Opening in 1881 the Harold Pinter Theatre was initially a comic opera house named the Royal Comedy Theatre. In 1884 the “Royal” part of the name was dropped as the theatre helped establish the New Watergate Club, a society which overturned stage censorship of the day. This meant that plays, such as Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, could now be performed as the venue was then seen as being run as a private club rather than a commercial business. Due to the volume of Harold Pinter’s works being performed here it was deemed fitting that the theatre was named in honour of him after his death.
What are the best seats at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
The auditorium is split over four levels consisting of stalls, dress circle, royal circle and balcony, with the upper three levels being in a horseshoe shape around the stalls. The stalls are a single block of seats on the ground floor and offer a good view from the majority of the seats although there are some restrictions from pillars and the overhang of the dress circle. The dress circle rake is shallow but the view is not affected by the overhang of the royal circle where the rake is more noticeable. All seats in the balcony carry a restricted view of the stage due to its steep viewing angle.
Harold Pinter Theatre seating plan
How many seats are at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
There are 796 seats at the theatre across the 4 levels of the auditorium; the Stalls, Dress Circle, Royal Circle and Balcony.
Are there accessible seats at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
Level floor access seats are located in the dress circle where two wheelchair positions are located. Patrons wishing to transfer from a wheelchair to a seat are recommended to do so in row E/F in the dress circle and wheelchairs can be stored for when required again. In the dress circle there are 8-10 steps from row A to F with no handrails. An accessible bathroom is located in the theatres’ foyer.
What shows are on at the Harold Pinter Theatre?
The range of productions that have graced the Harold Pinter stage are far reaching, from musical comedies, revivals, experimental theatre as well as it being the home of the West End debut of the Rocky Horror Show in 1979. Upcoming shows include the European premiere of the record-breaking show, Your Lie in April, and the West End transfer of the critically acclaimed Macbeth, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.