Stalls at the Lyric Theatre

Rows B to W for Hadestown, with no row I and no row O, reached by 24 steps down from the foyer.

Who the Stalls suit

Anyone who wants to be close to the performers, and anyone tall. It's the biggest level by a long way and the one most people book, and it has the most legroom in the building. It has no centre aisle at all, so you reach your seat from the sides, and a middle seat in a long row means asking a lot of people to stand.

For Hadestown the front row is row B, so don't ask for row A. The production takes row A out, and two seats in row B as well.

Where we'd put you

The middle of the Stalls, which is full price and some of the best seats in the theatre. Look for seats just off centre, which cost less than the middle and lose very little.

The front row. Worth considering on purpose, not as a last resort. Hadestown is an intimate show played close to the audience; in fact, it often feels like an acoustic concert performance, and from row B you're almost in it rather than watching it. It's a unique way to see this production and it doesn't cost premium money. The stage is at about eye level, so you look up slightly.

The back of the Stalls, from row U. The price drops at row U, and for Hadestown you don't miss much back here. The set has an upper level, and a few short moments played up there are out of sight from these rows. Take the middle of row U, away from the seats beside the pillars.

What to avoid

Check the seat number, not the row. Pillars stand in rows R and U, and these are the seats with one between you and part of the stage:

• Row S: seats 5, 6, 19 and 20
• Row T: seats 6, 7, 18 and 19
• Row U: seats 5, 6, 18 and 19
• Row V: seats 6, 7, 16 and 17
• Row W: most of it, from seat 5 to seat 19, apart from 7 and 17

The first and last three seats of rows F to Q lose a sliver of the stage too, because they sit outside the line of the stage opening.

The floor doesn't rise evenly. It's shallow from row F to row H and dips again at rows L and M, so some rows feel like you're exactly the same level as the row in front, and in that stretch you're relying on the person in front of you. From row N back it becomes more pronounced.

Rows U to W are reached along the side aisles and through a corridor behind row W, and the sound desk sits in the middle of row W.

Legroom in the Stalls

Comfortable in every seat for people up to about 5ft 11. If you want nothing at all in front of you, there are nine seats to ask for: F3, F4, F22, F23, G1 and G24, and, for Hadestown only, C12 to C14, where the row B seats in front have been taken out.

Steps

Four steps up from the pavement into the foyer, then 24 steps down to the Stalls. There's no lift, and no step-free route to this level: the step-free seats are in the Dress Circle Boxes, and the access page explains the route.

Drinks and toilets

Ladies and Gents are on this level, with baby changing in the Ladies. The bar is a further 11 steps down, and it has seating. The interval is 20 minutes, so order your drinks before the show.