My D, her friend and I are going to NYC in May to celebrate our birthdays. We are going to see Hamilton (I hope) on Sat. We are arriving Friday afternoon and going home on Sunday. I think we’ll have time to catch one more show Friday night. I have not spent a lot of time in NYC- too many people… but have seen the ticket people (scalpers?) trying to get you to go to a show. I’m looking for recommendations for a show for us to see Friday- was thinking about Wicked or School of Rock but also looked at the prices and whoa…
Can anyone offer advice how best to go about getting tickets for shows?
TKTS booths… you can check their website every day to see what’s on sale.
I am meeting D in June to see Hamilton and I am already studying which shows are typically available at TKTS on the days of the week we’ll be there. I’ve heard incredible things about Matilda - that the show in NYC is hands down better than the touring production, only because of all the special effects they can pull off in a permanent theater. We are actually going to see it tomorrow here in Chicago and if it’s as good as I hope, I’m hoping to then see it in NYC.
http://www.playbill.com/
You can create a login, and then get coupon codes for a lot of productions that you can use online in advance or at the show’s box office itself once you get to NYC.
We got discount tickets for Phantom at the theater when we were in NYC. It was good but we were very annoyed by people around us who talked thru the 1st act and wouldn’t shush–tourists who left at intermission!
My SisIL got TKTS seats for quite a few shows–Kinky Boots, King & I and others. Even discounted seats are a lot more than in our state, so yes be prepared for the prices.
So how are people getting tickets for Hamilton? Did you get them months ago? My sister and her son entered the Hamilton “lottery” when they were in NYC but didn’t win tickets.
You can also try broadway box dot com, if you do not want to dedicate your vacation time to standing in line. Discounts will not be as good as TKTS booth, and no discounts on Hamilton and the like. I see Matilda listed here.
If you don’t care about the price too much…and you don’t all need to sit together, you might be able to,get tickets right at the box office for a show when it opens. We have done that.
We went to Matilda last summer… kids were 18, 13, and 10 at the time and they all loved it. Wicked is a really fun show, too (I’ve seen it with the touring cast in SF but not actually on Broadway).
We do not (currently) have tickets for Hamilton but I have paid a deposit to the Same Ole Line Dudes (SOLD, LLC) to stand in line for us at the theater in order to get “cancellation tickets”. They have a 95% success rate on getting Hamilton tickets, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Of course, if nobody cancels on the day we will be there, we are out the cost of the line dudes. Considering scalpers tickets are going for $700+ per ticket (obstructed view seats/nosebleed section), and you never know if you are getting ‘real’ tickets…If the the line dudes are successful, we’ll have ended up paying about $450 for each ticket (including the line dudes fees). On the plus side, the cancelled tickets are usually in the Orchestra section. I’m keeping positive thoughts and trying not to think about the ticket costs, but D and I are buying each other’s tickets since her BD is on Friday and mine is on Monday…that helps the sting (a little).
Plus, what little I saw of the show (from the Grammy’s) really hooked me. It looks like a great show.
My D got “cancellation tickets” for Hamilton on-line a day before. They cost her $400 per ticket. She said the show was worth the hype. Plus she wanted to see the original cast including her childhood friend and dance colleague( since age 5), Carleigh, who is in the chorus and, of course, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
D got in contact with Carleigh to ask if she had tickets. And she said she could get standing only tickets. D said no thanks and waited until she could get seats.
All the shows mentioned by the other posters are great choices. Jersey Boys is also great. If you could get Book of Morman, you would be lucky.
We just saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. Not a musical, but it’s fabulous. We were able to get orchestra seats on the side the day before the show.
We usually use TKTS, with good results. I would recommend Kinky Boots, Matilda, and The Curious Incident. Very jealous of tickets to Hamilton. We plan on being first in line when it opens in London.
We’re seeing Book of Mormon next month. My mom bought tickets for a girls day with me, my sister, and my daughter. They were able to buy them in December; not sure what she paid. (really hope it wasn’t over sticker price!).
@ChuckleDoodle Depending what type of shows you and your group like, here are some shows that I would highly recommend.
Beautiful
Fun Home
On Your Feet
Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots are also both fun shows
I haven’t seen the following ones but have several friends, whose opinions I respect (and who are knowledgable about theatre) who have seen them and loved the shows.
Something Rotten
She Loves Me
Bright Star
It’s hard to choose shows for someone you don’t know. It could be that they like the big traditional musicals like Phantom or Les Mis, or that they are more theatre savvy/knowledgable and would appreciate something a little different.