There are three tiers in the Criterion Theatre - the stalls on the ground floor, the dress circle one floor up and then the upper circle on the second floor. The theatre has many seats that feature quite severe restrictions due to support pillars that are located on the first two levels. The seats in the upper circle however while not offering a lot of legroom for taller patrons, do mostly have a relatively decent view of the stage with no interference from either pillars or an overhang as there is no balcony section. Booking tickets at the Criterion Theatre in this section does offer some value, especially for weekend performances when tickets in the other sections will be sold at a premium and expensive.
The clear view seats in the front and centre of both the stalls and dress circle both offer good views of the stage (despite the seating in the stalls not being raked steeply) however, there are issues towards the back of the stalls from the overhang from the dress circle that can affect the view from row M onwards. There are also pillars obstruct the view to the back of the stalls that are a problem. In the dress circle there are some specifically designated ‘restricted view’ seats because of the pillars that support the upper circle in Row C. All seats that do feature restrictions however should be priced accordingly, and it will depend on the actual production as to how severe the restrictions are so it is highly recommended that patrons study the seating plan thoroughly before booking tickets at the Criterion that are marked as 'restricted view', and always remember that 'cheap' is not always a 'bargain!'
