How to get cheap(ish) theatre tickets

[Maharani]

They're so expensive aren't they? My MIL wants to go see the Carole King musical so I said I'd take her. I don't especially like musicals but I do especially love Carole King.

Someone I know said to go on the day we want to watch the performace to the little booths around Leicester Square and we might get a good deal.

Do you Urbs have any tips?

I just spent £50 to see Izzard and he really wasn't all that. Hoping this performance will be different.

 

[Virtual Blue]

I use Ebay or go directly to the venue.
No guarantees and I tend to check a show on a monthly basis.

 

[Pickman's model]

get someone to open the fire escape for you

 

[Reno]

No use in this particular case, but I tend to stay away from overpriced West End shows and I stick to smaller London theaters like The Arcola, The Donmar, The Menier Chocolate Factory, The Southwark Playhouse, The Lyric, The Young Vic and several more. Seen fantastic productions which often transfer to the West End or Broadway later on and tickets can be had for anything between 10 to 40 pounds if you book early. Subscribe to their mailing lists and see what they've got coming up and read early reviews. Another bonus is that the auditoriums are small/intimate and you are really close to the actors. It just takes a little planning and research.

Going to see Funny Girl at The Menier Chocolate Factory tonight for 35 pounds. It got rave reviews, it will transfer to the West End where tickets will be three times that and I will be in the first row, inches away from Sheridan Smith. Booked last August because I knew it would sell out fast.

I've got a subscription with The Southwark Playhouse who put on fantastic shows. It costs 60 pounds and you can go and see 5 shows there, which means 12 quid for a ticket. The next thing I'm seeing there is an all women production of Cyrano de Bergerac with Katryn Hunter (Theatre de Complicite, the Harry Potter films) who I'd go and see read the phone book, she's that great.

 

[blossie33]

I don't go to West End theatres but I have a colleague who regularly does - I believe you can often get cheap last minute tickets from the Box Office on the night.

There are also ticket booths in central London - I know there's one at the side of the Portrait Gallery.
Or try website like lastminute.com/theatre

 

[Cid]

For comedians it's worth keeping an eye on the Leicester Square Theatre... They'll often run early versions of planned tours there. Means less polished routines, but it has a good atmosphere and tickets are more around £15 than £50.

 

[spanglechick]

Forget the booths around Leicester Square - those are agencies working at a profit. I think you may be mixed up with the tkts booth which is a freestanding building actually in the square, on the edge of the garden. That's the authorised venue for unsold tickets for that day's shows. It gets queues, so get there early, but there are no guarantees that your show will be available and it's only on the day. It's better for situations where you're in the west end at around 11am, and think "ooh, I fancy the theatre tonight, I wonder what's available".

If you like theatre, the National has a couple of shows each season sponsored by Travelex, which makes top price seats £12. The quality is reliable at the National, but those seats sell fast, so sign up to the mailing list.

A few shows are cheaper in the week than weekends. The big musicals are big money but... Well, theatre is expensive to stage. Musicals have big casts, tech teams, orchestras, theatres are expensive to run, (especially in the west end), the writer gets a big cut of every ticket sold. Non musicals are generally a fair bit cheaper, especially at the big producing houses outside the west end (Young Vic, Old Vic, National, Royal Court, Albany...) where you're looking at something like £40 as an absolute max, as opposed to over £100 per ticket for a top-price Saturday night seat for The Book of Mormon.

 

[sparkybird]

Save up to 40% on London shows until 13 February

We're just on the tail end of this, but each year Jan to mid Feb, this has a lot of good theatre at reduced prices. I've just come back from Hangmen at the Wyndham great seats for £30

 

[Cm7]

I pretend to be a student and get student discounts on theatres and concert tickets.
Get an ISIC id card. Show at the door if they check.

 

[wtfftw]

Save up to 40% on London shows until 13 February

We're just on the tail end of this, but each year Jan to mid Feb, this has a lot of good theatre at reduced prices. I've just come back from Hangmen at the Wyndham great seats for £30

Thanks for that. I've now seen Wicked.

 

[Reno]

...and I'm going to see In the Heights on Friday on that deal.

 

[sparkybird]

Thanks for that. I've now seen Wicked.

He, he - so cheesy, but great fun "Defying Graviteeeee"