Stalls at the Adelphi Theatre

The biggest level in the building, holding between 628 and 646 seats, and the one we would send almost anybody to. It is also the only level whose shape changes between shows.

Where to sit

The centre, from about row D back to row L, is the sweet spot. You are square to a wide stage and close enough to see faces and take in the whole show.

Do not go too far forward. The stage at the Adelphi is set high. From the first few rows you spend the evening looking up at it rather than into it, and while that is a fair trade for a play where you are watching faces, it costs you more in a musical with big dance numbers.

Side seats are worth taking. The auditorium is wide, so what you lose from the side is the angle rather than the view. The last two or three seats in any row are sold as restricted view.

Behind row P, know what you are buying. The Dress Circle overhang costs you nothing until then, but from row P back the top of the stage starts to go. Those rows are good value at the price they are sold for.

How the level is laid out

Rows A to J run as one unbroken block right across the auditorium, curving gently in front of the stage. From row K back a centre aisle splits the level into two halves of roughly fifteen seats each.

There is no row I and no row Q.

At the very back the rows go short on one side, so V, W and X hold fewer seats than the rows in front of them. Rows R, S and T carry a handful of seats sold as restricted at the far end.

And the front row is not always row A. Some productions add a short row AA of 16 or 18 seats in front of it; others take it out entirely. Check the plan for the show you are booking rather than assuming. Sometimes a decision on whether it's going to be there is not made until the production actually gets into the venue. Sometimes these seats are released much later on and can be a great bargain.

Where this level sits on price

The Stalls are the dearest level and the centre is the dearest part of it. The auditorium is wide, though, so a side seat down here beats a central seat in the Dress Circle and usually costs less than one. If the budget is tight, move sideways rather than upstairs.

Getting in, and drinks and toilets down here

This is the one level with step-free access: a ramp and an automatic door on the right of the main entrance, then level all the way from the foyer to your row. Neither Circle has a lift, so anyone who cannot manage stairs should book here.

Drinks come from the Vivian Ellis Bar, on this level and step-free. On the odd night it closes for a private function, and then front of house bring your drink to your seat. Toilets are inside the Stalls auditorium, a step-free Gents and a Ladies up two steps, and the one accessible toilet in the building is off the main foyer at ground level, near the Stalls entrance.