Stalls at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Now playing: Avenue Q From £30 Book tickets
636 seats over 23 rows, lettered A to Y, and the level we would send most people to. Nothing else in the building is as close to the stage, and no other level avoids the stairs.
Where to sit
The centre, and the centre is easy to find here. The aisle splits every row at seats 18 and 19, so anything in the high teens and low twenties is middle of the theatre whichever row you are in.
Rows E to K are the sweet spot, far enough back to take in the whole stage and close enough to see faces.
Sitting close is not the mistake it is at some theatres. The second and third rows are good seats here. You are looking up a little, but it's not a disaster. Nor does the back of the Stalls let you down: even rows Q and R hold up as decent seats.
The seats to think twice about are the ones right at the very ends of a row. They feel quite side on and you lose the corners of the stage. Everything between them is a decent view.
The front row is not the bargain it used to be. Row A was the cheapest seat in the building until the end of August 2026, and when the current production extended it was repriced into the middle of the range.
How the level is laid out
Rows run A to Y with no row I and no row O. Every row is in two blocks either side of the central aisle, and the rows widen as you go back, so the front of the level is narrow and the middle and back run the full width of the auditorium.
There is a sound and light desk in the back of the Stalls. It takes out eight seats in row W, so that row is shorter in the middle than the ones around it.
From row P back you will not see the top of the stage, because the Royal Circle sits directly over those rows. The deeper into the level you go, the more of it disappears. Those seats are priced for it and are good value at what they cost.
The lift reaches this level from the ground floor and there are no steps once you are in, so it is the one to book if stairs are a problem. Access has the detail.
Where this level sits on price
The Stalls carry both the most expensive seats in the building and, at the outer ends of the back rows, some of the cheapest. The centre of the level is the dearest part of it.
On a tight budget, the saving is along the row rather than up the building. The ends of a row cost less than the middle. Prices for both levels are on the seating plan.
Stalls FAQs
Where is the centre of the Stalls?
Between seats 18 and 19. That is where the aisle falls in row A and it is still there in row Y, so seats in the high teens or low twenties are central on any row.
Is the front row too close?
No. You look slightly up, but the stage is not set high enough for that to spoil it, and the second and third rows are good seats. The front row is no longer the cheapest one in the building, so take it because you want to be close rather than to save money.
Which Stalls seats should I avoid?
The seats right at the very ends of a row. Beyond that, row W loses eight seats in the middle to the sound and light desk, so check the plan around there before you book.
Is there step-free access to the Stalls?
Yes. A lift runs from the ground floor and the level is flat once you are on it, so the Stalls are the step-free level here. The 1911 bar and the accessible toilet are both on this level too, which means a step-free evening does not involve going anywhere else in the building.