Criterion Theatre Seating Plan

Three levels, all below street level: the Stalls at the bottom, the Dress Circle above them, and the Upper Circle, three rows deep, nearest the street. There are also six Boxes on the sides. Everything below describes left and right as you face the stage.

Row letters repeat from one level to the next, so row C in the Stalls and row C in the Upper Circle are very different seats. Always check the level, not just the row.

The one thing to understand before you pick a seat

The pillars are the main thing to check. The building went up in 1874 and the upper levels rest on columns that pass down through the levels below, so they are holding the place up rather than decorating it. There are pillars in the Stalls and in the Dress Circle. The Upper Circle has none.

The theatre reviews the sightline from every seat with each new production rather than carrying a fixed list, so a restricted label is a current judgement rather than an old one. That is also why a seat review written for a previous show at this address may not describe what you would see at this one.

What tickets cost, and why

Most theatres charge you for how close you are. The Criterion charges you for what you can see, and it is unusually literal about it.

For Titanique that runs from around £35 up to around £135, and the ladder underneath works like this:

• The cheapest seats are cheap because something is genuinely in the way, a pillar or the side of the stage, not because they are far back.
• The next step up buys a partial obstruction: a narrow pillar, part of the side, or the brass bar on the front of the Dress Circle.
• The middle band is where the stage itself is fine but you lose the top of the set, or somebody in front of you might get in the way.
• The standard seat is the band above that, and it is most of the theatre.
• The top two bands are small. There are only fifteen seats in the whole building at top price.

A seat with tight legroom costs the same as a roomy one. The Criterion discounts a view problem and does not discount anything else.

Should I sit in the Stalls or the Dress Circle?

The Stalls, if the price works for your date: you're closer to the cast, and the viewing holds up across the width. The Dress Circle has the better rake, so it suits anyone worried about the head in front.

The levels at a glance

• Stalls, the bottom level and the biggest. The centre around row E is the pick; the thick pillars two-thirds of the way back are the ones to avoid
• Dress Circle, properly raked, with the best overview from the front. Behind a thin pillar is usually fine
• Upper Circle, three rows and 65 seats, nearest the street, with no pillars at all. The value pick, with poor legroom at the front
• Boxes, six of them, on the sides at two levels. A side-on view, and the Stalls are the better buy

Where we'd spend less

The Upper Circle, centre. The cheapest part of the theatre and the surprise of the building. It's also the only level you can reach without a long descent, at 23 steps from the street, and in a theatre this small it's still close to the stage.

Taller? The best seats for legroom

• Stalls: fair for most people, tighter for anyone over about 5ft 10. An end seat is easiest to get in and out of
• Dress Circle: row A has the most. The front side row and the middle of row D have the least
• Upper Circle: the front row is very tight, worst of all at the sides. Row C is the pick up here

Step-free seating

The Upper Circle, from the Jermyn Street entrance, with the wheelchair spaces in row C. The other levels are down stairs and there's no lift. The access page has the detail; access bookings are handled by the venue's own team rather than by us.

The seating plan

The plan shows all three levels and the Boxes. Tap a section to see prices and pick your seats, or call us and we'll read it with you, including which pillar seats are the good value ones.

Call us on 020 7193 9050 if you'd rather talk it through with someone.