Tips & Tricks for Broadway Tix
Back in 2019, I wrote an article for Medium called “Broke on Broadway” where I shared all of my tips at the time for seeing Broadway shows at cheap-ish prices. Now that Broadway has closed for almost a year and opened back up, I’ve gotten more experienced with how I get tickets to shows. I started this piece in July 2022 and am finally posting in November 2022 (with my first reopening show being in September 2021), so this has been a work in progress. Some of these suggestions you may recognize from the blog post from above, others are new to this page. If you want to read more personal stories and or details on some of these items, feel free to read the original BoB post. With all that being said, let’s get into it!
My favorite way to see discounted shows. I don’t believe digital rush was a thing pre-pandemic, but now, there are options for digital rush and in person rush. Digital rush is when, typically through the TodayTix app, you are able to purchase discounted tickets to certain shows online the day of the performance. Prices vary. Most tickets go on sale at 9am or 10am and you can even get notifications for when they go on sale. You need to unlock these tickets through the app before you can buy them. The app will recommend sharing through Facebook, twitter, or Instagram stories, but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Depending on how popular the show is, some tickets will sell out immediately and sometimes tickets will still be available several hours later. For example, I saw the Kite Runner for the second time about a week before it closed. Digital rush for this show became available at 9am. At 9:00 on the dot, every time I would hit “buy tickets” I would get a notification that tickets were being held for others. I hit “buy tickets” every second for about 2 minutes until the payment finally went through. We sat in the front row that night and a couple of cast members recognized us when we stage doored. Two of them, including the actor who played Hassan, remembered me from the last time I did stage door… but that’s another story.
I talked in detail in BoB about in person rush, including what it is and what times to arrive (short answer: timing depends on a lot of variables), but I never made a list of things to bring, so here it is:
-A backpack
-Something to sit on (a blanket or sheet will do well). I’ve done a lawn chair but then you have to carry it around all day and it’s much easier to shove a small blanket in your backpack. Additionally, a chair might be annoying because you’ll either have to check it in at coat check (typically $3 per item) or stage door if the theater does not have coat check
-Dress appropriately for the time of year. If it’s cold, bring an extra sweater
-Something to keep yourself entertained that isn’t your phone, such as playing cards, especially if you’re going with friends. If you’re by yourself, consider a book. You don’t want to use up too much of your phone’s battery if you’re spending the day in the city.
-A portable/regular charger
-Water / coffee / snacks / breakfast
Etiquette
DO
-Be friendly! Since this is kind of a niche thing, you’ll be able to meet people who are also into theater and/or work in the industry
DON’T
-Have a friend hold your spot for more than 15 minutes while you take a break
-Have a friend hold your spot while you sleep in
-Be too noisy. It’s pretty early, some people might not be as excited to be there as you are
Shows either do in person or digital rush, not both. It’s also important to note that the amount of tickets sold is up to the discretion of the box office, so tickets are never guaranteed.
This is the same link as rush and SRO (below), but I wanted to give it its own description. Essentially, you enter an online drawing before the show (different shows have different entry times) and if you win, you win the chance to purchase severely discounted tickets. I’ve seen Hamilton three times because of this in the first or second row. Tickets are given at the box office. Again, the specific details depend on the show and they can be found in the link above.
Up to the discretion of the box office and generally only for sold out shows. The link lists all of the ones that are confirmed, but sometimes you can get lucky by…
Asking the box office
It’s my understanding that most box offices don’t have a specific phone number for you to call, but you can try your luck at physically walking to the theater where your desired show is and asking what they have available. A few months ago, about an hour before the show, I went up to the Brooks Atkinson (now Lena Horne) box office (where Six currently is) and asked what their cheapest ticket was. There were $49 standing room seats, even though all of the apps said tickets were $120+ for much worse seats. (Side note: I know it’s on the website now but it wasn’t at the time of this story) The box office is not just available for standing room, they may also have rush tickets available later in the day or just generally have better deals for seats throughout the theater. You can ask about shows in advance or the day of.
You pay $40 a year and they have discounted shows that change day to day, although you will often see the same shows multiple weeks in a row listed on the site. For me this one wasn’t worth it. There are cheaper ways to see pretty much all of the shows listed. The only time I did use it (as they did not often have shows I would be interested in for the prices available) I saw POTUS and Paradise Square. Both were about $60 for an orchestra seat, which is not a bad deal by any means. However, they’re very clear in their terms of service that your seat can be anywhere in the theater, so orchestra is not guaranteed.
Sites to Avoid
Broadway.com
-Tons of unnecessary fees
Playbill.com
-Tons of unnecessary fees
TicketMaster
-Tons of unnecessary fees
-Sometimes this one is unavoidable, but if you can, go to the box office instead. Even if TicketMaster appears to have the best value for a ticket, the box office has the same inventory without the fees
-People are typically surprised when I say I don’t like this one. You can check the available options online but you can only purchase tickets in person at one of their two locations, one being the iconic Red Steps in Times Square. I don’t recommend this one at all, as it’s one of those places that doubles the price, divides the price in half and then says that the tickets are 50% off. It’s owned by the same people that own TDF
BroadwayRoulette
-You pay for a ticket to a show in advance and there is a list of shows you could potentially see. You cross off a bunch that you do not want to see. You find out what show you’ve won tickets to on the day of the performance.
-I was really excited to try this one out, and I’m really bummed to put it on the “avoid” list. I bought two tickets for a mystery show a couple of months in advance. We paid roughly $70 each for our tickets. I would have crossed the show American Buffalo off of my list because they had digital rush available for $35. That was the show we ended up winning. I looked back and at my time of purchase (I had sent screenshots to the person I saw the show with, asking what shows he wanted to cross off), and AB was not an option. There was no phone number to call and when I finally was able to contact them via email, BroadwayRoulette tried gaslighting me into believing that I agreed to see this show because I said I would be willing to see a play. I am incredibly disappointed.
My favorite apps to buy tickets on
I found these because I wanted to start purchasing tickets in advance.
-Digital rush + lotteries
-Will occasionally sell tickets with no fees
-A lot of times will be the best price option, although they will be back mezzanine or balcony. Sometimes if you’re in the right place at the right time, you can find cheaper tickets with better seats. For instance, I recently saw & Juliet for $60 including fees in the orchestra buying my ticket through this app
-Decent prices if you’re in the right place at the right time. I bought tickets to the Funny Girl in previews for $40 including fees and I have not seen a price that low since. This was when Beanie was still in the show
-I have my filter set so that all prices include fees so I know how much I’m ACTUALLY paying, which is appreciated
-Bonus: incredibly understanding. I had to cancel at the height of omicron because one of the people in my party didn’t feel comfortable going to a packed theater and they were like “we understand, here’s your money back”
-No fees, decent prices too. I’ve seen many hockey games and a comedy show for pretty cheap through this app
-Con: not very understanding about refunds, so make sure you can definitely definitely make your event
Hope this helps! Good luck with your Broadway endeavors, and feel free to reach out to me personally if you use this as a reference in the future or have any questions :)
