For the past few days I have been researching current Broadway shows in preparation for what could be my first visit to New York in more than four years. I am thrilled at the prospect of heading back to the Big Apple and especially overjoyed that I could soon be sitting in one of the city’s famous theaters taking in a Tony Award-winning musical.
Now, if I could only come up with the money I would be in business. When Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein opened on Broadway last year, the top price of a ticket reached $450 for the first time ever. (I could never afford forking over that amount of money for a single seat.) And while that was an extreme case, I know it’s difficult to find a seat at a popular Broadway show for less than $100 nowadays.
If you are looking for a way to save on seats you could consider the following options:
Get in line at a TKTS Discount Booth on the day you want to see a performance. Doing so will help you save up to 50% on a variety of shows. But take note: The Times Square location only sells tickets the day before for matinees. You will have better luck at the South St. Seaport location where the lines are a lot shorter.
Another option is to sign up for the free discount ticket listings at www.theatermania.com and www.playbill.com, which offer savings on advance ticket purchases for select Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
Otherwise, you will simply have to buy tickets as far in advance as possible (and be prepared to spend top-dollar). If your show’s sold out, check out the online ticket brokers such as www.stubhub.com, where people sell extra seats or re-sell ones they won’t be using.
The following shows are ones that I am looking to get tickets for:
Mary Poppins. Disney’s famous nanny comes to the stage after her great success on the big screen.
Monty Python’s Spamalot. This musical was inspired by that demented film comedy, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
Rent. This is Jonathan Larson’s touching and now nostalgic look at struggling artists in New York’s East Village, which I have always wanted to see on Broadway. It is loosely based on Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” and closes on June 1st.
The Lion King. It is very difficult to get tickets to this award-winning show on weekends. Still, the stage version of the Disney animated hit is worth seeing any day of the week.
The Little Mermaid. Disney’s stage version of its popular animated film about a sea maiden who longs to live on land is one my daughter would love to see.
The Phantom of the Opera. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is now the longest running show in Broadway history.
Wicked. This is an ambitious and extremely popular musical about the witches in The Wizard of Oz as young women. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.
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