Circle at the Lyttelton Theatre

Rows A to J, skipping I, so nine rows of 36 seats. One block, a steep rake, and nothing over your head. The nine slip seats on each side of the auditorium are sold as part of this level and are covered further down.

For most budgets this is the level to book, because the rake is steep enough that every row sees the stage cleanly.

Where we would sit

Rows A, B and C, towards the middle. These are some of the best seats in the building. You are high enough to see the whole stage from above and close enough that it does not feel remote, and the price is usually the same as a seat in the back third of the Stalls.

Row A is now sold at premium on most productions. Two things to know about it before you pay that. There is a wall along the front of the Circle, and if you are on the short side you will be looking over it rather than past it. And the exit doors are at the front of this level, so the front row gets the comings and goings.

Row B is our pick of the three if the premium is not worth it to you.

The best value in the Circle

Rows D to G. Further back, noticeably cheaper, and at the same money they beat the very back of the Stalls, from row T.

When we would look elsewhere

Rows H and J are fine at the bottom price and stop being good value as soon as they are priced above it, particularly on a Friday or Saturday.

Wherever you sit up here, aim for the middle of the row. The seats are not offset, so a tall head in front is a risk to your seat view, and sitting centrally gives you the best of the rake.

What about the slips?

The slips are two narrow ledges at the sides of the auditorium, nine seats on each, marked SL and SR on the plan. They sit above the Circle and outside the proscenium arch, so you are looking along the stage rather than at it.

There is almost no rake across the nine, so the seats behind get very little lift, and if a production uses the full width of the stage you will lose the sliver nearest your own side. Legroom varies along the row and the backrests are low.

Book these when everything else has gone, including the worst of the front Stalls. They are a way into a sold-out performance rather than a seat to choose.

Legroom and comfort

Comfortable in all rows for anyone up to about 5ft 10. The seats have proper backs and armrests, which the first four rows of the Stalls do not. The slips are the exception up here, with less room in a couple of the seats and low backs.

Getting to your seat

The Circle is reached by 22 stairs, or by a lift that is only 80cm wide, which is narrow enough to matter if you use a larger wheelchair or a scooter. From the Circle foyer it is five steps down, then either two steps up to row A at the front or 25 steps to row J at the back. Handrails run down both aisles. Access has the detail and the routing.

There is no aisle in the middle of this block, and every row runs unbroken from seat 1 to seat 36. A seat in the centre means climbing past a dozen people at the interval. If you plan on a drink, take an end seat.

The bar and the toilets for this level

There is a bar in the Circle foyer, open from an hour before the performance, so you do not have to go back down to the main foyer. Toilets are on either side of the theatre entrances at this level, and the gents and the ladies are on opposite sides.