Reserved Seat home

    West End

    Front dress circle = best all-round pick · stalls = orchestra

    Stalls, dress circle, upper circle: once you translate the seat names, booking a London show works much like Broadway, with a few local quirks.

    Browse

    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
    Broadway

    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

    Which Lyric Theatre seats show off the Cursed Child magic, how long the one-part play runs, age rules and current tour stops.

    New York, NY
    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing Les Misérables
    Show

    Les Misérables

    Where Les Misérables is playing as of fall 2026, how to choose seats for its big ensemble scenes, and its long stage history.

    London, UK
    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing Moulin Rouge! The Musical
    Show

    Moulin Rouge! The Musical

    Moulin Rouge! The Musical after its Broadway closing: where it plays, the best seats for its lavish staging, and who it suits.

    London and world tour
    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing Oh, Mary!
    Broadway

    Oh, Mary!

    Where to sit for Oh, Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre, who is playing Mary, what the comedy covers and where the national tour goes.

    New York, NY
    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing SIX
    Broadway

    SIX

    Seat picks for SIX at the Lena Horne Theatre before the Broadway closing, plus the North American tour, run time and age advice.

    New York, NY
    Abstract theater curtain illustration representing The Phantom of the Opera
    Show

    The Phantom of the Opera

    How to pick seats for The Phantom of the Opera on tour, with notes on London, the Masquerade staging in New York and the content advisory.

    North American tour
    By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated How we research

    Where to sit in a London theater

    For most West End shows, the opening rows of the dress circle give the best all-round view, and the middle of the stalls, from about halfway back, is the other safe choice, since they sit high enough above the stage lip to see the full stage for most productions. The trickier part for an American is the vocabulary.

    • Stalls: the ground floor at or below stage height, the British name for the orchestra.
    • Dress circle: the first raised tier, close to a front mezzanine. Some houses call it the royal circle or grand circle.
    • Upper circle: the next tier up. Where a house has three tiers, the highest may go by grand circle or balcony instead, and the very top is sometimes nicknamed the gods.
    • Boxes: side compartments near the stage that offer privacy at the cost of the view.

    Names change from house to house. The Sondheim Theatre, for instance, labels its levels Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle, so always open the theater's own seating plan.

    Restricted view, pillars and steep upper tiers

    A large share of West End houses were built in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. That history shows up in the seats: upper tiers can be steep, and some rows sit behind structural pillars. British sellers usually tag those seats as restricted view, and the warning deserves respect, because in an older theater a restricted upper circle seat can miss a real portion of the stage. Legroom in the upper levels is often tight, and wheelchair or step-free routes differ from building to building, so contact the theater directly if access matters to you.

    The long runs Americans come to see

    • Les Misérables: no musical has run longer in the West End. It began at the Barbican on October 8, 1985, moved over to the Palace Theatre in December of the same year, and has been at the Sondheim Theatre (once called the Queen's) since 2004, where it played London performance number 16,000 on February 17, 2026. Booking currently extends to October 2, 2027. Expect roughly two hours and fifty minutes including a 15-minute interval (the British word for intermission); the producers suggest it for children 7 and older.
    • The Phantom of the Opera: at His Majesty's Theatre since its 1986 opening and marking its 40th year at that address, in a reworked production that returned on July 27, 2021. With the Broadway production closed since April 16, 2023, London is where to see a sit-down staging of the score, though the show also tours North America. Plan on about two and a half hours with a 20-minute interval; no one under 4 is admitted.
    • Moulin Rouge! The Musical: at the Piccadilly Theatre since January 20, 2022. Its Broadway run ended August 30, 2026, so London is among the last places showing it; a further week of tickets goes on sale each Monday, roughly five months out.
    • The Mousetrap: Agatha Christie's murder mystery, running without a break since 1952, the longest-running production anywhere.

    Other Broadway titles started in London or passed through it. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered in London first, at the Palace Theatre in July 2016. SIX started life at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and moved into the West End two years later. Oh, Mary! arrived at the Trafalgar Theatre in December 2025, and in 2026 it won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

    The district by the numbers

    The West End is London's counterpart to Broadway: roughly 40 large commercial theaters clustered near the Strand, Covent Garden and Shaftesbury Avenue. SOLT, the Society of London Theatre, which represents the district's producers and theater owners, recorded over 17.1 million attendances for 2024 over about 18,500 performances, equaling the 2023 record and running about 5 million ahead of Broadway (SOLT data). The Laurence Olivier Awards are London's version of the Tonys.

    Paying in pounds, discounts and busy seasons

    Prices are in pounds sterling, and your bank converts each charge at that day's rate; some US cards also add a fee on foreign purchases, so check yours. Long runs such as Les Misérables open booking about a year out, while other shows release seats in blocks.

    • Leicester Square booth: SOLT runs the Official London Theatre Ticket Booth, which started in 1980 under the name Half Price Ticket Booth and became a TKTS partner of New York's booths in 2001. Refurbished, it was back in business from June 18, 2025, offering reduced seats for tonight and for up to seven days out, with discounts reaching half off on selected shows.
    • Kids Week: the name is misleading, since SOLT's family offer now covers the summer school holidays, usually July and August. Every adult paying full price can bring one child 17 or younger free, and more than 50 shows normally take part.
    • Resale: most helpful for peak weekends and for shows with short booking windows.

    Tourist seasons drive demand. Summer, Christmas and school holidays sell first; late-winter weeknights leave the most choice. Every Reserved Seat order is backed by a 100% guarantee.

    Fitting a show into the trip

    • Allow for jet lag. London is normally five hours later than the US East Coast, so a three-hour musical on the night you land is a gamble; a matinee later in the week is kinder.
    • Take the Tube. The stations at Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square put most theaters within a few minutes' walk. For Les Misérables, Piccadilly Circus is the closest Tube stop and Charing Cross the closest rail station (Les Misérables London FAQ).
    • Confirm the schedule. Show days and start times differ from one production to the next and from the Broadway routine, so check before booking dinner.
    • Expect a different staging. A London production of a familiar title can have its own design and direction, so a title you already saw in Manhattan can still feel new.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the stalls in a London theater?

    The stalls are the ground-floor seats at or below stage level, the British equivalent of the orchestra on Broadway.

    Should I avoid restricted-view seats in the West End?

    Be cautious. In older theaters, pillars and steep upper tiers can hide a large slice of the stage, so a restricted-view seat in the upper circle may miss more than you expect.

    Where is The Phantom of the Opera playing in London?

    His Majesty's Theatre has housed it since 1986; a reworked version returned there in July 2021. New York's production ended in April 2023.

    How far ahead can I book Les Misérables in London?

    As of fall 2026, you can book as far out as October 2, 2027. The show has run in London since October 1985 and now plays the Sondheim Theatre.

    Are West End and Broadway productions the same show?

    No. A title that plays both cities runs as two independent productions with different casts, and sometimes with different design and direction.

    Sources