Stalls at the Fortune Theatre

The best level in the building, and the one customers rate highest. It's also the biggest, with 200 seats running from row AA, a short row in front of row A, back to row L. There's no row I.

Who it suits

Almost everyone. It's the level to book if you're tall, if you want the closest view without looking up, and if you'd rather not climb, as long as a flight of stairs down is fine. For Operation Mincemeat, a show that plays mostly on the stage floor, nearly every seat in the Stalls has a good view.

Where we'd put you

The centre of rows C to G. Row C is further back than it sounds: row AA sits in front of row A, so C is the fourth row rather than the third. From there the high stage stops being a problem. Some of the premium seats are in this stretch, so it's worth booking early.

If you'd rather not pay premium, row H has much the same view at the standard price, though it's where the Dress Circle overhang begins.

What to avoid

• Rows AA to B, if you mind looking up. The stage is high, and from the first three rows you're watching it from below. One customer in row AA couldn't see the stage floor.
• The smaller block. The aisle is off-centre, so each row splits into a main block in front of the stage and a smaller block between the aisle and the side wall. The seats out there look across the stage at an angle. If you do sit there, take the aisle seat.
• A14, which has a metal post in front of it.
• D19, which is sold as a limited-view seat.
• J12, which sits right in front of the sound desk. The desk itself is beside K12 and L12.

The Dress Circle hangs over the Stalls from about row H. Some people sitting under it hardly notice it, and others find it cuts off the top of the stage.

Legroom in the Stalls

The best of the three levels, and fine for most people up to about 5ft 10. Row AA has less. B1, C1, D1, E1 and K1 have nothing in front of them, though D1 and K1 sit beside a pillar, and A12 and A13 have unlimited legroom. The rake is shallow, so a tall person in front matters. The height of the stage helps, as you look over them rather than past them.

Steps to the Stalls

It's 21 steps down from the foyer, with handrails. There's no lift to this level: the lift goes to the Dress Circle.

Drinks and toilets

The Stalls bar is through the door behind row K, and the cloakroom is in there. There's also a kiosk for drinks and snacks beside the back rows, from row H, which saves you the bar queue. You can have drinks brought to your seat as well.

The toilets are small. The Ladies in the Stalls have two cubicles, so go early in the interval.