Upper Circle at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

The Upper Circle suits anyone after the whole stage for a good deal less than the levels below. It's 65 steps up from the foyer, seven rows, A to G, in a middle block with a side block on each curve.

Where we'd put you

The middle block, row C or further back. It's the best value in the theatre: you see the whole stage from above, and the steep rake lifts you clear of the heads in front. Rows F and G in the middle are the price sweet spot, a step cheaper than the rows in front with the same straight view. It does feel surprisingly high for a theatre this size, so you're further from the actors than the row letters suggest.

What to avoid

The side blocks. The theatre sells every seat in them as restricted view, because they curve round towards the stage and lose part of it, and the furthest seats lose most of it. They're the cheapest seats on the level for a reason.

At the front, a Perspex safety screen and a metal bar sit in the view from the ends of rows A to C. Row A is also the tightest row in the level, and people there tend to lean forward, which blocks the view from row B. That's why we'd start at row C.

Legroom, stairs, the bar and toilets

It's 65 steps up from the foyer, and there's no lift, so it isn't the level for anyone who finds stairs hard. Once you're up, it's a steep level with nothing to hold along the rows, so go carefully to your seat. The legroom is tight, as it is across the theatre, and tightest in row A. There's a bar 3 steps away, which you share with the Gallery, and toilets on the same floor.