Circle at the Donmar Warehouse
Rows A to C, one flight up from the Stalls, and the only other place to sit. Row A and row B face the stage across the back of the theatre and also run down both sides; row C is the sides only, with nothing in the middle.
The bar across the front
A thick bar runs round the front of the Circle on all three sides. In the middle of the level it sits low and you look over it. At the corners it is treble height, which affects A12, A14, A33 and A35 in particular. For musicals, television screens are hung in front of it as well, which makes it worse. A second bar runs across row B and does not get in the way at all.
Down the sides, the angle down to the stage is steep, and the corners of the stage nearest you are the part the bar takes. People sitting there end up perched forward.
This is the complaint people make most often about the Circle. When people in row A lean forward to see round the bar, the side seats behind them lose the view instead.
Row A
The centre block faces the stage and runs from seat 14 to seat 33, and it is the part of this level with the fewest problems. Legroom suits you up to about 5ft 8, with the centre seats a shade better than the sides. A2, A3, A44 and A45 are the far ends of the wrap, where the theatre's side-view flag lands.
Four steps down from where you come in.
Row B
The only unbroken row in the building: seats 2 to 45 straight across, with no gap in it. Legroom suits you up to about 5ft 10. The padded bar in front is at arm height, and shorter people can rest their feet on it. One step up from the entry level, so it is the easiest row in the Circle to reach.
Row C
Sides only, and six steps up from row B. It is the highest seated point in the building and the narrowest row, so getting to a seat in the middle of it involves squeezing past everybody already sitting there. The seats are high and deep, and if you are under about 5ft 10 your feet will not reach the floor.
The view is often better than the position suggests, and it is the cheapest seated part of the theatre. What you give up is the nearest couple of metres of stage, which some stagings use and some do not. The theatre does not flag row C as restricted.
Standing
Sixteen places at the very back, behind the centre rows of the Circle, with a rail to lean on. It is the highest position in the building, and what is in front of you is heads rather than structure: you look over and between the people sitting in front, and shift across when you need to. It suits taller people better, and there is a small area at the side with its own rail if the main run does not work for you.
Getting up here
The Circle is on the second floor and the lift serves it. From the entry level it is four steps down to row A, one up to row B and six up to row C, and all of those have handrails, which the Stalls steps do not. The accessible toilet is on this floor.
Circle FAQs
What is the view like from the Circle at the Donmar Warehouse?
Clear and steep. Nothing hangs over the level, so you see the whole height of the set, and from the centre you look straight down onto a stage that is only a few rows away. The bar across the front is the thing that varies: fine from the middle, and a real obstruction at the corners.
Which Circle seats should I avoid at the Donmar Warehouse?
A12, A14, A33 and A35, where the front bar is treble height. The side blocks generally are the ones people come back and complain about, partly because of the bar and partly because the row in front leans forward to see round it. The middle of rows A and B has neither problem.
Are the Circle seats more comfortable than the Stalls?
They are individual fold-down seats, padded, high and deep, with your own space marked out, which the Stalls benches do not give you. Legroom is adequate across all three rows. The trade is distance: the Stalls put you closer to the actors.