Old theatres in London not fit for purpose

[Theatredisappointment]

I went to the theatre last week for a birthday treat and now remember why we stopped going.

in the past I have paid hundreds of pounds only to have people in front of me wearing hats and obscuring the view, people wearing huge puffer coats who are about 7 feet tall again obscuring the view. I’ve had people squashed up to me in the next seat making it uncomfortably and impossible to move, as a short person even I noticed the lack of leg room which means people behind you have their legs pushing into the back of your chair constantly.

This time I saved up and purchased a seat in the circle with no one in front of me. Amazing I thought I won’t have to worry about getting a tall person in front of me. Of course I hadn’t anticipated there would be a morbidly obese person behind me. She’d bought 2 seats obviously aware there wasn’t room for anyone next to her but instead my family and I and the person sitting next to me had to endure her body pressing into the back of our seats her stomach was hanging over onto my neck. Every time she moved which was constantly the whole row of seats moved and people were complaining.

It was a horrendous experience. I said nothing to this woman as obviously she couldn’t help it. During the interval I and the lady sat next to me asked a member of staff if we could move, explaining the problem, but were told the theatre was full.

I don’t blame this woman I blame the theatre (The Ambassador) who have squashed as many seats in as possible with zero leg room. They knew she’d booked two seats and would have seen why when they checked her ticket and yet they allowed everyone in seats nearby to suffer.

The whole theatre needs a refit. It’s unacceptable that you pay hundreds of pounds to be put in a tiny seat with zero leg room and the seats aren’t even staggered making it OK for only the tallest people to see the stage! Never again.

Have you heard of being polite. Or more importantly listed building status.

Many if not all the old theatres in London are listed buildings and cannot be refitted. They can only be maintained.

You have a choice, go and suffer or don't go.

@Theatredisappointment I would have felt very claustrophobic and nervous as well. It sounds like a massive health and safety risk!
However how would the theatre know she was booking two seats for one person ?
I'm surprised the seats withstood the weight
Surely for fire safty she should have been on the ground floor ?

I sit in the front row 95% of the time at the theatre, but at the Ambassadors I usually go for D1 (it's a high stage there) D1 is an aisle seat, next to the doors, so easy to dash out after the bows, and handy for the Ladies loo, just halfway up the stairs! 😄

I always check out seatplan as I buy tickets. Always aisle and always stalls. But they only show the view from the stage. I want to know how many seconds from seat to toilet ;-)

@Goldeh not always I was shocked when I booked a box once becsuee it was cheaper than the stalls and we had a whole suite of rooms to ourselves !

I think they could consider creating a section of seating that's suitable for taller/bigger people, similar to exit rows on planes. They would have to charge more for those seats, again, as they do on planes. They couldn't stop people booking the normal seats, but at least they have options.

Personally, as a shortie, I never book seats in the stalls if I can avoid it, even though those are theoretically the best seats in the house. They're often not sufficiently raked and if someone tall sits in front of me I can't see anything.

In my city there is an old theatre which I refuse to go to any more; every time I've been my view has been at least 1/3 obscured by people in front of me - not particularly tall people, not wearing hats, just average people.

There is also a newer theatre where I have never had a bad view, whatever seat I pick.

I post on Seatplan a lot, I've got dozens of reviews!😄 I often mention if it's handy for the Ladies too. I can tell you now that A2 at the Garrick where I was sitting on Saturday, is NOT handy, unless you're male, the women's are on the other side of the theatre 😁

Not at the Ambassador.

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!

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

😂

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 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.

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

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.

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!

@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

😂😂

'her stomach was hanging over onto my neck'

@Theatredisappointment I find this hard to imagine or believe.

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!

Perhaps the Mumsnet scarf has been re-designed?

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.

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.

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