Welcone back to my look at ‘cheap seat’ options in London’s bigger theatres. Today, we are in the gods at the Garrick Theatre, a 60s seater at the end of Charing Cross Road.
For this one, I purchased a restricted view ticket from TodayTix.
Show and venue:
Hamnet at Garrick Theatre
Seat:
D 0, Upper Circle £30 (TodayTix)
Note:
This seat sells at £25 Mon-Thu and £30 Fri-Sat. It is clearly flagged as restricted.
Expectation:
I had done a bit of research on SeatPlan and Thearemonkey so knew this seat had space at the side, just one seat in front, and nothing behind.
I expected to lean and to miss some of the right-hand side of the stage. I also hoped the legroom would be OK, although at 5ft 5in I am on the smaller side.
Reality:
Around a third of the stage is missed due to the curvature of the auditorium. For this show it means you miss seeing some characters (even if you lean forward).
You can lean to catch moments at key points (you’ll need to for this production about 5 or 6 times), but basically this is an OK view for the price, without missing too much of the action.
The legroom was fine, with the ability to use the space (stairs) at the side to stick out a leg during the performances if you need to. The rake is good enough to see over heads but if those in rows A and B were to lean forward this may not be the case.
How I felt:
I was happy with this seat and would consider it again – however, if it was priced any higher my opinion would change.
You can also hear the trains running alongside regularly and clearly from this position, but it was not particularly annoying. The sound design in general presented no issues.
This is a comfortable seat in the budget price range and absolutely fine for this production. Also very convenient for access to both ladies and gents loos, and a quick exit out at the end of the show.
Evidence:
The first picture shows the view from my seat, the second was taken from row A to show the third of the stage which was obscured.
For Hamnet, I would say the majority of the play favours the left and centre of the stage. I counted 7-8 moments where I couldn’t see characters at all, but could follow what was going on.
It’s possible the ensemble may appear at both sides of the stage to present a cohesive visual composition at a couple of points, but I can’t be sure of that.
Next time, an upper circle seat for Dear England and a front row seat for Backstairs Billy.