Broadway tickets are getting more expensive. Here's how to get a discount.
NEW YORK - The lights on Broadway are shining bright, but getting a ticket to a popular show can be out of reach for some theater fans.
The average ticket price last week was $136, according to The Broadway League. There are, however, discounts available, and lower-priced theater options.
It was still worth it stand in line at the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square in Tuesday's pouring rain, said Krisel Manglapus, who was looking to score a Broadway show discount.
"Well, it is certainly expensive, and if there's a chance I can get discounted tickets, that's why I'm here. I'll take it," Manglapus said.
A single, full-price orchestra seat at a popular Broadway show can cost several hundred dollars, but at the TKTS booth, you can find affordable options for both on Broadway, and off, with a wider variety of high-quality, lower cost community and regional theater offerings.
"We always want to offer something to our community," said Kayode Soyemi of the Billie Holiday Theatre in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Rehearsal there is underway and the stage nearly set for a revival of the Lynn Nottage play "Fabulation." Opening night is April 18th.
"We have some stars in the show 'Fabulation.' Some of them have been on Broadway - 'Ain't No Mo' and 'Into The Woods' - and they're here at off-Broadway theater because they want to serve the community," Soyemi said.
Also underway is the 20 at 20 Program, sponsored by the Off-Broadway Alliance. It runs through April 24.
"You get a $20 tickets if you show 20 minutes before curtain for a period of 20 days," Off-Broadway Alliance President Peter Breger said. "'Gazillion Bubble Show' is doing it. "The Player That Went Wrong' is doing it. There's a wide range."
The seat prices for Broadway shows mirror what is going on in the sports and concert worlds. It's a case of supply and demand, and a ticketing process that allows for sudden fluctuations in price - unlike the old days when tickets had to be printed way in advance.
To find the best possible price:
- Seek out summer theater, some of which is free in parks all over the city
- Any time of year, look for shows offering ticket lotteries - often a 50 percent off deal
- Favorable group rates apply for a party of ten and more.
- For some shows deep discounts are set aside for students and seniors.
- Head to the box office in person, ask if a discount code is available. Haggling there might work. At the very least, you'll avoid pricey ticket handling fees.
