Old theatres in London not fit for purpose

So by your logic fat people can't attend the theatre? Is that what you're saying? What other groups of minorities shall we exclude?

We go to many london theatres regularly and have never had a problem.

For Oliver I've sat in A21 and B6, stage is high so you have to look upwards. I've sat in A16 before for a different show there, good legroom and handy for the loos!
I've only seen Phantom once, but I sat in the centre of the front row (can't remember the seat number, it was when I was at school) and it was brilliant because when the chandelier dropped it felt as though it was going to come crashing down on my head, it was directly above me!😁
Do have a good look at Seatplan though, or Theatre Monkey is also very good for seat reviews as well as other information.
Or when you're looking for info about a particular show, it can be helpful to see what people are saying on Theatreboard, there are often conversations about which seats are good or terrible, either in general in that theatre, or for certain productions.

So this was an exceptional case and it seems like this person needed space of 4 seats - 2 to sit and 2 in front because their stomach was sticking out, making it uncomfortable for those sitting in front of her. Even if cinemas were to refit, you would never get that much room to be comfortable in the scenario you mentioned.

@Theatredisappointmentnothing wrong with the theatre problem lies with someone so obese they not only take up 2 seats but they force their way into the to ahead of them too. I had had this and it’s awful. Theatre is already extortionate - if they make seats bigger for vanity sizing then all seats will increase in price massively just like if they do it to airplanes.

One place they definitely need to look at is amount of toilets - queues are always outrageous! We need 2 women’s for every 1 man’s

I'm fat, average height, and sitting in the front row of the Lyric to watch Hadestown was absolute agony. I'd glad I've seen it but I'm never going to that theatre again.

I’m a tall fattie. Not morbidly fat, but I am wide and tall. So I don’t go, as I wouldn’t enjoy the experience. But I’d rather have a tall or overweight person near me than someone who farts a lot, like I had at the cinema recently

love theatre. Stop trying to run it down.

Do you have a very long, very bendy neck OP?

Exactly. I’ve never seen a 7ft tall person wearing a puffa jacket (or any other type of jacket) and it’s fairly clear that the person behind could not possibly hang her stomach over the OP’s neck unless she was standing up.
It’s ridiculous. But great attempt by OP to get some fat shaming onto the internet today.

I can well imagine it.
The seats Generally are not very deep in theatres and if she was slightly elevated yes her stomach could outrun her knees.

Perhaps the Mumsnet scarf has been re-designed?

Yes… but clearly with old theatres people were clearly very little once. I am very average (maybe a bit taller than average at 5’9”?) and my knees are usually against the back of person in front’s head. And I sit hunched because of worrying about people behind. I can barely move when I get up to go. Modern theatres are fine, i.e. Saddlers Wells. RoH ok even in slips but these little old theatres are impossible to get comfy in. Alexander Palace is ok. Old Vic, I felt like I was sitting on a girder for two hours!

'her stomach was hanging over onto my neck'

@Theatredisappointment I find this hard to imagine or believe.

😂😂

@IsadoraQuagmire thank you for doing seat review I also always check excessively.
Can you make any recommendations for phantom of the opera or Oliver
His majesties thatres and the gielgud

Christ alive. Another person thinks fat people should only be on the ground floor, for fire safety reasons. You seem to think medium sized people can't book decent tickets incase you can't see past them. And the poor woman in the OP, you want her to appropriately seat herself in a theatre full of identical seats because she has the audacity to be obese. Come off it!

I can't bear the lack of air conditioning. I was SO extremely uncomfortable one very hot summer watching Billy Elliot. It's put me off ever since. I felt so ill in the heat.

You would have felt nervous because a fat person was sitting behind you? Please explain further I beg of you.

I understand the frustration - I bought top price £80 seats recently to sit near the front in the stalls and predictably I had a medium size person in front of me who completely blocked my view. It was a rare treat for me so it was disappointing. It really puts me off booking for a theatre I haven’t been to - I want to enjoy it but I’m almost guaranteed a bad view (even after checking seat views online).

I used to visit the Royal Opera House regularly. There are some terrible sightlines but at least the price is adjusted for restricted views. But there’s no price adjustment for a terrible rake.

I think when you pay for the best seats you should expect a moderate level of comfort, but this is absolutely not the case in theatres in the UK, and it’s very sad how low expectations are. In this case I would actually put the blame on the woman behind you, as well as the theatre - she should have seated herself somewhere more appropriate (I don’t know where) rather than disrupt the show for a whole row of people.

This feels like a rage bait post but I’ll add my two pence worth, that the person checking the tickets won’t think anything of someone booking two seats, they’ll just be concentrating on getting everyone in, which is one of the main challenges in an old theatre with hardly any loos.

😂

I always check the seat monkey website to get a take on which seat exactly is the best value. I cannot afford to spend£100/ticket to get a nasty surprise pillar in my view (appreciate it Would not have helped in this case!)

as for people in hats& coats - I DO think theatres need to do more here. Eg check each row and ask people to remove headgear etc. I am willing to ask someone to take their cap off but a lot of people I notice will just tut in their direction, which doesn’t help either.
Also theatres could remind people that silence is expected (people seem to think these days that they are allowed to discuss the plot with their companions or chat to their kids throughout)
Again…..would not have helped OP in this case

Thanks to people like you!

when we last went to the Garrick, we accidentally sat at the best seats for the toilet. I think it was the highlight of the night!

Not at the Ambassador.