The Edinburgh Playhouse has a capacity of 3056 seats, including 1587 seats in the Stalls, 631 seats in the Circle and 838 seats in the Balcony. Use our interactive seating plan to view 194 seat reviews and 119 photos of views from seat.
Scotland’s Edinburgh Playhouse originally opened in 1929 as a cinema, operating successfully for forty years. Designed by John Fairweather, the venue is modelled on New York’s Roxy Theatre, after Fairweather was inspired by the building’s splendour. In 1973, Edinburgh Playhouse closed and was sold to a property developer. Threats of demolition saw the Playhouse Preservation Action Group campaign to keep it open. In 1980, the building relaunched as a theatre and has been owned by ATG since 2010.
Housing large touring musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Miserables, the venue seats an impressive 3,059 people and is the largest working theatre in the UK. It is built over three levels; the Stalls, Circle and Balcony. The Stalls is the largest section, with 1,500 seats that offer excellent views. The Circle seats 700 and offers more restricted views due to stairwells. The Balcony is particularly high and far away from the stage. The Edinburgh Playhouse is a large, grand theatre, close to several bars and restaurants in the city.
For those looking to purchase tickets on a budget, seats towards the middle of the rear left and right sections of the Stalls and Circle offer clear views, despite being angled towards the stage. Although the view may at times be restricted, these seats are close to the stage and facial expressions will be visible. Seats in the Balcony offer clear views of the stage for a discounted price.
Seats in the front-centre of the Stalls and the Circle offer unobstructed views of the stage for a premium price. For large-scale musical productions, it would be best to sit in the front of the Circle, which is close to the stage and allows you to take in the show as a whole.
Exceptional legroom, I will always choose circle over balcony for legroom alone. Can see the whole stage from this seat even though I was on back row. The seating plan shows another row behind row 'J' but in fact there is now the lighting/sound desk directly... More
Saw Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! on 26 September 2019
Had a clear View of the stage. There was a lot less leg room than what I expected. Knees were crushed into the seat infront yet the chair was comfortable to sit on. I had to swap seats with my sister as she was on the end of the row so due to her height... More
Saw Matilda the Musical Matilda the Musical on 23 April 2019
Very good view, central, you can see all the stage. The rake is quite poor so if you get a tall person in front of you, expect some blockages of the view. The legroom is non-existent, so my legs were quite sore by the end. Also, there is a metal menu/cup... More
Saw Rock of Ages Rock of Ages on 04 May 2019
