Free Theatre/Concert Tickets Discussion Thread

[scootermcc]

Mum, kids and I are going down to London next weekend for three days........I am armed to the hilt with vouchers!! We're gonna do the usual sight-seeing stuff like the London Eye, Madam Tussauds ect. I have audience tickets for a tv prog on the sunday, just for something to do! lol I also have 50quid in theatre tokens and I reallllyyyyy would like to see Les Mis or Wicked! But the latter is coming to Edinburgh in November so we can maybe wait til then. What are our chances of getting tickets from the tkts booth to see Les Mis?

Wicked does great day tickets at £15 on the very front row. I b*ght them for a Wednesday matinee and by the time the show started they were still some available. It is a chance you take and if it's a school holiday I would imagine that they would go fast. You are allowed only two tickets per person.

[chelle1973]

Don't forget the 2 for 1 offers on some things if you are coming down by train: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

Thanks beate, got a lot of them in hand already including food and drink vouchers lol

Mum, kids and I are going down to London next weekend for three days........I am armed to the hilt with vouchers!! We're gonna do the usual sight-seeing stuff like the London Eye, Madam Tussauds ect. I have audience tickets for a tv prog on the sunday, just for something to do! lol I also have 50quid in theatre tokens and I reallllyyyyy would like to see Les Mis or Wicked! But the latter is coming to Edinburgh in November so we can maybe wait til then. What are our chances of getting tickets from the tkts booth to see Les Mis?

Wicked does great day tickets at £15 on the very front row. I b*ght them for a Wednesday matinee and by the time the show started they were still some available. It is a chance you take and if it's a school holiday I would imagine that they would go fast. You are allowed only two tickets per person.

Wow! Great price if you can get it eh? When the show does come to Edinburgh it will likely cost me at least 100quid for 4 tickets!!

I'll disown my mum and one of the kids in the queue....lol

[scootermcc]

Don't forget the 2 for 1 offers on some things if you are coming down by train: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

Thanks beate, got a lot of them in hand already including food and drink vouchers lol

Mum, kids and I are going down to London next weekend for three days........I am armed to the hilt with vouchers!! We're gonna do the usual sight-seeing stuff like the London Eye, Madam Tussauds ect. I have audience tickets for a tv prog on the sunday, just for something to do! lol I also have 50quid in theatre tokens and I reallllyyyyy would like to see Les Mis or Wicked! But the latter is coming to Edinburgh in November so we can maybe wait til then. What are our chances of getting tickets from the tkts booth to see Les Mis?

Wicked does great day tickets at £15 on the very front row. I b*ght them for a Wednesday matinee and by the time the show started they were still some available. It is a chance you take and if it's a school holiday I would imagine that they would go fast. You are allowed only two tickets per person.

Wow! Great price if you can get it eh? When the show does come to Edinburgh it will likely cost me at least 100quid for 4 tickets!!

I'll disown my mum and one of the kids in the queue....lol

£100 plus the rest

[Ms Thrifty]

I don't think the TKTS booth in Leicester Square is either very good value or very popular now. They quietly dropped (I don't know when) the claim to be half-price; I would say the discount is now more like a third or a quarter, but the service charge goes on top. You can see the prices from their site, as others have said, and that in some cases - for very popular shows - they actually charge MORE than the venue itself because of adding the fee. There used to be long queues but even allowing for the winter weather, at most you now see just a handful of people outside. But yes, if you do use an agent at all, use this one as it's legitimate.

[mupton]

I don't think the TKTS booth in Leicester Square is either very good value or very popular now. They quietly dropped (I don't know when) the claim to be half-price; I would say the discount is now more like a third or a quarter, but the service charge goes on top. You can see the prices from their site, as others have said, and that in some cases - for very popular shows - they actually charge MORE than the venue itself because of adding the fee. There used to be long queues but even allowing for the winter weather, at most you now see just a handful of people outside. But yes, if you do use an agent at all, use this one as it's legitimate.

The industry has changed now. When the half price ticket booth first came to be, in the 80s, the trade association behind it was not allowed by the theatres to promote it. (I did a school project on it) and it was the only avenue for discounts. The theatres were very fearful of discounting at the time. Now discounting has taken root, though many forms and platforms and so has the internet (obviously). Personally would rather p*y a few pounds more on a discounted ticket and secure my ticket in advance. I find sites like theatre monkey helpful as all the discounts are listed in one place.

[Ms Thrifty]

I too would far rather book in advance and usually do, whether I am going to a provincial, a fringe or a mainstream theatre (such as those for which TKTS sells seats) and agree that sites like Theatremonkey are invaluable. I don't however think that any single site can be relied on to display all the discounted options; the industry is probably just too fast-moving for that. Theatremonkey is one of the best; sometimes Bargaintheatreland is good but I suspect the best, short-lived offers come and go on Twitter now.

[canadian_turtle]

Theatremonkey is one of the best; sometimes Bargaintheatreland is good but I suspect the best, short-lived offers come and go on Twitter now.

Indeed. I follow a lot of theatres, ticket sellers and reviewers and the best deals are the ones I find when I happen to glance at Twitter at the right time. Need to be flexible for those though as they're often very last minute.

[chelle1973]

Theatremonkey is one of the best; sometimes Bargaintheatreland is good but I suspect the best, short-lived offers come and go on Twitter now.

Indeed. I follow a lot of theatres, ticket sellers and reviewers and the best deals are the ones I find when I happen to glance at Twitter at the right time. Need to be flexible for those though as they're often very last minute.

Ahh I need to be following the right people then.

[June]

Has anyone seen "Charley & The Chocolate Factory" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane?
Does anyone know of any current good deals for reasonable seats please?

[canadian_turtle]

Yes, I loved it!

No offers at all for as far as I'm aware but if you b*y a cheap seat for a weekday (Mon - Thurs) you're very likely to be upgraded as they often close the balcony at these quieter times. It's not guaranteed though, so it's a risk you take.