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Theatre guide reveals best and worst seats in West End
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent12 Nov 2009
It might not be of help if a 7ft boxer sits in front of you. But a new theatre guide offers hints on booking the best and avoiding the worst seats in the West End.
The book brings together the experiences of thousands of theatre-goers to warn of view-blocking safety rails and seats where no normal sized man has a chance of squeezing his legs in.
Theatre Monkey: A guide to London's West End by Steve Rich, analyses every venue in the West End - and some beyond - for the needs of the tall, the short and sufferers of vertigo.
But, as Mr Rich warns: "Even when planning carefully, you could still find Marge Simpson or the Incredible Hulk in front or leaning into your view."
The author, who based the book on the Theatremonkey.com website he set up in 2000, also throws in a raft of curious anecdotes and historical details.
Readers are told of ghosts at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Garrick and alerted to the longest theatre bar in London at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park.
Seats at the refurbished Prince of Wales Theatre are "so luxurious you'll want to take one home". And Vaudeville is named the "Monkey favourite" theatre.
Mr Rich, 40, from north London, started the website as a way of sharing information with friends. "It was half useful and half a bit of a joke," he said. But within four years it had become a full-time job.
Mr Rich said his least favourite theatre used to be the old Strand - now known as the Novello. "But then Cameron Mackintosh poured shed-loads of cash into it and it's terrific. I don't dislike any of them any more," he said.
Mark Shenton, a critic and writer for The Stage, said no other theatre website provided as candid a guide and it was a "relief" to be able to carry the information around in the form of a book rather than a download. "It's a work of serious passion as well as diligent research," he said.
The book also includes information on Tube links and which venues have air-conditioning. It costs £9.99 and is published by Red Squirrel.
Avoid the upper circle if you suffer from vertigo'
Theatre Royal Haymarket, Breakfast at Tiffany's
Aim for central stalls for superior views. G21 with nothing in front offers abundant legroom. Dress circle overhang is intrusive from row T back. Readers loathe sitting in the gallery.
Vaudeville Theatre, Little Voice
Most stall seats offer fairly priced views plus reasonable leg room. Front of dress circle feels framed by side boxes and the circle above. Upper circle feels further from the stage than expected.
Old Vic, Inherit the Wind
Central J to M are prime stalls. More central and lower-priced U to X are preferable to circle seats for tall people. The upper circle is set far enough back to provide clear, if distant, views from all seats except those behind safety rails.
Palace Theatre, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Centre stalls please most. Leg room seems to vary widely. Rows G,I,O and R attract most knee-popping warnings. Further back, circle overhang becomes an issue at around row P.
Phoenix Theatre, Blood Brothers
Row A of the stalls may be too close. Seats with high numbers at the ends of rows A and B have lights in view. In the upper circle and dress circle, a front rail bisects row A's view with extra aisle-end ones doubling the effect for A15 and A16 plus B14 and B15.
Playhouse Theatre, La Cage Aux Folles
Rows D and E win praise for comfort but prime seating is found centrally. A warning against the upper circle if you suffer from vertigo.
Theatre Monkey contributors
