Gallery at the Dorfman Theatre
The top level, row R, across the back and down both sides. It's built in like the Circle below it, so it's in the same place whatever the production, and it's one of the cheapest ways in. Nothing sits above it.
Who books the Gallery, and what it costs
People buying on price. The side blocks sit at the bottom of the range, and on the production we checked, the centre of the row cost twice as much as the sides, which tells you what the theatre makes of the difference. A couple of extra folding chairs get added to the row for some shows.
Where we would sit
The centre of the row, if you can stretch to it, looking straight down the length of the stage. The side blocks nearer the stage if you can't, which is where the value is: bottom price, a clear enough view, and the angle improves the closer in you get. The trade is that the downward angle gets steeper and hides more of whatever is directly beneath you, which is a small price for the difference in money.
The seat we would not book
The back corners, where a side block runs into the back row and you are as far from the stage as the building allows. From up there an end-on show can disappear almost entirely behind the angle, and it's the part of this level we would avoid. If those are the last Gallery seats on your date, buy a Pit fold-out seat instead for much the same money.
Anything hung above the stage comes into play up here too, because you're looking down on the set. It changes with each production and the plan marks the seats it affects.
Legroom
Tight. Row R works up to about 5ft 7, and only if you sit upright.
Row S, when it is there
Some layouts add row S behind row R: a higher row raised on a plinth, in small blocks with rails round them. It has better legroom than row R and fold-out footrests, but it is too high for anyone who dislikes heights, and if you are on the shorter side the rail can get in the way of the view. It is not built into every layout, so check the plan for your date to see whether it is there at all.
Getting to your seat
The lift goes to gallery foyer level, and the doors from there give on to row R with five steps at that point, handrails on both sides, then four more to most of the seats. No row in the Gallery is step-free, so if steps are a problem, book the Circle instead. Access has the rest.
Gallery FAQs
What is the seat view like from the Gallery at the Dorfman Theatre?
Good from the centre of the row, looking straight down at the stage. From the sides you lose about a tenth of the near side of the stage to the wall, and the steep downward angle hides whatever is directly below you. The far end of a side run, away from the stage, is where the view gets poor.
Are the Gallery seats the cheapest at the Dorfman Theatre?
The side blocks are, yes, along with the fold-out seats on the ends of the Pit rows. The centre of the Gallery row can cost double the sides.
How many steps are there up to the Gallery seats at the Dorfman Theatre?
Five from the doors on to row R, and four more to most of the seats, which is why no Gallery row counts as step-free. Book the Circle instead if steps are a problem.