Cool Rider at The Palladium
Booking
Booking was easily made via the LW access booking line. I have previous registered for access tickets. LW are working on enabling wheelchair seats to be booked online but currently this is not available.
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Access Ticket £63.50
Essential Carer Ticket Free
Theatre Location
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Located on Argyll Street just off Oxford Street and Regents Street. Very easy to locate.
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We found food options to be more limited than the west end unless you wanted fast food. Accessible resyuramts in this area would require more advance research and pre-booking. However it is only a 10-15 minute walk to Soho, Leicester Square and China Town.
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Theatre Access
Access to the theatre is via side door at the front of the Theatre. This is a larger theatre so we got there early to avoid the crowds and left during the encore for the same reason. Access to the stalls is via a lift. We were escorted in the lift and
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When we arrived the access host was unable to get anyone to open the door for quite a while.
Access Host
The access host service was good. They showed us to our seat and helped us exit. They escorted us in the lift and gave good directions regarding the slanted floor.
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However there was no contact with anyone during the interval and no one checked if we were ok or needed additional support which happens at other theatres.
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I did not need assistance to the toilet but they did direct us as when I went during the encore there was no other people around.
Seat and Staging
We sat in O48 and O47.
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The wheelchair space (O48) was fine. It was located at the end of the row and to fit in with a power chair you have to be on a diagonal slant or you would a) not fit and b) make it impossible for others to see. Even in the power chair I had move during the performance to see over the heads of the people in front. Sitting slanted also created a disconnect between myself and my carer as there was considerable space between us so him checking on me or asking for a drink was more of a challenge and more distracting to those around us.
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Also at the encore when everyone stood up I couldn't see anything so we left before the crowds.
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The staging of the show was great, I could see the whole stage and all the action until the encore.
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Toilets
We accessed two disabled toilets during our visit. The first was located off the entrance through a bar. This was the smaller of the two but still big enough for a power char but not enough space to turn around.
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The second was located off the stalls. This was much larger and had space for turning and a side transfer although it was a little tired and basic it was perfectly functional.
I visited in April 2024 and all views expressed above are my personal opinion.
It was my first visit to the London Palladium