Grand Circle at the Prince Edward Theatre
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415 seats, rows AA and A to N with no row I. This is the top level and the cheap one. The front of it is a bargain and the sides of it are not.
What it feels like up here
High and steep. The seats curve round the auditorium, and the further round you go the more of the stage you lose and the tighter the seat feels. If heights bother you, this is not your level.
The Stalls at this theatre are below the foyer, not level with it, so the Grand Circle is a longer climb from the front door than the plan makes it look. It is 42 steps up to the front and 72 to the back, and there is no lift. That is a real climb rather than a formality, though nobody counts them on the way up. What matters more is that once you are up there you are staying for the act.
Where to sit
The front three rows. Good views of a big stage at genuinely cheaper prices, and the best value in the theatre if you do not mind the height.
Rows A to F are unusually uniform: 37 seats each, numbered 1 to 37, with aisles in the same place every time at 10/11 and 27/28. So the centre block is seats 11 to 27 whichever of those rows you are in, which makes booking up here simpler than it looks.
Then it changes. Row G drops to 17 seats and has no aisles at all, because that is where the stairwell comes through, and rows H to K go back up to 31. Row L has four aisles, more than any other row in the building. Rows M and N are short rows at the back, 16 and 14 seats, and row AA at the very front is a short row of 10.
Avoid the ends of the rows as they curve round. That is where the sightlines go and where the seats feel most cramped, and it is also where the Grand Circle slips sit, which are covered on the Boxes route.
The bar
There is a bar on this level, so you do not have to go down for the interval and then climb back up.
Getting up here
Stairs only, 42 of them to the front and 72 to the back. The foyer lift reaches the Stalls and nothing above it, so if stairs are difficult the Stalls are the level to book and the access route explains why.
Grand Circle FAQs
How many steps are there to the Grand Circle?
42 to the front and 72 to the back, and there is no lift. Give yourself a little longer than you would elsewhere and arrive at the earlier end of the 20 to 30 minutes we suggest.
Are the Grand Circle seats worth it at the Prince Edward Theatre?
The front three rows are, and they are the best value in the building. The further back and further round the curve you go, the more you lose, and the ends of the rows are where the sightlines and the legroom both suffer. If you're looking for a bargain, they're not bad seats, but there's obviously a price versus quality, as with a lot of these theatres. That's why we're giving the advice we're giving to best equip you to make a decision.
Is the Grand Circle too high?
It is high and steep, and people who dislike heights notice it. The view of the stage itself is fine from the front rows. If it is a real worry, the rear of the Dress Circle or a centre Stalls seat will cost more and solve it.