Stalls at the Trafalgar Theatre
Rows A to Q, and no row I. One block facing the stage, curving slightly towards the centre, with the rake starting at row F and becoming noticeable from row G. If given the choice, we would always sit in the Stalls at the Trafalgar Theatre. The view just feels slightly better for a venue which usually hosts more intimate plays.
The seats are not offset, and it decides this level for some people
You look at the back of the head in front of you here, not between two heads. That is unusual for a level refitted in 2021, and the rake is gentle enough that it does not compensate. If you are on the shorter side, the Dress Circle will give you a clearer view of the stage than any seat down here, at any price.
For everybody else it is not an issue.
Where to sit in the Stalls
Row A, right at the front, is the buy. Fourteen seats, priced well below the middle of its own level. Book it early: when we checked a Saturday, row A had gone while dearer seats behind it were still sitting there. It is a small block and you are almost on top of the stage, so take it to be near the actors rather than to see everything at once.
The centre of rows E to H is the best seat on the level. Square on, close, and clear of everything. The same money buys the centre of Dress Circle rows B and C, which is further back and higher up.
Rows B to K are the broad middle, and where most of this level sits. A clear stage from a comfortable distance wherever you land in it.
Rows L to O are the back third, still with a full view of the stage and cheaper than the rows in front of them.
Rows P and Q lose the top of the stage to the front edge of the Dress Circle, and so do the outer four seats of row O. How much that costs you depends on what is playing: with no flown scenery and nothing staged above head height, which is the current production, it costs you almost nothing. Row Q also sits flat against the back wall in an alcove rather than curving with the rest of the level, and the outermost seats in it have a wall alongside.
Both rows are numbered around a sound desk, so the numbers jump partway along instead of running straight through. Go by the number on your ticket, not by counting seats.
Legroom and the ends of rows
Legroom is best at the ends of rows on this level. If you are tall, ask for an end seat rather than a centre one.
Where the Dress Circle starts to be noticeable
The Dress Circle overhangs the back of the Stalls from row G in the centre and clips the sides from about row D. Through the middle of the level that is invisible to almost everybody: what it takes is the top corner of the picture, and only from the end of row D backwards. It matters in the back two rows.
Getting down here, and the bar
The Stalls is below street level. There is a lift down from the foyer, which enters the auditorium through rear Stalls Entrance A or B depending on your seat, and there are 25 steps if you would rather walk.
The Stalls Bar is on this floor, which is the larger of the theatre's two bars and the one with some seating, and there are toilets on this level including an accessible toilet. The Dress Circle has neither.
Wheelchair and companion spaces are on the aisles in rows B and H, not at the back of the level. Full detail is on the access route.
FAQs
What is the view like from the Stalls at the Trafalgar Theatre?
Close. You sit a few feet from the actors in a 630-seat theatre, which is why we send most people down here. Book the Dress Circle instead if you are on the shorter side: it is steeply raked and it takes in more of the stage at once.
Which are the best seats in the Stalls at the Trafalgar Theatre?
The centre of rows E to H, at the top price. If that is more than you want to spend, row A is the value seat on the whole plan, with the caveat that it is the shortest row and very close to the stage.
Are the back rows of the Stalls worth it?
Yes, with one condition. Rows P and Q lose the top of the stage, so they suit a production with nothing staged high, which is the case at the moment. On a show with flown scenery we would put you in the Dress Circle for the same money instead.
Do the Stalls seats have good legroom?
Adequate, and better at the ends of rows than in the middle of them. If you are tall, take an end seat. The seats are also not offset, so you look at the back of a head rather than between two of them.