rohseats - Tumblr blog

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A14

Agrippina, 23 September 2019

Here we are in the lower slips again. I’ve nothing to say about it. I don’t remember the specifics and the generalities never change. You can see a lot of the stage here, but you can also look down into the pit to see Maxim bouncing around. It’s good.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A93

War and Peace, 24 July 2019

Comparable to other lower slips seats in the area, though I moved from here to A94 or perhaps A95 after the interval. Was it because of a girder? I don’t remember.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A4

Boris Godunov, 29 June 2019 (matinée)

I really like these seats. It’s more comfortable for me to look more or less directly down than it is to look off to the side as you must in seats further from the stage, and while you miss more of the stage it isn’t really all that severe. As always, productions using greater depth of the stage will be more affected (I wouldn’t come here for Symphony in C).

[rohseats]

Balcony D32

Carmen, 22 June 2019 (matinée)

Certainly one of the best places in the theatre even if you do have to watch Carmen to stand there.

[rohseats]

Stalls Circle D1

Tosca, 7 June 2019

Earlier comments about this spot seem sound, but I was struck this time but how close you seem to the stage. Still not an ideal place, but I’m not so sure I’d automatically prefer the lower slips for all productions.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre B37

The Firebird, A Month in the Country, Symphony in C, 7 June 2019 (matinée)

Still a little cramped, like most of the amphitheatre, but still some of the best value in the house. Comments on B38 also apply here, but if you’re sitting in B37 yourself you won’t have to put up with the man in B37.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A13

Billy Budd, 23 April 2019

The usual lower slips value, don’t recall any problems with it, though I seem to have fallen a long way behind...

[rohseats]

Stalls Circle D41

Pique Dame, 1 February 2019

Standing stalls circle is always good value, the floor doesn’t slope here and the view is clear and unobstructed by lights or other electricals. It’s rather inconvenient for surtitles, however, being awkwardly placed between two screens. D40 may be even worse for this, as the nearest screen seemed to be hidden behind a pillar, though its place on the end of the row affords some flexibility; D39 is probably for choice. No coat hooks on this side of the house, incidentally.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A34

Katya Kabanova, 1 February 2019 (rehearsal matinée)

As with A78, this has a slightly restricted view, but the sound is good and it's good value if seats in the two rows immediately behind are not available. There is a structural support in the tier ledge just to the right of this seat, but since you will be turned to the left to see the stage it shouldn't be an issue. It does affect you in A35, but it didn't seem too severe to me, and the price of that seat is reduced to reflect the inconvenience.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A17

La Traviata, 14 January 2019

In principle one of the best seats in the lower slips, with a good combination of view and value. However, there is a girder in the ledge in front of you, which I must have forgotten from my last visit to the seat, but which I found really bothersome this time when leaning forward (which you need to do to see the stage). On its account I would certainly favour A14-16 or A18 (the last seat in this price category). The corresponding seat on the other side of the house is A97; I don't know if it suffers from the same problem, but would avoid it until having a chance to check.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A28

Hänsel und Gretel, 8 December 2018 (rehearsal matinée)

My first time in this run of lower slips seats furthest from the stage. A28 is on the end of the row, and it is nice to be able to lean forward as much as you like without worrying about obstructing anyone else's view. The view itself is pretty good, but not hugely better than that from A18, which I would prefer since it's in a lower price category; and for this price, I would certainly prefer something in the amphitheatre proper like C36 or B40 (which seems to have recently been moved down in price, at least for some productions). Not a bad spot, however.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre D78

The Unknown Solider, Infra, Symphony in C, 19 Novmber 2018 (rehearsal matinée)

Little to add over my earlier visit to this seat, except I do feel the angle, while not cutting into your view, makes the seat feel slightly narrower than it actually is. Having an empty place to your right, as I did for two of the three pieces, helps a lot.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre BB1

Götterdämmerung, 9 October 2018

My first time in the second row of the upper slips - I think I would only sit here again if there was really no other option. As with all seats higher in the house the sound is very good. However, bear in mind when looking at the photos on the ROH website that your view is further obstructed by patrons in front of you. Sitting back you can't really see anything of the stage, and leaning normally forward you still miss about 40% (and the handrail is unpadded and rather uncomfortable). Being at the end of the row, you can lean forward as much as you like (or even stand) and not disturb anyone, but even so some part of the stage is always lost to you. So even in this, the best seat on the row, the view is a little worse than seats like A14 in the lower slips while being considerably more distant (and the price is the same). Also note that though you're on the end of the row you don't have quick access to the exit - there's a rail and a sheer drop blocking your way (and climbing over the seat back in precarious owing to the proximity of stairs).

[rohseats]

Stalls Circle A21

Don Giovanni, 27 June 2018 (rehearsal matinée)

A nice spot for balancing closeness to the stage and angle of view - you probably lose a small part of the rear corner, but not much, and it isn't a problem at all in something like Kasper's Don Giovanni where everything happens at the front. Some will probably find this seat preferable to the stalls where you have to continually look up, though continually looking to your left isn't the most comfortable after a while, either. It's an awkward spot for surtitles, with both the screen above the stage and the individual screens on the tier ledge awkwardly out of your eyeline - perhaps more suited to ballet or an opera you already know. Leg room is less good than the front row of the balcony, and at these prices I would tend to prefer a central balcony seat, but it's a matter of taste. There is, incidentally, a strut in the tier wall immediately in front of this seat; it probably won't trouble even the very tallest, but if it's a concern then go for A20 or A22 instead.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre B40

Manon (MacMillan), 12 May 2018 (matinée)

Little to say about this that hasn't already been said about other seats in the area (e.g. B38) - good view, not ideal comfort but quite acceptable, outstanding for the price.

[rohseats]

Amphitheatre A78

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci, 13 January 2018 (matinée)

Second time in this seat, nearly five years after the first. It's decent. The view is slightly restricted, but while it's probably only an eighth of the total stage space, most of it is at the front - maybe a third at the level of the proscenium arch is invisible. It isn't a huge problem for most productions, but with anything using shallower, frieze-like sets it may be more troublesome (La Rondine comes to mind). Leaning forward brings everything into view but obstructs the view of people behind you. The seat to the right of this, incidentally, A79, has reduced leg room owing to a structural support, but it is in a lower price category to reflect this (other similar seats in the amphitheatre: A72, A65, A61, A60, A53, A49, A42 and A35).

[rohseats]

Stalls Circle D24

Rigoletto, 19 December 2017 (matinée)

My second time in this spot. This time I noticed the surtitle screen is a little awkwardly to the right of your eyeline and there's a box on the overhang that cuts slightly into your view of the stage on the left. D25 is better for both these, and D26 ideal - probably the best spot in the whole section. D27 didn't seem so very close to the wall as before but I would still avoid it. It should also be said that the handrail in these very central spots is quite high; if you're of shorter stature you'll probably still have a clear view, but you won't have anything to hold onto (further round the horseshoe may be better for comfort). Contrary to what I wrote in the D19 entry, it seemed today that D20 was on the slope, but D21 is okay (all these discrepancies could be explained by the numbering having been moved slightly to the left to bring D27 away from the wall). This is the last spot with a coathook immediately behind it - there are none behind D25-27.