How to buy Broadway show tickets in New York City

How To Buy Broadway tickets in 2008 and beyond
If you know what you're doing, you can see a great show without waiting on a line or over paying online

Tom Wilson
Vp tixx.com


What you'll find in this story: tips for finding tickets to a Broadway show, New York entertainment, secrets for securing Broadway tickets , tips for seeing a Broadway play, where to find tickets

Theater prices have gone sky-high--$121 plus service fees for a musical is now the average top box office price. But this is New York, and there's nothing New Yorkers hate more than paying retail. The truth is, Broadway has become a lot like the airline industry: If you know what you're doing, you can spend a fraction of what the person next to you did.

Before you leave

Check out Tixx alert Blog and Playbill.com, the most reliable sites for discounted tickets and up-to-date theater news. Both require you to register, but doing so is free. Circumstances vary from show to show, but tickets can usually be bought from a week to three months in advance for up to 50 percent off (plus fees from the ticket agency, such as Ticketmaster or Telecharge). Don't expect the hottest shows to be discounted, but plenty of big-name productions, including The Phantom of the Opera,Young Frankenstein, and The Producers, were available at less-than-full price at press time. tixx.com and The The Tixx alert Guide to Discount tickets are useful for finding discounts when others fail to offer the show of your choice.

by phone you can call 1.800.688.4000 for your theater tickets needs

The day of the performance check out www.tixx.com We get access to some of the best tckets in the house for much less tan you would pay on stubhub or other broker sites and we gaurantee that you will get the tickets in time for the show, many times we can delvier the tickets to you hotel within 1 hour of your purchase!

Locals and tourists score discounts of 25 to 50 percent by lining up for same-day tickets at the two TKTS kiosks in Manhattan (tdf.org): in Times Square at 47th Street and Broadway, and in the Financial District at the corner of Front and John Streets. The big downside is that you typically must wait more than an hour (sometimes less if you want to see a play; lines are now divided into musical and nonmusical). The most popular shows are unlikely to be available, and you may not get your first choice. Most days, people start queuing up several hours before TKTS opens. tickets may be released several times a day, so it's still possible to grab great seats by stopping by at 6 or 7 p.m., when lines are shortest. The Times Square location is open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, and starting at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. on Sundays (hours are slightly different downtown). They take only cash and traveler's checks.

Currently, 5 of the toughest tickets on Broadway--that rarely, if ever, appear on TKTS or discount websites-- Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Gypsy, The Little Mermaid

Several shows, sell same-day rush tickets at substantially discounted prices for students. Check tdf.org or telecharge.com for each show's policy.

30 minutes before curtain

If you arrive at a theater's box office and the show is sold out, don't give up. Many big hits, offer standing-room only (SRO) tickets for about $25, but not until all regular tickets have been purchased. To find out if a specific show releases SRO tickets , go to telecharge.com, find the show, and click on "Getting tickets ." Standing for two hours isn't ideal, but most theaters at least give you a wall to lean against.