Agatha U.
Yelp
I'm kind-of undecided as to how to rate this place. I went there the other week to see my beloved Dylan Moran (I think I would've clung on from the rafters if I didn't manage to get a seat!). On the one hand, the show was fantastic, I had a blast. But the one gripe I do have is a major one for me and I can't really get past it: Leg room. It sounds trivial but when you're 6'1", it's very much a live issue. At least on the balcony level, where I was, the seats are so close together that for a tall person it's really cramped. I deliberately booked what appeared, on the map, to be a seat bordering the centre-aisle so I could stretch out. Only to find that my seat was actually in an 'alcove' and there was a barrier and a drop separating it from the aisle. Perhaps they could indicate this on the theatre map, because I imagine a lot of tall people try to secure aisle seats for the same reason as me. Luckily at halftime a nice couple sitting at the other end offered to switch places with me, which made my life a lot happier and my lower extremities a lot better supplied with blood :)
But I have to say that apart from that, it was a great evening. The theatre is sleek and smart, a pleasant space to be in. Acoustics are very good, and all the seats appear to have a decent view of the stage, except that for this particular show being up high was always going to be a disadvantage as Dylan Moran relies heavily on facials in his delivery and you really have to have a clear view of him to get the full joy of his comedy.
The Aotea Centre as a whole is also a very pleasant place, I've always liked its ambiance and layout. Plenty of open space for people to mill around before and after the show. Even though the theatre was packed, there was no 'congestion' issue before or after; and even the bathrooms weren't all that traffic-logged. The only wait was when it came to paying for parking afterwards (i.e. the parking under the building). There was a hefty queue at the ticket kiosk.