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ROH Seating - mainly amphitheatre


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Hi All,

 

Not sure where this question sits but I'm sure someone will move it to the more relevant place if needed :)

 

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with ROH seating. It looks like there are seats for price ranges £66, £45, £30 - this is looking at Sleeping Beauty on the 11th Jan but when I select the price range it doesn't highlight the seats in question. Can anyone tell me where abouts these seats are please? Is this because they are not on sale as yet?

 

Also, out of the lower price categories is there anywhere that would be recommended for seating? Its for an Adult and a 10 year old. I have never set foot in the ROH so really unsure in my research!!

 

Thanks very much :)

 

ETA another question on the Royal Ballet - will they likely tour any of these productions? We are Manchester based.

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Hi Creakingstool.  I've added a "seating" tag to your post - click on that and it should get you more threads discussing the subject.

 

I wouldn't expect *any* RB productions to be toured within the UK (regardless of whatever they may be doing in Doncaster next year), so don't hold your breath on that one!

 

I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to where the pricing bands are, particularly given Alex Beard's comment that they are chopping and changing seating bands.  Presumably they will show up sooner or later, but your guess is as good as mine as to when.

 

That said, "lower price" categories for Sleeping Beauty are going to limit you pretty much to the amphitheatre, I suspect - I hope neither of you suffer from vertigo?  The seats are banked rather more steeply there than anywhere else in the House, but that still doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a particularly clear view (you might need to get a booster cushion for your 10-y-o, depending on height).  You might also find something down the sides of the horseshoe at Balcony or Stalls Circle level, but if the prices are anything like they've been this year it might be a case of "money for old rope" view-wise: I certainly wouldn't want to recommend them in case you lose way too much of the stage.

 

Don't forget that, although the ROH website does show you the view you get from individual seats with the curtain closed, what it doesn't show is how much of the rectangle of the stage floor you can actually see once the curtains are open - it may be considerably less than you expect.

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I book in the sides of the Amphitheatre, usually rows F to J - but there aren't many seats available set at my maximum price (which would be the £30 band you mention above. At least I hope so!). I'm quite tall (5' 9") and I usually have a good view from those seats (but I do use opera glasses a lot). My friend who is shorter uses one of the cushions (available at the programme points) and is usually OK but I think your 10-year-old would definitely need the cushion especially in case there is someone tall in the seat in front of them. Nearer the middle of the Amphi would be the higher prices you quote (though I think the front centre might be even higher than these prices - not sure). But it depends how you feel about being quite high up and quite a distance from the stage. I don't mind at all.

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51 minutes ago, Creakingstool said:

 

 

ETA another question on the Royal Ballet - will they likely tour any of these productions? We are Manchester based.

 

Creakingstool - I am Liverpool-based and that is the most hilarious question I have seen in a long time!!

 

Apparently RB came to Liverpool in 1984 (but before I was a ballet-watcher) and I can remember seeing them in Manchester and Birmingham in the lat 1980s or early 1990s.  There were also the short tours of works to small theatres - I saw them in Blackpool.

 

If you are Manchester-based there is a lot of decent dance shown at the Lowry (NB's fabulous Gatsby being the most recent and BRB will be there next spring with Swan Lake).  ENB are performing Cinderella in the centre of Manchester - I think at the Palace this time.  Depending on where you live you are also in proximity to NB strongholds such as Leeds and Sheffield and even Birmingham for BRB.

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Adding to Janet's note, top price Cinderella tickets at Manchester Opera House and Swan Lake at the Lowry are about £50.

Still, the ROH is a magical place to visit, but the challenge is finding a seat without restricted view at the right price. 

Because the seating plan is changeable, this might not be a completely foolproof way of checking prices, but with Bolshoi seats topping the Sleeping Beauty prices, you could look at some of their performances which still have unsold seats you can click on to see the price/view  to get an idea of where in the theatre you could sit.

https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-bright-stream-by-bolshoi-ballet is a good one to look at - 8th Aug performance has a lot of seats still free.

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I don't think the OP is here till next January Blossom!

But in January ENB will be doing Le Corsaire at the Coliseum well worth a look in.

I can usually afford to sit a little lower down at the Coli ....well for ENB at any rate in the top price£50-  £60 bracket 

This used to be okay for the Amphi at the ROH but this week for R and J ....in a central row C admittedly ....I paid a whopping £85...must be a record for the Amphi ....but I won't be doing that too often!! 

Usually with the RB it depends on the ballet.....triple bills are in a lower price range but I would expect the Sleeping Beauty to be at least in £70 range going by this year's prices for a seat fairly central in the Amphi say rows A to G 

You can get cheaper seats but they are always a very long way back or too much on the side. I cannot bear not to be able to see pretty much the whole of the stage for ballet though. 

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1 hour ago, LinMM said:

I don't think the OP is here till next January Blossom!

I know- with Bolshoi prices even higher than Beauty, it simply gives an opportunity to get a better idea of what sort of seats go for what sort of prices (give or take a flexible pricing plan).

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I've been taking my recently turned 10 year old to the ROH for a few years now and we've generally had pretty reasonable views from the Amphitheatre for the price.   I've looked back over where we've sat and we've had decent views from any of the following areas , with the caveat that she's needed a booster cushion (not only is she only 10 but she's on the small side).     If you want a low priced seat in a central position then you will be looking at around Rows R and S upwards.    The seats are pretty steeply banked and we've generally found that, with me occasionally swapping seats with her  to avoid a tall person in front (and a booster cushion) the view is fine, especially for a ballet which is more of a spectacle and  where the story is well known, such as Sleeping Beauty (and thus no reliant on being able to clearly make out facial expressions).   We recently saw Romeo and Juliet from seats S60 and 61 and then from S54 and 55 the following week, and the view was fine.   

 

We sat in T60 and T61 for Sleeping Beauty in 2017 (when she was 7) and she sat on my knee for the first act as she was struggling to see and we weren't aware of the booster cushions.   A very kindly audience member passed us one for the second act and all was fine from then on.   Again, not bad seats for the price and for a 10 year old the view should be okay.

 

We also liked seats R 74, 75 and 76 and there was no one behind which meant that, if my daughter had had problems with the view, she could have knelt on her seat.   It's difficult to make out expressions from here particularly (which was a bit of a problem when we sat here for Winter Dreams which is so emotion driven) but it was possible to get full enjoyment from the other two ballets in that bill.

 

My current favourite cheap seats are towards the side of the Amphitheatre as it is possible to sit lower down (and thus get better views of the dancers' faces) and the price (for Romeo and Juliet which is probably a reasonable guideline for the Sleeping Beauty prices) is lower than for the central section of the Amphitheatre.   You can sometimes find some of the action to the far side of the stage cut off but I think the view/price ratio is great.    I have seen Romeo and Juliet from both seats D38 and D37 and was able to see pretty much all expression from here.   Again, with a booster cushion a child would be fine.

 

I've found my children were so excited about going to the ROH that actually seeing the ballet was only part of the overall thrill!   In addition, I've always found the staff unfailingly lovely with children.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

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I generally tend to sit in the central amphi, depending on the performance rows P-L have ranged from £20-66! I imagine sleeping beauty will be the higher end of this if not more. From here you generally get a good view and the rake is steep so I’ve not had issues with anyone in front blocking a view, though if people lean forward it can be annoying (and I tend to say something, most people are unaware). Whilst you get a good clear view of the stage and all action, it is near impossible to see facial expressions and I would rely on opera glasses for those. You don’t need opera glasses to feel the expression and emotion projected by the dancers’ through movement but it’s nice to see the faces sometimes! 

 

I also think in future I may mix it up and move to the amphi sides in order to get a bit closer to the stage, especially for more narrative ballets like R&J and Manon, where the facial expressions are really important (to me anyway). For Swan Lake and La Bayadère (think the ‘classic’ scenes where the corps are all in synchrony) at risk of being controversial I think facial expressions are less important and I would prefer a more central and further away seat to one on the sides. 

 

I think a lot of whether you sit central and further away (to see direct lines/choreography synchronisation) vs closer but on the side (perhaps missing some of the choreography lines but closer to the dancers) is of course personal preference (and may vary by ballet type). You can also try and have the best of both worlds with opera glasses. 

 

I’ve not seen sleeping beauty in years so need to have a think about where I might sit, I feel I may treat myself and go twice - one more central amphi and one at the sides to compare. My first ballet was actually sleeping beauty so I hope your ten year old has a lovely time! I love seeing (well behaved) children at the ballet as you can often hear them excitedly discussing with their adults at intervals, they must find it so magical! 

 

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@Creakingstool I wondered if you were aware of the ROH’s Welcome Performances, for families who have never seen a main stage performance at the ROH?  If they are doing a Welcome Performance of Sleeping Beauty, you can sit in premium seats for bargain prices.  Over a decade ago I took my then 9 year old dd to a Welcome Performance and we had front row Grand Tier tickets for around £10 each, if I remember rightly.

 

Here’s a link with more info:  http://www.roh.org.uk/welcome-performances

 

Edited to add:  it looks as if there is a Welcome Performance of Beauty on 11th January but I’d advise you to register now as they do sell out very quickly.

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Thank you everyone, this has been really useful for me. Its a bit of a unique venue really to understand.

 

I think living in Manchester we are very lucky to see lots of touring companies here and have watched a few my first ballets plus The Nutcracker and Beauty and the Beast. I've also watched a couple of Northern Ballet performances. I was thinking a trip to London to watch the Royal Ballet at ROH would be a lovely experience but costly with the travel too.

 

Thanks @Anna C for that link, not aware of that at all so I've registered, fingers crossed. 11th Jan would be perfect for a Christmas present :)

 

I'm going to hopefully get tickets for ENB Cinderella at The Palace and also BRB Swan Lake at The Lowry. Also will look at the Northern Ballet, they have Cinderella on at the end of the year :)

 

Thanks again :)

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On 18/05/2019 at 12:45, Anna C said:

@Creakingstool I wondered if you were aware of the ROH’s Welcome Performances, for families who have never seen a main stage performance at the ROH?  If they are doing a Welcome Performance of Sleeping Beauty, you can sit in premium seats for bargain prices.  Over a decade ago I took my then 9 year old dd to a Welcome Performance and we had front row Grand Tier tickets for around £10 each, if I remember rightly.

 

Here’s a link with more info:  http://www.roh.org.uk/welcome-performances

 

Edited to add:  it looks as if there is a Welcome Performance of Beauty on 11th January but I’d advise you to register now as they do sell out very quickly.

 

Hi Anna, do you know if it takes a few days to receive any kind of acknowledgement? I registered but didn't receive any emails. I understand they check you haven't been before so maybe this takes a while?

Thanks.

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  • 8 months later...

Just wanted to update this thread and thankyou all for the information on welcome performances.

 

I haven't had any notification about the welcome scheme but checked on the off chance as Swan Lake welcome performance is 28th March and I've booked 2 tickets on the front row of the ampitheatre for £17 (including ice cream!). I am over the moon and can't wait to visit with my daughter, train tickets are booked for a quick day trip down to London.

 

So huge thanks to the knowledgeable members of this forum xx

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, I am most excited to have booked tickets for Balanchine and Robbins, having not been to ROH for some time now. But looking at the seating map, the seats on my tickets don’t actually seem to exist! Have they added extra seats on the balcony row A to allow for social distancing? I’m also unsure as to what the ‘3E’ is on my ticket, as it then refers to row A, and there is no row E in the balcony anyway! It’s been so long since I went to the ROH. I feel like I’ve lost the knack!

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3 minutes ago, SissonneDoublee said:

Hi, I am most excited to have booked tickets for Balanchine and Robbins, having not been to ROH for some time now. But looking at the seating map, the seats on my tickets don’t actually seem to exist! Have they added extra seats on the balcony row A to allow for social distancing? I’m also unsure as to what the ‘3E’ is on my ticket, as it then refers to row A, and there is no row E in the balcony anyway! It’s been so long since I went to the ROH. I feel like I’ve lost the knack!

3E  may be the door you enter at

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Are you talking, perhaps, about the "loose seats" in Row A, which are indeed between the fixed seats and the boxes?  I can imagine that their layout might have been changed, given the need for social distancing.

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It does say on the ticket information that they are ‘loose seats’. Strange that their numbers don’t appear on the plan, but reassuring that you have heard of them! It’s our first venture out of the amphi (except a very exciting schools’ matinee when we were allocated the stalls circle).

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5 hours ago, Rob S said:

I’ve sat on one of those loose seats at the side of the balcony, in front of standing places...they were listed on the seating plan though 🤔

Ah that’s interesting. Perhaps it’s an adjustment for the Covid seating plan. How was the view?

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57 minutes ago, SissonneDoublee said:

Ah that’s interesting. Perhaps it’s an adjustment for the Covid seating plan. How was the view?

 

IMG_3197

 

It was the first and last time I sat in the balcony, the ledge was a bit of an issue for me, as was the woman to my right who told me to let her know if she was in my way before it started (she wasn't) and then proceeded to lean over the ledge and get in the way (though not pictured here thankfully)....I had no idea if moving my seat away in to the 'aisle' would block other peoples view. I'd also never given much consideration to the position of all those wall lamps until sitting here.

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2 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

IMG_3197

 

It was the first and last time I sat in the balcony, the ledge was a bit of an issue for me, as was the woman to my right who told me to let her know if she was in my way before it started (she wasn't) and then proceeded to lean over the ledge and get in the way (though not pictured here thankfully)....I had no idea if moving my seat away in to the 'aisle' would block other peoples view. I'd also never given much consideration to the position of all those wall lamps until sitting here.

Ah, slightly obscured. That’s a shame! Still a better view than the back of the amphi, so we’ll take it as a win. We like to go ‘cheap and often’! Thank you for sharing your photo. It’s good to know what to expect.

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4 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

IMG_3197

 

 

Brings back memories of that performance - Stix-Brunell had only one I think? She was fabulous in it!

 

(P.S. I'm glad you were on the correct side of the house not to have the pigeon's big moment obscured by the view.)

 

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A minor point, maybe.  The ability to check the view of the stage from a particular seat seems to have vanished from the ROH site (or at least I have been unable to find it despite looking quite hard).  It would be really useful to have this back, given at present the circumstances of booking have left me (and no doubt others) with tickets in areas of the house less familiar, and it's not clear just how bad the view is going to be. Has anyone else managed to find this ? All I could get was a video about how they had gone about taking pictures from each seat -  but not, sadly, the results of all that effort. 

 

 

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It's connected to the seating plan selection method so I'm sure it will be back for the new season.

 

Someone did post a method of seeing the pics from each seat elsewhere but I can't find the link at the moment

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