Gielgud Theatre Reviews Summary

Theatre Experience

Pros:

• "Beautiful theatre in London's West End."
• "It was an excellent production with outstanding performances by all."
• "Watched Upstart Crow at this lovely theatre and I have to say the whole experience was amazing."
• "Queue to go in moved quickly with security and when I used the bar in the Stalls area I didn't have to wait long to be served."
• "A beautiful old theatre with modern technology."
• "It's an old theatre but well maintained, quick and efficient access to get into the building with friendly staff."
• "Beautiful theatre near London’s Chinatown."

Cons:

• "The one complaint I have is that the positioning of the ushers in the grand circle during intermission to sell ice cream was not convenient."
• "We paid a lot of money to be in the stalls, not realizing that from about two-thirds of the way back, you miss a lot of the show."
• "The staff on the outside acted like they were 'herding sheep'. No respect whatsoever."
• "The only downside of the experience was the wait time for drinks. Despite pre-ordering we had to wait in a queue at the bar."
• "The theatre seats are quite tight and was cutting a bit of the stage so at times couldn't get a good view."
• "The only little problem I had was the light that was right above my head."
• "Sadly the seats are quite uncomfortable and the toilet stalls are quite tight."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff were all friendly and polite."
• "Not only were the theatre staff quick to provide these, but Manuela ensured we were moved to seats that enabled the devices to work perfectly."
• "All staff very friendly, approachable, polite, helpful and professional."
• "Lovely and polite staff - the security guards out front were funny and kind too."
• "Staff is friendly and helpful."
• "Staff professional and welcoming."
• "The staff were so friendly and welcoming, ushers were attentive and chatty, bar staff were fast with a smile."

Cons:

• "The theatre, specifically the grand circle, in the gods is awful."
• "Despite dealing with munching Americans and space invaders, I thoroughly enjoyed the play."
• "But be warned you will miss anything mid-stage or further back."
• "It annoyed me that they let people in midway through the performance, meaning you were disturbed by people who are too rude to arrive on time."
• "Shame that some of the patrons did not turn their phones off though as one rang for about 30 seconds… right in the middle of Tom Robinson’s emotional speech."
• "I really felt allowing the latecomers in was unnecessary and someone could have spoken to the teachers about their group's general behaviour."
• "By the stage door, security was a bit aggressive for about 15 people who just wanted to wave to one of the actresses given COVID prevented autographs etc."

Seating and Comfort

Pros:

• "There was a good rake and offset in the Dress Circle so even if someone tall sat in front of you it wouldn’t have ruined your view."
• "We were in the dress circle and even up there we had a full expansive view."
• "The seats themselves are very comfortable with plenty of leg room for me given I'm just over 6f."
• "Comfortable seats with plenty of legroom."
• "The seats in the dress circle have very little leg room. So if you are tall, it will have to be the stalls for you."
• "Seats in the mezzanine have a nice amount of legroom."
• "Good view from front row of the Grand Circle."

Cons:

• "The seat back was barely padded, so I was quite uncomfortable after the first half."
• "The chairs are quite uncomfortable. This made the 3.5 hour performances a bit of a challenge."
• "The seats are quite small too, and although they have been refurbished, they’re not particularly comfortable."
• "The seats are not the most comfortable in the world but one can manage."
• "The seats are restricted in terms of comfort, space for adjustment and apart from one another which resulted in triggering a flare up of back pain."
• "The theatre is beautiful but the seats are excruciating!"
• "Unfortunately the seats are not that comfortable. You go numb after a while and leg room is only just sufficient."

Facilities and Amenities

Pros:

• "Bar facilities (for the Dress Circle) were great, but never felt crushed, and all the usual interval drinks arrangements were available."
• "Toilets, for Gents, excellent with no queues."
• "The bathrooms are spacious, so the line never gets too long."
• "For the ladies, there is a ladies bathroom very close to these seats, which is handy."
• "The bar is on the first floor in a spectacular gallery above the foyer and, while as rammed as you'd expect, was a delight to have a pre show drink in."
• "Plenty of access to bars and merch."
• "Free water provided in the bar."

Cons:

• "Long queue for ladies toilets at the interval."
• "One downside is lack of ladies toilets. Only 3 in the stalls cloakroom so at half time not enough to accommodate the number wishing to use them."
• "Huge queue for ladies toilets at interval, but to be expected in a venue of this age and size."
• "The only downsides are the price of the ice cream (£3 for a tiny tub) and the holding arrangements before you can take your seat."
• "They let us in 10mins before the play - Definitely not enough time to get a drink and settle when busy."
• "Unfortunately, because they weren't tight on the start timing and the ushering people back to their seat at the break, we had to get a later train home than planned."
• "On the down side be prepared to wait for the loo as usual in theatres no room for more toilets!"