Broadway with Me

Broadway can be (and so very often really is) super expensive. Ain’t no one got that kind of money. I do my best to get my tickets as cheap as possible, especially since due to a bad knee, I prefer to sit in the orchestra. Not always possible for cheap I’m afraid. Below are some of my fave methods of getting cheap tickets for Broadway shows. There’s a few others out there but these are the ones I find myself returning to.

As a reminder all the below methods usually have a limit of 2 tickets per person. For larger groups (like 10+) there’s usually a box office discount if you contact them.

• IN-PERSON RUSHING

Who doesn’t love getting up at 7am to stand in line on the cold NYC sidewalk waiting for the box office to open at 10am hoping for some cheap tickets? Rushing a show is one of the tried and true ways to get tickets typically under $50 for a show. The main thing to keep in mind when it comes to rushing is the get there with plenty of time. Rush tickets are limited. And the more popular the show, the earlier you have to get there. Rush lines for The Outsiders famously wrap around the block by 8am. If you’re lucky to get to the box office, the lovely box office personnel will tell you what seats are available for your rush purchase. This really isn’t up for debate and it’s up to the discretion of the theater. Rush tickets have an array of seats, some better than others, but it’s still pretty good way to get into that theater for cheap.

Make sure to check on each individual show’s rush policy before leaving, not all have in-person rush each day!

• ONLINE RUSH

What’s easier than in-person rushing? Online rushing! But not every show has an online rush. In fact, few do. For those that do, it’s much more convenient.

Online Rush exists either on Telecharge or TodayTix.

For Telecharge rushes, you have a pretty decent shot at getting them. It’s a little less intense over there than on TodayTix. Starting at 11am on the day of the performance you want to attend, head over to the site and select the show you want to rush. I’d advise having the website open by 10:55am to ensure you’re ready to click the button at exactly 11am. If you’re lucky then you get a great deal (about $50 and under) on the tickets.

TodayTix online rush is a different thing all together. This is the Hunger Games. This is the Olympics. I have only been successful on getting an online rush from TodayTix 1 time over a 2 year period. At 9am exactly, the rush goes live and may the odds be ever in your favor to get them. This is realistically due to the fact that some of the most popular shows use TodayTix for rush, like Cabaret and Sunset Blvd. You can set up alerts per show on the app so that TodayTix can notify you at 8:57am that the rush is going live soon. By 8:59am I advise you already have the page open and have clicked on get rush. You’ll see a little pop-up counting down the final minute. When you have about 20 seconds left, I would say start clicking rapidly over the counting number cuz there is where you’ll get the number of tickets left you want to buy. Click more on the left side for 1 ticket, and more on the right side for 2 tickets. Hopefully your rapid clicking will click the tickets for you the moment it’s an option. Then you can click continue and pray you get a ticket for the show. Does this all seem a little excessive? Yes. But it’s my recommended strategy to beat TodayTix.

• LAST MINUTE RUSH

This is by far my most used cheap ticket method. However, it’s not a guarantee and tickets are usually a little more expensive this way. You can get a $200 seat for $90 instead, so it’s a great deal, but it’s still $90. Sometimes, the performance is sold out.

The key to this method is timing. About a hour or less to curtain, just walk right into the box office of your desired show and ask for the cheapest seat for that evening’s (or afternoon’s) performance. The theater is desperate to put butts in seats so they begin giving tickets at a lower cost. This works best as 1 person, they can just sit you anywhere. Like normal rush, the seat choice is whatever they have left. I personally love this method. I’ve gotten front row orchestra for $39 in the past using this method. I’ve also gotten back of the balcony for $39. It’s a gamble but you can get a cheap seat and you’re only a few minutes away from curtain.

• THEATR APP

A more recent method but I love the Theatr App! It’s a resale site where the theater community can buy and sell their unused tickets. Typically for cheaper than they bought them for. Unlike other resale sites, Theatr forbids the seller from charging more than they paid for the ticket, so no price gauging here. The seller also has to submit photo proof of what they paid for the ticket. I’ve been both buyer and seller on the app and it’s pretty seamless.

A downside to be aware of for Theatr, there’s no guarantee the show you want on the day you want for the price you want will be available. It’s really up to what tickets people happen to be reselling. What I typically do is set up an alert for tickets under $100 for specific shows. Then if it’s a good price and a day I’m available, I can grab it.

You also have no control over where you sit on Theatr. But that’s pretty much true for most of the methods on this page. The best part of Theatr is that I’ve noticed people tend to significantly discount (or even make free!) their tickets the closer to showtime it gets. So might be a great back up plan if last minute rush isn’t working out…

• ONLINE LOTTERY

Probably the most known way to get cheaper tickets. Online lottery is usually $70 or less and even though it could be any seat in the theater, I’ve never been anywhere but orchestra from a lotto. There’s some shows that reserve certain parts of the orchestra just for lotto. I’ve had great luck with online lottos and they’re really easy to enter. You just go to the site for your show the day before the performance (typically before 3pm) and enter. Then keep your eye on your emails for your results notification!

Use Broadway Direct lotto page for all Nederlander Organization owned shows

Use Telecharge lotto page for all Shubert Organization owned shows

Use Lucky Seat for all Jujamcyn Theaters owned shows

The TodayTix lotto sorta picks up anyone who doesn’t have a lotto on the other pages.

Remember to check the show you want to go to for a lottery. Most shows take a little while to get their lotto going.

• HIPTIX – Roundabout Shows ONLY

For shows produced by the Roundabout Theater Company, they have their HipTix program. This means anyone 18-40 can get $30 tickets to all Broadway and Off-Broadway shows by the Roundabout. It’s a limit of 2 and the second person can be of any age. Only the purchaser has to be under 40. All you have to do is sign up for the free program, verify your age and then you’re good to go! A perk of this program is you can actually pick your seats. It’s a more limited selection, but you can enter the seat map and pick what works best for you, anywhere in the theater. I love using this!

• THEATRE DEVELOPMENT FUND (TDF)

TDF is a great resource for many people. If you are eligible for membership, you get some great discounts on a lot of shows. If not, you can always visit their TKTS booth in Times Square (under the red staircase) for up to 50% off tickets. TDF also provides amazing accessibility services. I’m not a member myself yet but I love all they do over there.