Do seats 40 and 41 of row E in the upper circle at the Sunderland Empire offer a restricted view of the stage?

Yes, says theatre fan Norma Storer who paid the full price of £27.50 each for the seats for a recent performance of Starlight Express.

No, says Empire deputy manager Anne-Marie Kaliszcza.

Norma, of Blyth, Northumberland, said: "Imagine my disappointment to find that some of the stage was not visible.

"I can think of no other word to describe it but restricted."

Ann-Marie, in reply, admitted that the best seats were sold on a first come, first served basis.

She said a ramp built to accommodate a rollerskating sequence was not visible from some seats, but its function was to give skaters enough speed to perform stunts on the main body of the stage.

She said: "I believe that would have been the only part of the show not visible from row E, seats 40 and 41, in the upper circle. I have sat there myself and whilst the front left corner of the stage is partially obstructed by the safety barrier these seats would certainly not be classed as restricted view as the breadth and depth of the stage are visible."

That seems to be a matter of opinion, with Norma not sharing Anne-Marie's point of view.

Anne-Marie said: "The views from seats change for each production due to different sets and for this reason we continually review the pricing structure.

"If we receive a number of similar complaints regarding a certain area then an investigation takes place and adjustments are made where necessary.

"To date this is the one complaint about the seats in question."

So, theatre-goers, get off your backsides and start complaining if, like Norma, you found seats 40 and 41 of row E in the upper circle at Sunderland Empire to be less than satisfactory.