warn us about loud bangs, they just didn't tell us when :)" 

"Box: (Jake Brunger). View not great at all - had to stand to see a lot of things, but I saw all their facial expressions and heard it perfectly thanks to a speaker next to me - not bad for £20"

"Box G: I booked all 3 seats in Box G as I wanted something a bit private / special for a birthday treat, and, after reading Theatre Monkey’s review about losing 1/8th stage, I was happy to pay £20 per seat, so £60 for both of us … I think this price was very fair for the view we had, and would happily book again."

“Box G: (Yvonne). I booked Box G (after reading a review on Theatremonkey) and was really pleased with it. Great value for money. Although a slightly restricted view it was well worth the £60 for three of us. I always prefer the privacy and extra leg room of a box and this one is a bargain."

“Balcony: We all suffered neck and back ache because the only way to see the show was to lean as far forward as we could manage. Normally, I would be conscious of not getting in the way of the views of the people behind, but sadly on this occasion leaning forward was the only way we could see any of the action on stage. A lot of the performance took place towards the very front the stage so we had to sit back and just listen to what was going on and watch the people back-stage set-up the props!! I will be writing to the theatre to express my concerns, I have been to many theatres and I feel these are the worst seats I've sat in."

"Balcony: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" in March 2009). My friend booked this show for a Saturday evening in March 2010, but could only get £25 tickets mid-way back in the Balcony (top tier in theatre). I have only one comment to make - CLOSE THE BALCONY FOR ANY FUTURE SHOWS!"

"Balcony: All the seats here are very cramped! Those over 6ft will not only feel uncomfortable but will also not be able to sit down. The only way to avoid this is to sit in the first row of the stalls or any central aisle seat. Never buy tickets which are inside the rows - only the aisles."

"A14 and 15: "Singin' In The Rain" (Lynn). I'm only 5ft 4" but my knees were jammed up against the edge. However, considering we had two bars in front of us we didn't have a bad view. By looking down we could see everything on stage except the steps at the front of the stage and not a lot happened there. Then when they showed clips on the screen at the back of the stage we just looked up and could see it perfectly. The seats were £34 each, but I was happy with what we got. When we got upstairs we were offered an upgrade to best available seats for £10 each. don't know if this is common practice, but might consider next time, depending what's on offer."
"A 21 to 23: "Singin' In The Rain" (February 2012). I managed to get very cheap seats in the Balcony, row A 21 to 23, and they were brilliant! Perfect view."

"A 24 and 25: "Priscilla”, (Jenny). I took a gamble and bought two seats for a tenner from a certain online organisation that specialises in things of a last minute nature. I did think that it would be a bit of a waste, and when we picked up the tickets we saw they had "partially restricted view" on them. Well, this wasn't the case at all. We had a fabulous experience! We felt every bit of the atmosphere, had no-one in front of us blocking our view (ha!) and all in all had a brilliant time. I would say to anyone on a budget - go for it!"

"D9 to 14: £22.50 each. Once we had acclimatised to the altitude and made sure our parachutes were correctly packed, we settled down for a good afternoon out! Seriously though, the stage is a long way down and it's a bit off-putting to be looking at the top of the heads of the cast, but we soon get used to it! None of us are terribly tall, so there was a bit of neck-craning going on as well. We couldn't see the top of the stage, so we missed some of the cartoons and imagery and the far downstage left front corner was out of sight as well, but as there wasn't much action there, it didn't matter too much!"

"E8 to 14: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016), (Howard, North Lincolnshire). A party of 7 of us saw this show in July 2017. We sat in The Balcony E8-14. I'd read other reports re: The Balcony's seating problems but since we couldn't afford any of the more expensive seats I booked these with a little trepidation - particularly since I was responsible for the other 6 in the group! 
We found no problems at all in those seats. The person on the aisle seat, E8, said the metal safety rail marginally cut into the right front corner (as you were looking at it) of the stage, but this hardly mattered. Those of us further towards the middle of the row had no such obstructions...your view is 'over' the rail... it doesn't 'cut into' the view. Yes, you are high up, but you can see everything clearly and all the illusions/special effects are designed in such a way as to be appreciated from wherever you sit. 
There were no problems with leg-room. There were a couple of moments, 2 scenes each probably only a couple of minutes long involving water, (I'll say no more), which took place right at the front of the stage, and for which you needed to lean slightly forward to see the action. Everything else was easily seen. 

The rake is so steep up here that your feet are level with the shoulders of the row in front so there is absolutely no problem seeing over heads, (apart from the aforementioned leaning forward bit) but they are very short scenes, and you can hear even if you can't quite see!! All other action had a clear view. 

During the interval and between Parts I and II a few of us moved around to 'sample' views from other seats. I would agree with other comments that views from Rows A - D (centre block) are hindered by the safety rails, and the further towards the ends of the rows you go, the more of the edges of the stage are 'cut off'. 

Row E where we were is priced at £20 per Part. Row F, directly behind(!), is £40, (in fact it may now be even £42?). DON'T spend double the money to sit a row further back!!!! There is no need to. You won't gain anything!! This is the gamble I took and it paid off. 
For people on a budget as we were, go for £20 in Row E centre block every time. My sister is under 5' tall and had no problem seeing from E10. Avoid Rows A-D. The further back you go the steeper the rake and from the very rear of The Balcony you would most likely lose much of the top/back of the stage."

"E16: "Singin' In The Rain" (February 2012). For only 30 minutes I seemed to have one of the better views, as I would have been able to look straight down on the tops of the actors' heads. People behind me were complaining that they couldn't see anything but the back of the stage. 

The seats went up at such an extreme rake that they were set very high from the floor. At 5'9", my feet barely touched the floor. That's so uncomfortable on the lower back. The aisle getting to the seats was very narrow, and one had the feeling of falling forward even when the aisle was empty of other guests to work around. The seats were hard and narrow, with little padding. They would have to pay me to watch an entire performance from that balcony!"

“F12 and 13: We were in the balcony and from what I could see all the seats were bad. I would avoid the balcony at all costs if you want to see the show or if (as someone else has commented) you're over 5' 10". Row F was VERY cramped. Row E and Row G seemed to have better views as the rows in front were lower. Row E was not a lot lower than F, and the drop almost vertical, so ANYONE sitting in front of you will obstruct views. For me, the best seats would be in Row E 3-7 and 22-26 as there is no-one sitting in front of you and you can dangle your legs over the barrier in front. Cannot comment on the views from these seats but it cannot be any worse than F12 and F13."

"F10 to 13: "Singin' In The Rain" (February 2012), (Vicki). Bought 4 balcony tickets from Ticketmaster  for £30 each plus usual booking fees. Nothing was mentioned about a restricted view, just 'high and steeply stepped'. What a waste of money, seats10 to 13 in row F barely have any view of the stage as the rows are tightly packed, hardly any legroom - and all I could see from seat 13 was the back of the head of the lady in front. From what I could gather most of the balcony seats have a very poor view, the people behind were also complaining. Most disappointing night at the theatre ever, complete rip off." 

"Row F22 to 27, Row G22 to 26: "Priscilla" (10 friends). We paid £26.24 each. All I can say is "avoid these seats at all costs!!" About a third of the stage cannot be seen simply because the balcony and bars are in the way!”

“H10: "Spamalot,"(2006). I booked in the balcony on Ticketmaster before looking at Theatremonkey’s opinion, but actually it wasn't that bad. Yeah I could've done with a little more room and seeing some things a little better, but I was anticipating being up with airplanes and it actually wasn't that bad. I could see some facial expressions and they were made PERFECTLY clear with the binoculars that I only had to use occasionally. So for an American student saving up for a 5 week trip around Europe, 20 pounds was an amazing price for a pretty good seat to an incredible show!" 

"Seats H 19 and 20: "Spamalot" (2006). I thought that describing them as unrestricted was a bit off which I am going to raise with the theatre. Quite a bit of the action takes place towards the front of the stage and is totally obscured by the safety bars etc at the front of the balcony.

It doesn't help that if the people in front of you are both tall and chose to lean forward - you may as well sit back, close your eyes and imagine what is going on! 

I remembered this theatre from Jesus Christ Superstar donkey's years ago I went quite a few times and didn't ever have a problem seeing from up there... I don't think I would bother booking in the balcony again unless I could get A or B - from H the top of the set is obscured by the lighting rig and as I said you may as well give up on anything that happens at the front of the stage..."

"J8 (The Commitments"): J8 Balcony, bought from a ticket booth for £35 GBP. Don't even bother! I was up so high I felt like I should have an oxygen tank. They were offering an upgrade to stalls or dress circle for an additional £10 GBP, so I took them up on it, and was quite pleased with A14 in the dress circle. I won't bother with the balcony again."

“Row L: (James – regular reader). I originally sat in the middle of row L - I didn't find the distance any worse than the back of many other theatres, but the view was absolutely appalling. The rake, whilst being steep, wasn't steep enough, and if you have anyone above midget-height in front of you, you will be struggling to see the stage. .As it was only two-thirds full, I tried a few other seats, with the same problems. Bars block the stage view from all side block seats. I usually don't mind cheap seats far away, but I would not sit in these seats again as view was so bad. Whole block should be red..."

"L7: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016). My friend had balcony L7 for £30. He thought it was very cramped, but view wasn't too bad. Missed around 20% of downstage left. Safety rails didn't intrude too much. More the curvature of the circle."

"L7: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016). This ticket was sold with a restricted view so I wasn't sure what to expect but the view wasn't too bad at all for the price. There are safety rails in the sight line but you can see the majority of what is happening on stage including the special effects. However there is absolutely no legroom at all. I am 6ft tall and my legs were forced out into the aisle and pressed against a safety rail causing bruising and a dead leg. It was difficult to concentrate on the performance and at the interval I complained to staff that I just couldn't sit there any longer. I was offered the opportunity to watch the second half on a screen by the bar, this wasn't ideal as it was noisy while staff were clearing the bar area and lights were left on reflecting into the screen... And you don't come to the theatre to watch the performance on screen! On the second night I was offered alternate seating in one of the 'Harry' seats as they call them in house - at the back of the dress circle, behind the other seats at the top of the aisle. The view from this seat was much better, however due to missing parts of the first part I was left filling in the gaps. However if you are really uncomfortable it's worth asking about these ‘Harry’ seats. The seats in the balcony are of a poor description and should be sold with a warning of severely restricted legroom as well as a restricted view, if this was the case I would not have purchased tickets in this area."

"N22: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" (June 2016). My advice would be, 'don’t sit here unless there are no other seats available!' Very high up so you end up watching the tops of actor’s heads, missing a bit of the front of the stage, some rails blocking the view and as soon as people in front of you lean forward to see they block a large portion of the stage! If you sit here be prepared to spend most of the performance leaning to see around bars/heads in front of you. The one good thing about this seat is the aisle next to you that you can stretch your legs into to make up for the almost non-existent legroom. For Harry Potter the tickets sold so fast that I was lucky to get a ticket at all… but if you can pay the extra to sit elsewhere I would highly recommend doing so!"

“O5 and 6: “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” (Chris B). Avoid these seats at all cost! I only got these tickets as we really wanted to see the show and it was the very last performance. True, they were very cheap but I can see why. You would have felt closer to the stage being sat on the moon, they are so ridiculously high up and with the very steep rake, if anyone leans slightly forward you can’t see the stage. Making out the actors was practically impossible and we could only just see the enormous bus. This is the one time I’ve hired the binoculars and even then it wasn’t a clear view. If you HAVE to sit around here, I’d suggest the back row as then you can stand up and not restrict people behind. The only good thing was we could hear all the music and the sound was good, but may as well have just listened to the soundtrack at home.”