Discounted Theatre Tickets Plentiful From Broadway to the Boonies

Sometimes you just have to get in line, but more discounts are being offered on the internet.

It's happening all across America, tickets for theatre, music and dance are being discounted more heavily than ever before. If you are in the hinterlands, you may be able to find deals as well. Our survey indicates a growing number of half price and discounted ticket operations springing up everywhere.

If you want to get away, travel to the big cities is being discounted as well, Amtrak just finished its holiday promotion, and Greyhound has just began theirs. The airlines are beginning deep discounting again what with a recession and oil prices dropping like a rock.

The biggest destination of all is New York City, but further down in this blog you will find details on Atlanta, Austin, Boston, the Berkshires, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC. If we have missed one, let us know through the comments sections.

Half Price Tickets in New York City

TKTS during its recent construction in Manhattan

I have written before about TKTS, run by the Theatre Development Fund, but I have only mentioned their Times Square location. There are two others as well - in South Street Seaport on the lower East Side and in Downtown Brooklyn in the MetroTech Center. 

The TKTS ticket booths offer same-day discount tickets to Broadway shows, Off-Broadway, and other arts events at up to 50% off their original prices. There is no way of finding out which shows are featured day to day, or even minute to minute, since additional tickets often arrive as show time approaches. The theatres are mostly close by, so if the box office manager thinks the show will be left with unsold seats, TKTS may be called and a messenger dispatched to pick them up.

If ticket lines and seating roulette is not your idea of fun, there is a wonderful site you can visit that enables you to buy show tickets ahead of time, and at deep, deep discounts. You can even choose the seats, though it is always from whatever inventory remains at the time you buy.

This arrangement works best for those who make frequent trips to New York and don't mind paying a membership fee. New York Tix

My personal choices are August: Osage County from the incredible Steppenwolf company - a resident Chicago company, and Slava's Snowshow, a holiday pick. Among the musicals, there is Young Frankenstein, Hairspray and Gypsy. Timing is important since many of these shows will close shortly after Christmas.

Here's some great news for parents! The Disney "Kids Free" promotion which I detailed in an earlier Arts America blog entry has just been extended until December 23. I will work up a new blog entry on that tomorrow.

The basic rule of thumb for buying tickets to live performances is that the earlier you act, the better your seats. On the other hand, if you wait, you can often get the remaining seats at bargain prices.

Here too are some links to shows doing various other promotions.

The Blue Man Group - Use code NYTTW and call 1-800-blueman or go to this page.

Gypsy with Patti LuPone until January 18 - half price which means only $59.50 orchestra and $27 balcony - Use code GYNYT54 at 212-947-8844 or go to this site.

And if you are 40 or under, you can get tickets for events at Carnegie Hall for $20 with a "57 and 7" Membership. Details are here.

Even the super expensive Metropolitan Opera has instituted a $25 Weekend Ticket program which is more like a lottery than a sale, but worth the effort. You could end up with $250 seats at that bargain price. The incredible Met Lottery Deal Each week's entries begin on Mondays at 10:00 am ET.

Never, ever, trust scalpers!

Now on to the other cities.

"Go Free" Disney ticket promotion a big hit

A little promotional ticket pricing helps the high Broadway prices go down easier.

Disney's "Kids Go Free" promotion is working like a charm. With more than a million dollars worth of tickets sold in the first three days, and little more than a week to run, it appears that for every ticket given away to a child, one was sold to an adult. In these recessionary times, Disney proves it knows its marketing.

The tickets went on sale on December 1 and the promotion continues through December 12 for performances of Mary Poppins, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. The tickets are for performances between January 6 and March 13. There are a limited number of tickets allocated to this promotion, and include most weekday and weekend performances. There are a few dates blacked out.

There are other ways to get discounted Disney tickets, though not as well known, but you will have to sacrifice a little of your time in order to access them. But that is the deal - if you are in a hurry, you pay full price.

The Lion King is not just for children.

Other discount strategies

The Broadway ticket brokers and ticket agents have not been immune to the recession, and often end up having bought more seats than they can resell at full price. So a great new strategy is to email or call these brokers and let them know when you want to go and ask if they have any deals.

Sometimes you will get an offer right then (a bird in the hand and all that) and you should be prepared to make a pretty fast decision. Though many will pressure you to act instantly, it is reasonable to tell them that you have to check with the others first. Even with a short grace period, calling them back as soon as you can is a good idea since their ticket inventory is limited and usually the first person with the money takes them regardless of promises made.

Alternately, if you email you can ask them to email you any late breaking deals for the dates you are interested in. Some will, some won't. Since tickets are in a constant state of flux, it is not possible to predict.

Armed with a seating chart and open dates, you can also be a well informed consumer when you do this. My number one rule of thumb is to always ask early on if the prices quoted include all service charges. Then, if some place down the road a surprise fee is added to the conversation, think twice about dealing with that broker.

The Times Square Info Center between 47 and 48 Streets

Should this strategy fail, and I arrive in midtown Manhattan without tickets in hand, I do check for what are called "twofers" at the tourist information operations. These are ticket sized coupons that often offer large discounts direct from the box office. The one pictured is on Broadway near Times Square and easy to find.

My final option is to stand in line at theTKTS booth in Duffy Square where tickets are always sold at 25 to 50% off. I will be writing more about them in the near future, so you might want to subscribe to this blog to keep up with cheap ticket strategies and offers.

The new Half Price TKTS Booth

Buying from the box office, whether at full price or a discount can be a smart strategy too since you do not pay the Ticketmaster surcharges which often add insult to injury. I would rather give those service charges to the independent brokers who got me a real deal.

So now the question is, which Disney show. Here are some capsule descriptions of the three currently running:

The Lion King

The Lion King is at the Minskoff Theatre

I simply adore this show. Disney’s beloved film comes to eye-popping life with Julie Taymor's amazing staging. Winner of six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Lion King pulses with an award-winning score and innovative choreography, costumes and masks which bring the classic story of the young royal heir Simba and the animals of the African Pride Lands to vivid life.

Lion King Seating Chart

Even with a top price of $110 on weekends, the Lion King is the most difficult Disney show to find discounted tickets for. This one show brings Disney almost a million dollars a week in ticket sales. No mere high school musical can compete with the large cast and orchestra which have made this the longest running Disney show.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre

An underwater advanture with Ariel the mermaid in this splashy Disney musical. In a magical kingdom beneath the sea, a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. With award-winning music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, The Little Mermaid is a musical favorite for audiences of all ages.

Little Mermaid Seating Chart

There is a fairly steady supply of discount tickets for The Little Mermaid.

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins at the gorgeous New Amsterdam Theatre

The young ones will experience a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time with everyone's favorite nanny. Based on P.L. Travers' stories and the classic Disney film, Mary Poppins brings to life the story of the Banks family and their magical nanny. Featuring the movie's Oscar-winning songs, this enchanting musical lets you rediscover the power of family and the joyful memories of childhood.

Mary Poppins Seating Chart

Of the three Disney shows, Mary Poppins is the easiest one to find offered at discounted prices.

Broadway Strike Ends

Agreement has been reached between the stagehands Local One and the League of Theater Owners and Producers, so the lifeblood of Broadway, money, will begin flowing a little more strongly in the narrowing arteries of the"fabulous invalid". Once again, she has survived an enounter with death, but how much more abuse can the old lady take?

It is interesting to note that there hardly was a famine of theater offerings on Broadway during the strike. Just look at the list of shows that were sold at the TKTS booth near Times Square:

BROADWAY
CYMBELINE
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS-THE MUSICAL
MAURITIUS
RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
THE RITZ
XANADU

The new Broadway musical Xanadu, based on the motion picture, had just opened when the strike began, but was covered under a different agreement than the one that cuased the strike.

OFF-BROADWAY
A HARD HEART
ALTAR BOYZ
BIG APPLE CIRCUS
CELIA
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
DAI
DIE, MOMMIE DIE!
DORIS TO DARLENE
DOROTHY HALE
EDGE
FLANAGAN'S WAKE
FORBIDDEN BROADWAY
FRANKENSTEIN
GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW
GONE MISSING
GROWING UP 70'S
HOODOO LOVE
I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE
JUMP
MAKE ME A SONG
MONDAY NIGHT MAGIC
MY FIRST TIME
MY MOTHER'S ITALIAN, MY FATHER'S JEWISH
NAKED BOYS SINGING!
NONE OF THE ABOVE
OUR SINATRA
PERFECT CRIME
PETER & JERRY
PUMPGIRL
RICHARD III
SECRET ORDER
SIVE
STOMP
STRANGE & UNUSUAL HOBBIES
THE 4TH GRADERS PRESENT...
THE AWESOME 80s PROM
THE FANTASTICKS
THE GLORIOUS ONES
THE JOY LUCK CLUB
THE OVERWHELMING
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
THINGS WE WANT
THREE MO' TENORS
TRUMPERY
WALMARTOPIA
YELLOW FACE

Off Broadway, The Altar Boyz barely missed a beat during the strike.

Nobdoy like a strike. And everyone is pretty happy that this one is over. Of course, there is still the technical vote that has to be taken by the members of the local to ratify the agreement. While details are secret, it appears that each side made a list and added up a dollar value of what they were looking to gain. And somehow this was taken care of in wage increases, and from what I gather, a smaller minimum number of stagehands for a load-in, though once committed, it appears they will stay for the duration, and can't be hired for just one day. Probably minor concessions that should have been agreed to earlier. The stagehands are a very minor part of the costs of running a show. For example, just the advertising costs much more than they are paid.