10 worst theatre seats in the West End revealed

If you’re heading to the West End soon these are the seats you need to watch out for!

The people over at SeatPlan have trawled through over 80,000 photos of the view from seats right across London’s West End to determine the 10 worst theatre seats that need to be avoided.

These problematic seats feature everything from pillars right in the centre of your view and extreme viewing angles to cripplingly tight legroom and vertigo-inducing height problems.

10. Harold Pinter Theatre

Seat to avoid: Stalls, P16 – £47.50
Warning when booking: Obstructed view

Harold Pinter Theatre - P16
Harold Pinter Theatre – P16

 

9. Wyndham’s Theatre

Seat to avoid: Stalls, BB1 – £40
Warning when booking: Restricted side view

Wyndham’s Theatre - BB1
Wyndham’s Theatre – BB1

 

8. Novello Theatre

Seat to avoid: Balcony, A11 – £27.50
Warning when booking: No warning

Novello Theatre - A11
Novello Theatre – A11

 

7. Lyric Theatre

Seat to avoid: Balcony, E3 – £25
Warning when booking: This seat has a restricted view of the stage

Lyric Theatre - E3
Lyric Theatre – E3

 

6. Phoenix Theatre

Seat to avoid: Stalls, AA1 – £20
Warning when booking: Limited view, you will be looking up

Phoenix Theatre - AA1
Phoenix Theatre – AA1

 

5. Garrick Theatre

Seat to avoid: Stalls, S18 – £20
Warning when booking: The view from this seat is restricted by a pillar in the auditorium

Garrick Theatre - S18
Garrick Theatre – S18

 

4. Theatre Royal Haymarket

Seat to avoid: Upper Circle, B30 – £17.50
Warning when booking: View of stage extremely restricted-you miss at least 90% of the stage

Theatre Royal Haymarket - B30
Theatre Royal Haymarket – B30

 

3. Noel Coward Theatre

Seat to avoid: Grand Circle, AA26 – £15
Warning when booking: Very Restricted View – due to a side view and safety rail. Will need to lean forward

Noel Coward Theatre - AA26
Noel Coward Theatre – AA26

 

2. London County Hall

Seat to avoid: North Gallery, D42 – £13.50
Warning when booking: Restricted view, marble pillar in centre of sight line

London County Hall - D42
London County Hall – D42

 

1. Sondheim Theatre

Seat to avoid: Grand Circle, AA4 – £10
Warning when booking: Extremely restricted view – due to a side view, safety rail and lighting equipment. Will need to lean forward; view will not be clear.

Sondheim Theatre - AA4
Sondheim Theatre – AA4

 

Meanwhile SeatPlan has shared its top tips on what to look out for when booking theatre seats to make sure you don’t get caught out.

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About the author: Josh Darvill

Josh is Stageberry's editor with over five years of experience writing about theatre in the West End and across the UK. Prior to following his passion for musicals, he worked for more than a decade as a TV journalist.