Stalls at the Bridge Theatre
Rows A to T, skipping I and O, with an extra short row or two in front of A for some productions. About two thirds of the audience sits here, and so do most of the theatre's higher prices.
Who books the Stalls, and what it costs
Anyone who wants to be close books down here: the stage is set high and the front rows are a few feet from it. For Pride the Stalls open at around £61.50 midweek and around £76.50 at the weekend, with premium seats above that.
Where we would sit
Rows A to H, towards the middle. The front section has nothing above it at all, the rows are stepped, and the seats are offset so you look between the heads in front rather than at them. Legroom here is excellent, comfortably to 6ft 5.
One thing before you book the front rows for a family. At 5ft 7 the stage is at chest height from the centre block and closer to head height from the side blocks, so a small child will be looking up at it for the whole performance. The theatre lends booster cushions.
The cheapest way into the Stalls
The fold-out seats, on the ends of rows G to Q. Single seats that fold away, with no armrest and nothing in front of them, sold cheaper when they are in use. You are halfway back in the main Stalls block, on the end of a row, just without an armrest. You cannot leave a coat on one, because of the way it folds.
The back of the Stalls
Rows R, S and T curve around behind and beside the main block, on three sides of it, or four when the stage is in the middle.
Gallery 1 starts overhanging at row S, and what it costs you is the top of the set and anything hung above it. The whole playing area stays in view. A rail divides row R from the Stalls in front and another gives the back row something to lean on, and neither is in the way of anything.
Row T is high seats, on the metal foot bar, about 56cm off the floor rather than 38cm. Legroom back here runs to about 5ft 6 in row R, 5ft 9 in row S, and row T is fine for anyone happy to let their legs dangle.
What to avoid
R20, R21, R54 and R55. A handrail sits in the view from these four.
T21 to T29, T45 to T53, T57 and T58. Twenty seats directly in front of the air-conditioning outlets, which means a cold draught on the back of the neck for the whole performance, in summer as much as winter. They are high seats as well. Bring a layer even if you sit elsewhere: people who deliberately avoided these seats have still been cold.
Getting to your seat
Down one level from the foyer, either by the platform lift or by about twenty steps, and then one further step down into your row. Access has the full picture.
Getting out again takes longer than the walk in suggests. From the front rows and the far ends of the side rows it can take up to ten minutes, because there are not many exits. If you have a train to catch, allow for it.
Stalls FAQs
Are the back rows of the Stalls at the Bridge Theatre restricted?
The back rows, R to T, sit under Gallery 1 from row S. It takes the top of the set and anything hanging above the stage; the acting area itself stays in view from all of it. The seats to steer around back here are R20, R21, R54 and R55, which have a handrail in the way.
What are the fold-out seats at the Bridge Theatre?
Single seats on the ends of Stalls rows G to Q that fold away when they are not sold. They have no armrests and nothing in front of them, and they go at a discount, which makes them the cheapest way into the main block of the Stalls. There is nowhere to put a coat.
Is there a lift to the Stalls at the Bridge Theatre?
Yes. A platform lift takes you down the one level from the foyer, and there are about twenty steps as the alternative. Each row then has one further step down into it.