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My former colleagues at another university in Middle East have also been moved to online teaching indefinitely, with the students…
6 responses to “The best way to get a good price on London theater tickets is…”
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The London Mayor every now and again offers subsidized tickets for West End theatre. There are no subsidized tickets currently available, but a new round of subsidized tickets will be offered from 5th January 2006. See http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/getintolondontheatre
When I can, I buy my tickets direct from the theatre (no ticket agent fee). However, some special seats are reserved for certain ticket agents. Indeed, some theatres now only sell tickets through ticket agents. The best one, in my judgement, is http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/ – I’ve never had a problem with them and they often have the best seats in the house available to buy.
Never buy tickets from those ticket stalls planted around Leicester Square; their commissions are often exorbitant.
May I recommend two theatres?
First, the Donmar Warehouse: intimate theatre, and the best seats in the house are very reasonably priced. The Donmar is currently running a play called ‘the God of Hell’, a dark comedy about ‘the face of modern Republicanism as totalitarian corporation, buying up America and accountable to no one’ (Metro). In light of your political leanings you might find this play of interest! Their website is http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/
Second, the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park is a must. All seats enjoy splendid views. Very reasonably priced. Forget the matinee performances; the real magic of the Open Air Theatre is the evening performances where over a glass of wine the sun sets and the stage gradually illuminates (ideal for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night's Dream). Unfortunately, however, their 2006 programme doesn’t start until the summer.
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Go to the Half Price Theatre Ticket Booth in Leicester Square. See http://home.clara.net/rap/half/. Some shows aren't available (usually the blockbusters); and some are discounted by less than one-half. But there's usually something worth seeing at a good price, particularly if you're willing to take a risk on something that isn't a blockbuster.
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I too have had good luck with the Half Price Theatre Ticket Booth in Leicester Square. The really hot shows are sold out weeks and months in advance, but, as in many things, the best quality is usually not found in the shows with mass appeal.
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RE: Half Price Theatre Ticket Booth.
My experience is that the tickets tend to be for the worst seats in the most expensive sections. It's usually a good deal, but not much of a money saver.
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While I was there way back in '96-7 as a grad student, I had good luck with the Half Price Theatre Ticket Booth as well. During the non-tourist season I found they had tickets to most of the major shows as well as the smaller ones. I also discovered that many theatres release any remaining unclaimed reserved tickets about 20 minutes before showtime. The problem is you never know how many, if any, there will be. You just have to show up to the theatre and ask if they have any 'last minute' tickets available, and be prepared to walk away if there aren't any. I once got to sit on the stage as part of the coliseum audience in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' by doing this, but also got turned away from a couple of other shows as well.
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In my dismissal of the ticket stalls around Leicester Square I hope I didn’t give the impression that that included the Half Price Ticket Booth in Leicester Square. I’ve heard good things about the Booth. Since they sell unsold tickets you never know what they have until you get there; sometimes they have really good seats at bargain prices. If the queue is short its certainly worth just popping by and seeing what’s currently available.
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