Palace Theatre, Soho, London

Unless you book very early and get the best seats in the house, you really are out of luck. We went twice and booked different seats each time in the lower (but not lowest) price bracket. I feel sorry for the people who had worse seats than us. The first time we couldn't see the heads of the actors on stage (we were too high up, and the lowered ceiling obscured the view - and we we not sitting at the back!), the second we couldn't see their legs without leaning forward throughout the whole show.

It's nice theatre, but be very careful on the seats you choose. Pay extra if you can afford it!

Visited the Victoria Palace theatre this week to watch Priscilla Queen of the Dessert again and can only support other reviews but I would say from the outset that I really love this place. Last visit was in September for Priscilla and prior to that was to see Les Miserables way back when and whilst the character of the building is still just as enchanting it is not very convenient for those uncomfortable with stairs and steps as they are everywhere. This creates lots of fascinating bits to explore and since the refurbishment marble seems to have appeared on the walls and some lovely chandeliers hung from the ceilings. We had really good seats and for that I have to thank the seating guide at http://www.theatremonkey.com/PALACEstalls.htm before booking. I would strongly advise checking this out because during the break I was able to look at the position of the red seats in the stalls and both the viewing angle and the low ceiling height would be annoying – especially if you go to see a show as good as Priscilla because you won’t want to miss a thing. Also got chance this time to nose around the circle seats and again they are tiny with the end ones having seemingly poor views but wasn't up there when show started again so not really sure. The bars were comfortable during the break which was just as well as you will need to stretch your legs as they have not been able to do anything about the poor space between the seat rows and subsequently it is very tight although my 5ft 5inch partner said it was ok. I know it will sound off-the-wall but the other facility I like here are the loos! How sad is that? They are very spacious and it’s nice not having to keep an eye on your pockets! My overall impression is still one of marvelous acoustics and, in the right seats, the excellent proximity of the action. Get a good seat in the front of the stalls and go. Enjoy one of the best experiences the west end has to offer.

The Palace Theater is a beautiful building. I have seen 3 shows there - all very good, but wherever sat I could never seen the whole show. I definitely do not suggest to sit on the balcony as it is designed that you can't see anything - no matter how tall you are. And if you are "a bit bigger" you will have problems with seating - it feels like they build the theater when people were much smaller and thinner.
If you go there, definitely book stalls.
Currently they are playing Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Musicale is very funny, great costumes, great singers. Definitely a must see if you like musicales.

I’m finding that all reviews are dualistic. Not the swordfighting kind (although that does relate here) but you are always reviewing both the place, and the event that you experience within it.
I saw Spamalot at the Palace theatre on Tuesday and I was deeply impressed with the play and had very positive feelings about the venue.
I always buy the cheapest tickets for plays - have probably never spent more than 20 pounds and that was for Chicago and it was crap. Simple maths. A 70 pound ticket is not seven times better than a ten pound ticket, maybe twice as good, but that just strikes me as a bad deal.
Admitadly I have strained my ears and neck throughout performances so it was with some approbation that I booked £12.50 tickets and invited friends to an evening at the theatre.
Exiting slightly sake sauced from a roast duck mortury, we swaggered into the ticket both and received the enormous news that our seats had been upgraded from the outer cosmos to the middle of the dress circle. I had organised these tickets as a repayment of kindness to a few friends and my apparant generosity was now happily positioning me in credit.
Staff were friendly, the venue seemed clean, the wine was priced as though we were Saudi Princes and the seats were perfect.
I’m one of those people, and gosh there are a lot of us, who can near as recite the enitrety of Monty Python’s “The Holy Grail”. Was a little unsure how to prepare myself for this then except that I knew it was lovingly crafted by Eric Idle and had recieved broadly brilliant reviews.
And it was great. Really great. I was saying at the time that it was the best play I’d seen, but on colder reflection, it was at least very very good, if not this.
The worst bits, though they were good, were the dialogue from the fim. The best bits were the surprises, the hilarious songs, the great spectical, the pace of the thing and the ironic king arthur played by that indian guy from the Kumars.
I’m just spending my time now scanning the cheap theatre ticket web sites; trying to find the cheapest tickets on the worst nights to the best shows, and angling for upgrades.

The Palace Theatre is beautiful and is currently running the Spamalot musical. At the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road (on the Cambridge Circus as dmj1962 points out in his previous review), it’s not a building you should walk by without stopping at least once to really appreciate. The detailed red-brick exterior is only just the beginning, and the previous reviews do an amazing job of describing both the outer facade and the interior so I’ll defer to them.

The one point I’m not sure I agree with however is the mention of the cramped seating arrangements inside, and that may just be because I’ve only ever been to theatres on and off Broadway in New York that are either the same or are even worse in the leg room department!

Drinks are really pricey with a small (read: very small) white wine being almost 5quid and the rest of the bar (well-stocked!) being just as expensive. Naturally they don’t allow outside beverages inside so if the mood strikes you’re pretty much putty in the bar maid’s hands. May as well go for a large!

We also went to see Spamalot here (for which, see separate review in due course!), so this review covers the theatre.

The Palace Theatre is well known for its imposing red brick facade on Charing Cross Road, at Cambridge Circus. A grade II* listed building, it was conceived by Richard D’Oyly Carte in the 1880s to be the home of English Opera, as a counterpoint to his highly successful light opera - the famous repertoire by Gilbert & Sullivan - already established at the Savoy Theatre.

The foundation stone was laid in 1888 (just to the right of the main entrance) and the first production was ‘Ivanhoe’ by Arthur Sullivan. This was a great success and ran for 160 performances, but D’Oyly Carte had nothing planned to follow it. The building was sold a year later, becoming a popular music hall. It was renamed ‘The Palace of Musical Varieties’, before changing its name again to the Palace Theatre in 1911. The building incorporated many innovations, including the extensive use of concrete to provide fire-proof structures for the staircases and other key elements.

Over the years, it has hosted some spectacular successes, including ‘No, no Nanette’ in the 1920s, and more recently ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’, and ‘Les Miserables’, which ran here for 18 years from 1985 until 2004. The theatre is now owned, alongside 6 others in London, by the Really Useful Group.

The interior is typical of the sumptuous style of Victorian theatres: the Stalls Bar is decorated in a faux Louis XIV scheme, with elaborate ceiling mouldings and large decorative mirrors, and the theatre interior is festooned with cherubs and garlands, incorporated in both woodwork and plasterwork.

As a performance venue, the main drawbacks are the familiar ones for Victorian London theatres: the stage is relatively narrow (although a lot deeper than many), the seating is rather cramped, and there are stairs everywhere. The theatre seats 1,400 people, in the stalls, grand circle, dress circle, balcony and boxes. Just over 100 seats (including all the boxes) have a restricted view. One aspect which is better than many London venues is that the lavatories are larger than average, doing away with the long waits at the interval!

Wheelchairs can be accommodated, however, booked in advance, with a discount for both the wheelchair user and a helper (although the location is at the back of the stalls at seat W27 - not the best view). Access is via a side door with one 3cm step. Alternatively, transfer seating to any seat in the stalls can be arranged, with wheelchairs stored at the back. There are disabled toilet facilities, and a dedicated host for disabled customers.

The bar is also very spacious, and interval drinks can be ordered in advance. Bar prices are - of course - more expensive than you’ll pay in a pub - £5.50 for a single Gin & tonic, with the House Gin. There’s also a shop on the first floor, selling programmes and souvenirs for the relevant show.

The venue also hires out its VIP suite and bar as a meeting and small conference venue.

The theatre is close to Leicester Square underground station as well as bus routes 14, 19, 24, 29, 38 and 176.

We went to see Monty Python’s Spamalot here a few weeks ago. The venue was great, the atmosphere buzzing and the view we had from the top centre was excellent. The one and only problem I had was the very cramped seating arrangements and I’m glad I’m under 6ft tall. I will be interested to see how other theatres in the west end compare to watch a show in.