Royal Albert Hall seating and views

[art_enthusiast]

Hi, just adding a question here about Royal Albert Hall seating (for ENB's Cinderella) as not sure where else to put it. Could anyone answer this - I'm looking at the seat map and of the two middle sections, stage and arena, which part do the dancers actually perform on? Sorry for what might be an obvious question, I've never seen a ballet there before.

[Jan McNulty]

I've split this off into its own topic as a number of companies appear at RAH and there are nearly always queries about where to sit but they tend to be embedded in various threads about the different companies.

[Bluebird]

6 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Hi, just adding a question here about Royal Albert Hall seating (for ENB's Cinderella) as not sure where else to put it. Could anyone answer this - I'm looking at the seat map and of the two middle sections, stage and arena, which part do the dancers actually perform on? Sorry for what might be an obvious question, I've never seen a ballet there before.

 

When ENB perform full length ballets at the Albert Hall, they perform them "in the round".  This means that they perform in the arena.  

Edited April 26, 2023 by Bluebird

[alison]

There are now some useful tags at the top of the thread which may be of assistance  

[FionaM]

I tend to sit higher up in the stalls around the arena … as the first row is at the same level … which is very close to the dancers if the choreography is using the whole stage near you.  At ENB Swan Lake I found the swans near me were interrupting my view.  Though it was quite an experience to be almost within touching distance!

[Emeralds]

9 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Hi, just adding a question here about Royal Albert Hall seating (for ENB's Cinderella) as not sure where else to put it. Could anyone answer this - I'm looking at the seat map and of the two middle sections, stage and arena, which part do the dancers actually perform on? Sorry for what might be an obvious question, I've never seen a ballet there before.

They perform in what would be the Stalls to us but is now called the Arena. They also use the stage section of the normal seat map. Instead of having a traditional stage, which most of the audience will be seated facing it, it is like watching an athletics meet or a football match- the audience is around it. ENB’s Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet are very much altered to be “in the round” so that most people won’t feel they watching a side view or the back of the dancers all the time - for example, Odile performs her 32 fouettes facing three directions: the people on the left, the people in the centre, the people on the right, so that some of her “single” fouettes are one and a quarter revolutions, which are more difficult and quite a spectacular achievement. For Cinderella, there are fewer traditional classical grand pas de deux & solos type dances, but I personally prefer not to sit too far to the side due wanting to see all the acting. You will get a good view whether you are facing centre, facing left or facing right though.

 

The one major tip about watching ENB’s ballets in the round at RAH is that the best seats of the Stalls are not the front row (despite the same prices) but the middle to back rows. This is because being in the round, they often have props or seated/standing cast members in front of you (they would normally be at the back or sides of the stage on a traditional stage), so your view of the leads dancing could be obscured for a few minutes by them - but the cast do  move on (and move the props) after a few minutes so that you are not blocked by a table or “courtiers watching” for the entire act. The boxes have very good views and the central ones have the best unrestricted views, unlike at ROH or Coliseum where some boxes will have restricted views. If you do wish to be physically closest to the dancers, even the corps de ballet, then you might like the front rows, even if the dancing is occasionally obscured (but not for long).

 

The music sounds amazing from the highest seats (Rausing Circle) although it is the furthest away from the dancers (bring binoculars for those seats). The production also uses the aisles and corridors outside as “wings” for the dancers to enter and exit, so don’t be late or late getting back to your seat after the intervals because the corridors will be closed to allow dancers to get through. There’s a funny bit during the ball where the Stepmother berates her daughters in the aisles and scolds them to get back to the ballroom (stage) instead of wandering off. 😂 We were right next to Tamara Rojo being the Stepmother at one performance and it was a hoot-it was like we were immersed  in the show but not actually involved. 👍 It’s a brilliant ballet to watch in the round- well worth doing at least once (or several times)! 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

PS there is a trailer on the ENB website, art _enthusiast, which might give you an idea of what I mean.

 

The Stalls seats in the RAH website would be the equivalent of the Stalls Circle  at ROH, although it is a massive Stalls Circle compared to ROH! Also,  there is a second circle around them, called the Loggia, which has a slight overhang similar to what you get in the back row of the Stalls Circle Side at ROH. 

 

The grand tier is the next level up, and the second tier is similar to the balcony level at ROH and upper circle level at the Coliseum. The Rausing Circle is their equivalent of the ROH Amphitheatre but further away and higher than ROH. 

[FionaM]

And unlike the ROH there are no restricted views anywhere … no pillars etc. (Maybe some seats in back rows of boxes?  Never sat there so I don’t know)

[alison]

Oh, there are if you sit in the circle.  And possibly in the rear of some of the boxes- I'm not sure.

[Bluebird]

6 hours ago, FionaE said:

And unlike the ROH there are no restricted views anywhere … no pillars etc. 

There may not be any pillars but, in my experience, there are many seats from which it's not possible to see the whole Arena.  As Alison says, there are many seats in the circle which have a restricted view.  Even in the expensive seats in the Grand Tier there can be problems. In the past I've sat in the Grand Tier for rehearsals and, even there, I have found that there are seats from which I haven't been able to see the whole Arena.   Only in the Stalls (and maybe in the front of the Loggia) have I been certain of having a full view.  I'm sure there are full view seats elsewhere but I don't have personal experience of them.

[Ginny]

Oh I am so thankful for this info!  Just booking Cinderella in the round at RAH for my kids' first trip to London, and I'm so glad to hear the positive reviews.  I also found this link helpful on the RAH site:  https://www.royalalberthall.com/plan-your-visit-essential-safety-information/venue-and-seating-plan/view-from-your-seat/ 

 

It has a separate link for productions set up in the round.  

[Emeralds]

Just to say the seats in the Stalls do swivel a bit and you are not stuck to the person next to you, so they are very comfortable. I wouldn’t buy seats in the grand tier boxes personally, as it’s a lot of strangers to share a big box with, so if you get someone in front of you who is very tall and refuses to adjust their chair slightly so you can see, (or someone behind you who tried to sit in our seat thinking we wouldn’t notice...and spilled beer in the interval) it all gets very awkward. The second tier boxes seem to be slightly better in that the back row is slightly higher so they’re not blocked. My advice is generally not to buy a box with strangers unless you are brave or politely assertive (preferably both) though! If you are going with friends and can share a box, that’s better.

[Emeralds]

10 minutes ago, Ginny said:

Oh I am so thankful for this info!  Just booking Cinderella in the round at RAH for my kids' first trip to London, and I'm so glad to hear the positive reviews.  I also found this link helpful on the RAH site:  https://www.royalalberthall.com/plan-your-visit-essential-safety-information/venue-and-seating-plan/view-from-your-seat/ 

 

It has a separate link for productions set up in the round.  

That’s fantastic, Ginny! Hope they and you will all enjoy the show! PS do not blink at all (if you know what I mean) when Cinderella’s coach comes out - you can see it in the trailer to get an idea of what I mean, but it is jaw droppingly spectacular when seen in the hall in person, and so clever....I’ve seen the production a few times but it still looks (literally) amazing every time. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Emeralds

[capybara]

Just to add that, if you sit in the 'stalls' area opposite the organ (in theory the best seats - I think they are sections JKL), you end up being further away from the action than if you opt for seats more round the sides which bring you nearer to the main dancers. 

[Ginny]

Oh that's glorious!  I just went to watch the ENB Cinderella trailer again (had watched it earlier, but had not really caught the theatrical element of CInderella's coach and how it's executed).  Thanks for the tip!

 

[art_enthusiast]

13 hours ago, Emeralds said:

PS there is a trailer on the ENB website, art _enthusiast, which might give you an idea of what I mean.

 

The Stalls seats in the RAH website would be the equivalent of the Stalls Circle  at ROH, although it is a massive Stalls Circle compared to ROH! Also,  there is a second circle around them, called the Loggia, which has a slight overhang similar to what you get in the back row of the Stalls Circle Side at ROH. 

 

The grand tier is the next level up, and the second tier is similar to the balcony level at ROH and upper circle level at the Coliseum. The Rausing Circle is their equivalent of the ROH Amphitheatre but further away and higher than ROH. 

 

Thanks very much for this information. My priority is being close to the dancers and because I’m not tall, being in the front row of the stalls to avoid being blocked by anyone’s head!

 

It’s nice to know that they may move around/shift some props to avoid obstructing sight lines, hopefully!

 

Is there a particular section you would recommend out of M/O/G/H?

[capybara]

7 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

Is there a particular section you would recommend out of M/O/G/H?

This is a difficult one as, near the beginning, ENB has a sort of column structure on stage which can mean one can’t see all of the ‘household’ dancers’ all of the time. I think it’s a case of taking ‘pot luck’ in those sections.

[Emeralds]

10 hours ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

Thanks very much for this information. My priority is being close to the dancers and because I’m not tall, being in the front row of the stalls to avoid being blocked by anyone’s head!

 

It’s nice to know that they may move around/shift some props to avoid obstructing sight lines, hopefully!

 

Is there a particular section you would recommend out of M/O/G/H?

The seats in the Stalls are all steeply raked, so unlike ROH where the Stalls seats are on the flat, the ones in the Albert Hall go up (you can see the stairs in the photos on the website) towards the back, or go down towards the front. You would have to have a 7 foot tall person in front of you to block your view, and even children who came with us didn’t get blocked by adults in front of them.

 

Actually, if you are concerned with having your view blocked, you might want to avoid the first three rows, as being on virtually the same level as the dancers means that you will get blocked by a few dancers standing as courtiers or Seasons corps de ballet during some of the dancing. If you do find it disruptive to have someone walk and stand in front of you during a dancer’s solo or part of the prince and Cinderella’s pas de deux, I would avoid being so close to the arena- the 6th row to the back row are safest. If you think of it in terms of ROH Orchestra Stalls, because there is no orchestra pit, 6th row is still as close as row D, and the last row is as close as row J at ROH, which is very close- closer than the ROH Grand Tier seats.

 

For Cinderella I would recommend Stalls J, K, L, and avoid O & G unless there are no other seats left in the auditorium. With O & G, the lead characters will have their backs to you a lot of the time. M and H vary. As capybara says, in the first part, the boy prince and his friend Benjamin are running around in the palace, represented by thick columns, and if you’re too close to the front and on the wrong part of M & H (parts of O & G also have this problem), you might end up seeing just column and not much else. That’s why for Cinderella I do try to book near the centre even though the production is supposed to be in the round. But that scene is very short, like a prologue, and the columns are soon gone. If you only have M & H left, try to get seats as near L or J as possible, and as far back as possible, which is more likely to give you a wide angle view, avoiding being blocked by columns.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Emeralds

[TSR101]

Just to add to this - I sat in the front row in J in the stalls in 2018 and I don't remembered having my view impeded at any point.

[FionaM]

Thank you everyone for all these comments … so helpful!

[OnePigeon]

This is great info, thanks to all, though the huge transaction fee has put me off for now - £18 extra on top of the ticket price is outrageous!! 

[Lizbie1]

13 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

This is great info, thanks to all, though the huge transaction fee has put me off for now - £18 extra on top of the ticket price is outrageous!! 

 

Are you ever on the area? It may be that there is no booking fee if you buy your tickets in person (see towards the bottom of this page: https://www.theatremonkey.com/venues/royal-albert-hall).

[OnePigeon]

32 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

Are you ever on the area? It may be that there is no booking fee if you buy your tickets in person (see towards the bottom of this page: https://www.theatremonkey.com/venues/royal-albert-hall).

No, unfortunately not, but thanks for the info.  It’s actually a horribly situated venue for me to get to, but I do really want to see Cinderella.  

[Emeralds]

16 hours ago, OnePigeon said:

This is great info, thanks to all, though the huge transaction fee has put me off for now - £18 extra on top of the ticket price is outrageous!! 

I think it seems a lot, OnePigeon, because the Albert Hall have broken down the ticket price whereas some theatres, for example, ROH, don’t break it down so you don’t really know how much of the prices are transaction fees. But the amount you click on in the seat map is still the actual amount you pay, like at ROH. The fees are not extra.

 

Eg if you click on a £35 Rausing Circle seat (unrestricted view) on the seat map, it is still £35 that you pay at the checkout, not £40, even though they tell you that £5 of that £35 was admin or transaction fees. Perhaps it is to separate how much goes to ENB and how much to RAH. The tickets, even with transaction fees, are still significantly lower than Cinderella at ROH for the RB Cinderella - eg an unrestricted view Stalls J seat at RAH at £83 (including fees), would cost you £161 or £170 at ROH for similar sightlines and comfort.

 

PS how are you getting there?- it used to take me ages when I took the Tube to South Kensington as advised by many old guides/brochures. Then I found that it was much faster using Victoria (rail or Tube) as there was a quick bus from the station that stops next to RAH.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Emeralds

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

I think it seems a lot, OnePigeon, because the Albert Hall have broken down the ticket price whereas some theatres, for example, ROH, don’t break it down so you don’t really know how much of the prices are transaction fees. But the amount you click on in the seat map is still the actual amount you pay, like at ROH. The fees are not extra.

 

Eg if you click on a £35 Rausing Circle seat (unrestricted view) on the seat map, it is still £35 that you pay at the checkout, not £40, even though they tell you that £5 of that £35 was admin or transaction fees. Perhaps it is to separate how much goes to ENB and how much to RAH. 

 

But... unless something has changed at the RAH it is possible to buy a ticket without those fees if you do so in person - something they don't publicise. (I believe that the reason this option is available, as with the Coliseum, SW and other theatres, is so that they can claim that the "base" ticket price is legitimate by leaving a means by which you can escape them.) So it does leave you feeling somewhat cheated, and it also leaves you short-changed if you are owed a refund as booking fees are exempted in the RAH Ts and Cs.

 

I know that venues have to recoup their costs somehow but the pretence that it is significantly cheaper for them if you book in person rather than online is not really credible. I think this is one instance where the ROH have it right.

[Emeralds]

Yes, I always found it odd that booking in person was cheaper in these venues that have this policy compared to booking online, my reasoning being that you have to pay a staff member to sit there to serve you, whereas online the software does the work and nobody is serving you. I can understand paying fees to buy over the phone as a staff member is still serving you.

 

I do agree that venues like Sadler’s Wells and RAH who hang on to booking fees when refunds are due, eg during the pandemic cancellations, are not right. 

 

I just didn’t want anyone to be discouraged from booking if they wanted to see the production, as I think the prices are very affordable and reasonable for audiences right now (when other things are shooting up in price) - they might not be next time. We can leave ENB & RAH to work out who keeps what between themselves, but £35 is still a good price for the equivalent of ROH Amphi row R to T, and £83 for the equivalent of ROH Orchestra Stalls. 

[OnePigeon]

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

I think it seems a lot, OnePigeon, because the Albert Hall have broken down the ticket price whereas some theatres, for example, ROH, don’t break it down so you don’t really know how much of the prices are transaction fees. But the amount you click on in the seat map is still the actual amount you pay, like at ROH. The fees are not extra.

 

Eg if you click on a £35 Rausing Circle seat (unrestricted view) on the seat map, it is still £35 that you pay at the checkout, not £40, even though they tell you that £5 of that £35 was admin or transaction fees. Perhaps it is to separate how much goes to ENB and how much to RAH. The tickets, even with transaction fees, are still significantly lower than Cinderella at ROH for the RB Cinderella - eg an unrestricted view Stalls J seat at RAH at £83 (including fees), would cost you £161 or £170 at ROH for similar sightlines and comfort.

 

PS how are you getting there?- it used to take me ages when I took the Tube to South Kensington as advised by many old guides/brochures. Then I found that it was much faster using Victoria (rail or Tube) as there was a quick bus from the station that stops next to RAH.

Thanks for your help, I didn’t notice the booking fee was included in the price - I was too busy being horrified.  I’ve taken the plunge and booked up as I don’t live or work in London so it’s too hard for me to get the tickets from the box office.  The tickets are much better value than the current ROH Cinderella, as you pointed out,  but I’m still going to have to sell a kidney/win the lottery as I need to book for Giselle and Nutcracker too while there are still good seats available and the multi buy discount still applies. And don’t get me started on the extra £10 booking fee for those tickets....🤯😆

 

It’s much easier for me to get the District or Circle line to South Ken from my railway station, but it is a painfully long journey! At least it’s a matinee.

[Emeralds]

36 minutes ago, OnePigeon said:

Thanks for your help, I didn’t notice the booking fee was included in the price - I was too busy being horrified.  I’ve taken the plunge and booked up as I don’t live or work in London so it’s too hard for me to get the tickets from the box office.  The tickets are much better value than the current ROH Cinderella, as you pointed out,  but I’m still going to have to sell a kidney/win the lottery as I need to book for Giselle and Nutcracker too while there are still good seats available and the multi buy discount still applies. And don’t get me started on the extra £10 booking fee for those tickets....🤯😆

 

It’s much easier for me to get the District or Circle line to South Ken from my railway station, but it is a painfully long journey! At least it’s a matinee.

You’re welcome! 😊

 

I only knew they were included as I got a shock once too! 😂 - then took out pen and paper (and rechecked on a calculator) that the fees were already included! But you are right to be cross with RAH as they used to add it on, and the layout on their booking page is visually a little misleading.

 

For ENB, don’t forget to book Giselle and Nutcracker at the same time so that you get the 15% discount on both performances- that should lessen the pain, as the discount should be more than the booking fee of £2.25 per ticket (NB no discount on the top price tickets though, so don’t splash out on the top price seats-keep the kidney!) From past experience, the multibuy applies throughout the season, as long the tickets for either show aren’t completely sold out. 😊

Edited April 30, 2023 by Emeralds

[art_enthusiast]

On 27/04/2023 at 11:17, Emeralds said:

The seats in the Stalls are all steeply raked, so unlike ROH where the Stalls seats are on the flat, the ones in the Albert Hall go up (you can see the stairs in the photos on the website) towards the back, or go down towards the front. You would have to have a 7 foot tall person in front of you to block your view, and even children who came with us didn’t get blocked by adults in front of them.

Sounds unlikely I know, but I do know someone who is 6 foot 10 - so I’m just very wary! 
Also if people talk, it can be easier to ignore if you’re in front of them. Another audience behaviour issue I’m always subconsciously dreading!