Going to a Broadway musical without going broke is not an impossible mission. There are some ways to get cheap tickets to shows and it’s not difficult to secure yours. Seriously, I even wonder why anyone would buy a ticket at full fare, after all it doesn’t make any sense.
Posto da TKTS
In general, buying tickets in advance helps to get good prices. Not on Broadway. The trick here is to leave everything until the last minute and run to the TKTS box office to buy the ticket for the day. But don’t take this last minute too literally: the box office opens at 3pm, but get there early because there’s usually a queue and tickets for the show you want may be sold out.
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This was the method I used. I got great seats to see Matilda on the day of the performance, paying the same amount as I would have paid for bad seats if I had bought them on the website. On that day, you could even have bought a ticket for the popular Phantom of the Opera.
The most famous TKTS station is in Times Square, near the red stands, but you can also buy your tickets in Brooklyn (Jay Street and Myrthe Avenue – 11am to 6pm) or Front Street and John Street (11am to 6pm). These two alternative addresses tend to be emptier than the Times one.
Rush Tickets
This option is similar to TKTS, but instead of going to this box office, you have to knock on the door of each theater and ask if they have “rush tickets” for the day’s shows. Try to do this as soon as the box office opens, around 10 am. This is one of the ways to get the cheapest tickets of all, but tickets are not always available and you may not find seats close together if you are buying for more than one person.
Online discounts
The United States is the country of discount coupons. So it’s not difficult to find one of these for Broadway shows. The advantage is that you can buy your ticket in advance, but the discounts may not be as good. You can Google “Discount tickets broadway,” but a better place to start looking is BroadwayBox.com.
Student tickets
Students are usually entitled to a reduced ticket price for each show. To get yours, you need to go to the theater box office and ask for this quota. Bring an international student card.
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