With ticket prices for hit Broadway shows like Oh, Mary! and Just in Time consistently topping $500 apiece, you might think that New York theater is the exclusive domain of the one percent. But you don’t need a trust fund (or a high-interest loan) to enjoy the best of the city’s live entertainment. There are bargains to be found on Broadway — including a handful of $10 tickets for the perennially sold-out megahit Hamilton — if you’re willing to be flexible and put in the effort to find them. Here are some tips on how to get yourself into the room where it happens with burning a hole in your wallet.
1. Plan ahead
Finding deals on Broadway takes some work, and also some expectation management If you have your heart set on seeing a particular show within a narrow time frame (or even on a specific date), it’s best to book as far in advance as you can through the show’s official website. As with big concert tours with A-list music acts, the prime seats for top shows often sell out pretty quickly. And usually at full price, which can be as steep as Elphaba’s elevation above the stage while singing “Defying Gravity.” Expect to pay more for seats in the center of the orchestra section or the first rows of the mezzanine, depending on the layout of the theater. Many theaters also have stolen a page from airlines and use dynamic pricing to bump the cost of the most in-demand seats as they become scarcer.
It’s still possible to find bargains booking directly, especially if you can pick up a discount code from a site like theatermania.com or broadwaybox.com to apply at checkout on the show’s official ticketing site (often Ticketmaster or Telecharge). You can also go directly to the theater box office, where you can get firsthand tips on the best available seats in your price range and save on online service fees. Be sure to check the opening hours of the theater, which can vary. If you’re planning a trip with a large group of family or friends — 15 or more — you may also be eligible for discounts through group ticket pricing.
2. Timing matters
When tourists flock to New York in early summer or the holiday stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the demand for Broadway seats rises as well. And the chance of finding bargains plummets faster than the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera. But off-season periods like January-February and September see a notable dip in foot traffic and Times Square. As a result, theater owners and producers eager to fill their houses often turn to discounts. This is also when the industry sponsors events like Broadway Week and Kids’ Night on Broadway offering 2-for-1 ticket deals.
Shows in previews, performing before their official opening for critics, typically sell tickets at a discount. New shows are still working out kinks during this period so be prepared for some onstage hiccups. Actors may call for lines mid-scene (they’re sometimes getting updated script pages that they need to learn each day), and lighting cues and set changes may not be entirely smooth. Productions are typically “locked” — no new changes to the script or blocking — by the time critics arrive a few days before the official opening night. That’s also when ticket prices tend to tick up, even more so if the show proves to be a hit.
3. Line up for discounts in Duffy Square
The TKTS booth in the heart of Times Square has long been a destination for theatergoers on a budget, offering same-day tickets to matinee and evening shows for up to 50% off (next-day matinees are often on sale as well). Located just under the giant red staircase on the south side of 47th Street, with an uptown, indoors outpost at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium, TKTS is a boon for budget-minded visitors who are willing to be flexible. TDF, the nonprofit that’s run the TKTS booth for half a century, posts real-time updates of what shows are available on its app and website — but that doesn’t guarantee your first choice show will still be available by the time you reach the front of the line. Note: TDF charges an $8 fee per ticket, cheaper than many online brokers, and some Off Broadway shows are cash-only.
You’re unlikely to find the most popular shows on TKTS, even in slow periods like January. A good predictor of what will be on offer can be found in the box office charts published every Tuesday by The Broadway League. Shows that have fallen under 80% capacity frequently turn to TKTS and other discount services to fill up the remainder of their houses. (Another rule of thumb: The emptier the theater has been, the higher the discount.)
4. Hunt for bargains online
If braving the elements or waiting in line is not your thing, you can also seek out cheap seats online. Apps like TodayTix offer frequent ticket discounts on select shows, including some same-day bargains, though it’s worth checking prices against the show’s official website. Policies differ by show. Sometimes you can choose your exact seats; other times, you’re assigned seats within a chosen section of the theater. Your ticket format varies as well, from physical tickets you pick up at the theater’s will-call booth to bar-coded e-tickets sent directly to your phone.
Last-minute bargain hunters can also take try apps like Theatr, where folks resell tickets they purchased and can no longer use. Unlike many ticket resale sites, Theatr caps the resale price to the original cost of the ticket (or less) — including the service fee they charge to buyers. You can sometimes find tickets up to 30 minutes before curtain, though availability varies considerably. (Bad weather is often a good indicator that people may be looking to offload tickets.) Theatr has a sterling reputation, but beware many other resale sites and sidewalk scalpers selling counterfeits.
5. Take your chances with same-day rush
For true theater kids, same-day rush and lotteries are like the Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: elusive but oh so sweet when the stars and planets align. The idea began with the 1990s youthquake musical Rent, which set aside the first two rows of the orchestra section for $20 each, available on a first come, first serve basis to those who showed up each day to claim them.
Ever since, virtually every Broadway show has offered some version of deeply discounted same-day tickets. The rules governing these bargains differ, as do the prices, but they generally go for between $40 and $50 apiece (sometimes cheaper for students with ID) and limit you to a maximum of two tickets. Sites like Playbill help break down all the nitty-gritty rules for each production.
The priciest rush ticket is the “Ponyboy seat” at the Tony-winning musical The Outsiders, where the lead actor sits in the audience when the show opens before popping up on stage during the first number. For $79, you can claim this front row seat in the orchestra section seven minutes into the show. (You’ll stand in the back at first, and then an usher will escort you up.)
Sometimes, you need to show up in person at the theater and hope there will be enough rush seats that day to accommodate everybody in line when the box office opens (10 a.m. is standard, but check the show’s website for the correct time). Standing-room tickets can be on offer too, often the only option for sold-out productions if you’re willing to lean behind the last row of orchestra seats for the duration of a show. Several shows also allow you to “rush” without physically going to the theater, often through online apps like TodayTix or LuckySeat. Check each show’s website for details.
6. Do you feel lucky? Try the lottery
If you prefer a smidge more planning, many shows also run an online lottery for discount seats for the following day’s performance(s). Again, the number of seats and the rules around the drawing vary — and there are no guarantees that a pair of tickets will be seated together. Prices range from the bargain-basement $10 for Hamilton to $49 for long-running hits like Hadestown and MJ The Musical.
The drawing happens mid-afternoon the day before the show (3 p.m. is standard). And winners, notified via email, have a small window to complete their purchase through an online site/app like TodayTix or BroadwayDirect. One hour is typical. After that, your tickets go back in the hopper to be sold to somebody else.
7. Look outside Midtown
New York’s theater scene isn’t confined to the 41 official Broadway theaters that are eligible for the annual Tony Awards. Off Broadway and even smaller Off Off Broadway houses (including theaters across the East River in Brooklyn) mount some of the city’s best plays and musicals, at a much more reasonable price point.
The Public Theater’s summertime Shakespeare in the Park productions in Central Park’s open-air Delacorte Theatre are free, and you can snag them through five different locations/methods. Thanks to corporate sponsorships, several nonprofit theaters mount first-rate productions for prices that cost as much as a ticket to an IMAX movie at AMC Lincoln Square. Soho Rep, a theater that’s produced some of the most innovative work in the last decade (and is now in residence at 42nd Street just west of Times Square), charges $35 for most seats at its shows.
Off Broadway productions run the gamut from glossy, star-filled revivals of Broadway hits (Little Shop of Horrors, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) to more experimental or intellectually challenging fare. But there’s typically something for just about every taste: kids, magic-lovers, stand-up comedy fans, Shakespeare buffs. And Off Broadway shows offer a good chance to see both shows and performers in a more intimate setting before they hit Broadway (or your TV screen).