Theatre tickets ahead?

I cannot comment on whether there's any risk the tour itinerary will change, but I can tell you that it's common for plays to sell out on individual nights. Even if they do not, there may be only poor seats left. If a particular play is really important to you, do not wait too late to buy the tickets.

I like to read about the theatres I'm planning to attend on theatremonkey.com, because each has its own quirks. I don't want to be staring at the actors' ankles.

If the performances are selling out, definitely get tix ahead of time. Last Best of London tour, some tour members bought advance tix for the Lion King. I bought my tickets day of show and got better seats and paid less. Maybe it was luck!

Les Miserables is one of the longest running theatre productions in London.

As of December of 2019 it’s playing at the Sondheim Theatre ( was the Queen’s Theatre.) Read this:
https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/sondheim-theatre

I waited to get my ticket to Witness to The Prosecution and got a stellar seat. Not cheap but that wasn’t the point. It was also in December.

Only you can make the decision about whether to wait or not to get your tickets.

If you have your heart set on a particular show then it is always good to book in advance. You will have a better choice of seats and be guaranteed to see your first choice.

That being said, if you won’t be too disappointed if Les Miz is not available, there will be many other choices if you wait. I often keep an eye on the TKTS site to see whether the shows I want to see are likely to be available at a discount.

https://officiallondontheatre.com/tkts/

There’s a couple things to consider.

1. Rick Steves tours are fairly tiring. Buying tickets in advance means you’re going or else eating the cost of the tickets. It’s a fairly long show as well although it is excellent.

2. You might be able to organize a theatre night out with other tour members which could be fun. There’s always something at the TKTS booth. On the other hand, you’d have to see if the tour schedule gives you time to go to the booth in Trafalgar Square. No idea if the tour guide has access to any specials. There are discount websites to get tickets from as well.

If you know you want a specific show on a specific day, I ‘d buy ahead and eliminate one piece of stress. I laughed at the suggestion that you might find yourself too tired to go to a West End Show. That sort of tired doesn’t exist for most people.

Les Miz does appear in the current tkts listing for discounts on most weekdays, but only at 36%.

I would not assume that, because a show like Les Miz is discounted in February, it will also be discounted during the summer. Cindy, what time of year is your trip?

I will be there the 1st week of June.

My recent trips to London have been in August and September. I've seen shows with tickets available suddenly be sold out for several days just a day or two later. I think a lot of tourists do arrive in London with a vague plan to see a show and buy a ticket on the spot, and I think there are more tourists in London between May and September than at other times of the year with the possible exception of the Christmas holidays. I've missed out on some things I wanted to see through failure to buy tickets soon enough. On the other hand, sometimes tickets become available quite late when they're returned by purchasers (tour groups?) that don't need them.

If I had my eye on one particular play, I would buy the tickets sooner rather than later. Think of how disappointed you'll be if you miss this opportunity.

Les Miz is quite often discounted in the summer but rather less regularly. I would never rely on discounted tickets through tkts for any particular show if I really wanted to see it though but availability there may indicate that advance offers could be possible elsewhere.

I just booked a ticket for Hamilton for my May trip, so excited to see it.