London Palladium: The Cheap Seats Are 72 Steps Above the Pavement

Some of the Grand Circle seats at the London Palladium are 72 steps above the pavement, and the theatre counts them for you, which almost no other West End house does. If stairs are a problem, that’s the most useful number on this page.

The Palladium publishes the climb for every level. The Grand Circle is 47 steps from its entrance up to the bar and kiosks, and toilets at that level aren’t step-free. Seats 1 to 10 are reached from bar level and open into the auditorium at row E. Seats 11 to 27 are a further 25 steps up, which is 72 from the street. Seats 28 to 59 are a further 20, or 67 from the street. Once you’re in, every row up or down is another two steps. These are the cheapest seats in a 2,300-seat house, and they’re a climb of four or five storeys followed by steps in the dark.

The other levels are shorter. The Royal Circle is 12 steps up to the foyer and its kiosks and cloakroom, another 15 to the rear entrance and toilets, and 7 more to the bar, so 34 before you’ve sat down. In the Stalls it’s 3 steps up from the main entrance and then 14 down to the bar, kiosks and toilets, and the floor slopes towards the stage. The boxes are the strangest, because they climb and then drop: Box B is 12 steps up and then 18 down, Boxes BB and CC are 27 up and 26 down, and Boxes E, EE, F and FF are 27 up and 22 down.

No dress code, and babies are not admitted

LW Theatres, which runs the Palladium, answers this plainly: there is no dress code and casual attire is acceptable. It applies across the group, so the same holds at its other theatres.

The age rules are firmer. Every member of the audience needs a valid ticket regardless of age, babies are not admitted to the auditorium at all, and a child must be able to sit unaided in their own seat. Parents or guardians may be asked to remove noisy or disruptive children. The recommended age varies by production, so check the show rather than the theatre.

One thing to ignore on the operator’s own FAQ: its answer about meeting the cast still cites Covid-19 safety measures as the reason there is no public access to the stage door. That answer has not been updated in years, so treat stage door access as a question for the venue on the night rather than settled by that page.

Step-free means the Stalls

The theatre is plain about it: there’s step-free access from the street to the Stalls by lift, but because it’s a listed Victorian building, the Royal Circle and Grand Circle can’t be reached without steps. The route in is a level ramp to the left of the main entrance on Argyll Street. At show times there are attendants there and access hosts to take you to your seat. Outside show times, if you’re booking in person, ring the bell at the accessible entrance and the stage door team will let the box office know you’ve arrived.

There are up to four wheelchair spaces in the Stalls, and which seats they are depends on what’s on: rows L46, O48, Q48 and S49 for theatre productions, but B4, B31, C3 and C35 for gigs and concerts, which sit much closer to the stage because the seating is laid out differently. If you’d rather transfer, every aisle seat in the Stalls is suitable, and staff will store your chair and bring it back when you need it. Access Scheme members can book accessible seating online.

Assistance dogs are welcome, and the staff will look after yours during the show if you’d like. If you need to bring medication, food or drink for a medical condition, ask for a manager when you arrive, before you go through the security search rather than at it. There are two accessible toilets, one in the Val Parnell Bar and one at the back of the Stalls on the left. The infra-red hearing system is kept in the cloakroom, so mention it when you book so you’re seated somewhere it works. Strobe and flashing lights are regularly used in performances, and the show page carries the content warnings.

Cheap tickets can’t be moved

This is the catch on a bargain. Standard tickets can be exchanged up to 48 hours before the performance for a £3 per-ticket fee, but only for the same show, and nothing is refundable. Promotional tickets, meaning Groups, Lottery, Day Seats and Magical Mondays, are neither refundable nor exchangeable, so you go on that date or you lose the money. Worth keeping in mind before you enter a lottery for an evening you aren’t certain about; our cheap theatre tickets guide covers how those schemes work. Direct bookings are handled on 020 3925 2998 (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm), and the theatre says mornings are busiest so afternoons are easier.

The cloakroom charges by type: £3 for a coat and £5 for a bag or suitcase, so a coat and a rucksack is £8. It’s in the main foyer.

Which tube

The nearest station is Oxford Circus, but it isn’t step-free. For step-free you want Bond Street, which is a slightly longer walk, or Tottenham Court Road. Drop-off is on Argyll Street or Great Marlborough Street.

The Palladium is at 8 Argyll Street, London W1F 7TF, and the Stage Door is on 020 7850 8770. The box office opens at midday on show days. It’s been the capital’s home of variety for over a century, and joined LW Theatres in 2000. The names it counts among its past acts range from Bob Hope and Louis Armstrong to Madonna, Coldplay and Adele, and there’s a permanent Wall of Fame in the building. If you want somewhere to wait before the show, the Cathay Suite is £10 for Cathay members and includes a drink.

This winter it’s the home of the Christmas pantomime. Cinderella opens in December, with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters, back together on the West End stage for the first time in 17 years, and Julian Clary as the Fairy Godfather.

Where to go next

Cheap theatre tickets covers the lotteries and day seats, and the West End shows page covers what is on.

Pre-theatre dinner covers eating nearby, and Soho covers the streets around Argyll Street.