To see a West End show in London, should we purchase tickets in advance or take our chances once we arrive in London? If in advance, should we purchase directly from the theatre or use Ticket Master? If purchasing in London at the last minute, which are the best discount sites?
Posted by
59 posts
I would book directly from the theatre. Last year I looked at different booking sites and by far the BEST price and seats were from the theatre itself. (We saw Hamilton) A word of advice as well....have a look at where the seats are. Sometimes the front rows aren't great because your view may actually be partially blocked by the stage.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
6758 posts
I would not use ticketmaster; ticketmaster usually adds fees. Each theatre website will have a link to their online ticketing agent. You can purchase there without additional fees.
If you have your heart set on a particular show, then buy it now.
For a last minute discount, I usually check the TKTS website in the morning
https://officiallondontheatre.com/todays-tickets/
If you check TKTS in the mornings leading up to your trip, you will get an idea of what shows might be available at a discount. The more popular shows are often full price so if you want to see one of those shows you will have a wider selection of seats if you buy in advance and from the theatre box office site.
If you want info on seating plans, theatremonkey has seat plans for each theatre with seat reviews. Theatremonkey also has links to the theatre websites.
https://www.theatremonkey.com/
Posted by
USA
638 posts
I bought in advance from the theatres we were using. Some quite a bit in advance (end of November for end of May tickets) but I wanted good seats.
Posted by
Portland, OR
230 posts
Yes, Theatre Monkey is a great site to use. We used it to purchase tickets to Witness for the Prosecution, which was a really fun play to see, and we even sat in the jury box and interacted with the actors.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7588 posts
I usually have a look through Theatre Monkey to see what will be on while we are in London. Once I've settled on what I want to see, I use their site to pick the sections I would prefer to sit in. But I use the theatre's official website to book. Some years we will just use TKTS, picking whatever piques our interest from what is on offer that day. Other years, like this year, we book plays that we REALLY, REALLY want to see months in advance. We booked last month for 2 plays in early November. One of them had limited availability already¡ (because of the stars and a limited run)
Posted by
FL USA
1672 posts
With great success we have been purchasing from the theater on the morning of the show. The engagement with the ticket staff has lead us to ask for their recommendations on seating and our trust has been well rewarded. Pricing is excellent and without fees.