Gallery 1 at the Bridge Theatre
Rows A, B and C. Pride sells this level as the Circle, so a Circle ticket is a Gallery 1 seat. It is level with the foyer, which makes it the easiest seat in the building to reach, and it is the level the wheelchair spaces are on.
Who books Gallery 1, and what it costs
The middle of the price range: for Pride, most of it sits between around £70 and around £120, with some as low as £61.50. You look down onto the stage from here rather than up at it, and the seats towards the sides are angled to face the playing area rather than pointed straight ahead.
Where we would sit
The middle of rows A and B, between the two sets of pillars in row B. Gallery 2 sits above this level, and the only row it costs anything is C, where the very top of the set can go. A and B see the full height of it.
Rails between the rows give B and C something to lean on and are not in the way of the stage.
What to avoid
Row B, seats 19 to 23 and 52 to 55. Pillars stand in front of these and take up to a quarter of the stage. Exactly which of them lose most changes with each set, so the middle of the row is the safe answer.
C21, C22, C53 and C54. In front of the air-conditioning outlets and cold for the whole performance, in the same seat-number bands as the affected Stalls seats a level below.
The outer seats of row A, which look through a lighting bar running across the front of this level. The bar does not move; the seats it costs move with each production's rig, and the theatre flags them when you book.
The front-row rail. A safety rail runs along the front of row A and you do notice it. It is an annoyance rather than a reason to sit elsewhere, and row A is priced low enough to be worth it. Take row B if you would rather not have it in the view at all.
Legroom
Row A to about 5ft 6, helped a little by the wall bowing out in front of it. Row B to about 5ft 9. Row C is high seats, on the foot bar, and suits anyone 5ft 7 and over.
Getting to your seat
Level access straight from the foyer, then one step down into each row. The wheelchair spaces are here, at C31 to C43. Access has the rest of it, including the lift down to the Stalls and the steps up to Gallery 2.
Leaving from the ends of the rows can take up to ten minutes when it is full, because there are not many exits.
Gallery 1 FAQs
Is Gallery 1 at the Bridge Theatre the same as the Circle?
Yes. The theatre's own name for the level is Gallery 1, and a production can sell it under a different one. It is the middle of the three levels, level with the foyer, with rows A to C.
Which seats in Gallery 1 have pillars in the way?
Row B, around seats 19 to 23 and 52 to 55. The pillars take up to a quarter of the stage from there, and how much depends on where the set is put. The middle of the same row is clear.