Dress Circle at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Now playing: Wicked From £30 Book tickets
Rows A to Y, 1,030 seats, the only level above the Stalls. There's nothing above it: no Upper Circle and no Balcony.
Who the Dress Circle suits
Families like it, because you're looking down on the stage over tiered rows, which can help smaller children see. It also gives you the whole stage as one picture, which suits a show with this much movement in it. And it's the step-free level, which the Stalls are not. We'd still put most people in the Stalls, but the front of this level is a good seat.
Where we'd put you
Rows C to F, in the centre. They're in the front block, rows A to F, and it's where to sit up here. In rows C and D, keep a seat or two away from the centre aisle, where a handrail sits in the view.
What to avoid
Anywhere behind the front block, unless the price is right. This level goes a long way back, and from the middle and rear sections you feel a long way from the stage. The back rows are priced to match.
Row G. It sits behind ironwork that gets in the way of both the view and your knees.
The seats beside the stairwells. In the middle and back of the level, stairwells cut into the side blocks. The seats next to them in rows J and R lose part of the view, and those at the far ends of row L are cramped.
Row P, if you're in the back section. There's a safety bar in front of it. Row Q, behind, avoids it.
Legroom in the Dress Circle
Rows A to F suit people up to about 5ft 10, and rows H to O about 5ft 8. Row G, behind the ironwork, and everything from row P back suit people up to about 5ft 6.
Steps
Most people come in from Wilton Road, up four steps into the foyer. From there it's 17 steps up to row F, with handrails, and then three small steps between each row, without a handrail. The rows in front of F are down from there, and the rows behind it are further up, 37 steps from the foyer in all. The step-free route comes into row F; the access page has the detail.
Drinks and toilets
The Dress Circle has its own bar. The toilets are up a short flight from the front of the level: the Gents 15 steps up from row A and the Ladies 18. Expect a long wait for the Ladies at the interval, so head there first and have your drinks pre-ordered.
Dress Circle FAQs
Does the Dress Circle get warm?
It can warm up a little. The theatre is well ventilated and it's usually fine, but wear a T-shirt or shirt with a layer over it, so you can adjust rather than sit through it.