We are travelling to London in early September and would like to see a show. Does anyone have any tips regarding booking tickets at the half price booths (are they good seats? Do you have to line up for hours?) or is it better to book in advance?
Cheers
Cathy
If there is a particular play or musical you really want to see, then it's best to purchase your tickets in advance via Ticketmaster UK. Musicals are most popular and tend to sell out faster. For comedies, and dramas it's usually not a problem purchasing tickets at the theatre box off just before the performance. The half price booths don't sell tickets to every show, just the ones on the push list---typically the longer running shows. Lines generally aren't a problem.
For a listing of what's on head here:
www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk
Just to follow up on Michael's suggestion, I ordered tickets to Billy Elliot from Ticketmasters UK and it worked very smoothly. The tickets were mailed to my home (in the US), although it took longer than I expected for them to arrive, so if you are going to do this, do it soon. I don't remember the exact day they arrived, but I have a good idea and it had to be about 4 weeks after I ordered. Not sure who you are traveling with, but for certain shows one can get a family ticket to Billy Elliot (and I presume other shows families might like), so as plays go, it was not horribly expensive. I was amused after the purchase that I started receiving emails from Ticketmaster UK offering other events I might want tickets for. I pretty quickly had those emails turned off, but I recently got an email event reminder, which was kind of a fun excitement builder!
At the moment I'm seeing that some things are booked out entirely (Phedre was tough for anyone trying to get last week, and was brilliant!), while others always have seats. Pre-buy your essentials (I did pick up at the box office) and do day off for things that you want to see, but won't ruin your trip if you don't. There are indeed lineups, but even now in heavy tourist time are not too bad.
Some of those "sold out" tickets go to resale agencies and tour groups, so unless you want to attend the hot new show of the season, you can usually get tickets. The line at the rush ticket boot at Leicester Square never seems to be particularly long.
Thanks everyone :-) Now we just need to decide which show to see... hmmmm, what a nice decision to make :-)
You asked "are they good seats?" Having used the 1/2 price booth for over 20 years to get theatre tix I'd answer "yes." Many times the very first row, often the stalls, which are boxes off to the sides of the theatre. Never had a bad seat. Nor sat farther back than 20 rows. Nor do you have to line up for hours. Buy a Timeout magazine in the airport when you arrive. You'll find play reviews and other pertinent info that will be helpful throughout your visit. Once you get to the ticket booth you can see what plays are available and if any peaked your interest buy the tickets. The plays offered won't be the big ones i.e. Lion King, Billy Elliot, etc but the options that are offered are generally great. I've see Dames Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, Rupert Graves, etc with 1/2 tickets. What's to complain about? Have fun!
Cathy,
If you want to get an idea of what might be available from the half price booth, check this site http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts/whats_on_today/. It is updated daily. So you will see different listings each day. Check on the days of the week that you will be in London to get an idea. I don't think that I have ever spent more than 10 minutes in line.
If you have your heart set on a particular show, then buy in advance. theatremonkey.com is a great site for info on London shows, seats, and where tickets can be purchased.
Hi, another Cathy here! I will be there in August and want to see a show also. I hear that "Warhorse" is excellent, and very popular. It is based on a children's story, and uses lifesize" puppets "of horses that are operated by 3 people! (Sounds awkward, but reviews say that it is so well done that you forget about the operators.)It is said to be quite moving,and is loved by adults and children alike.Its playing at the NewLondon Theatre on Drury Lane.
Hope you get to see something you like!
Cathy
Seattle, Wa.
Hi Cathy, Ticketmaster UK does have a good supply for most shows, however, as an agent, you'll tend to pay higher fees. Most theatres have their own box office where they don't charge per-ticket fees. Plus, as they are the actual venue, they tend to have access to more tickets.
The largest theatre group owner in London is ATG, their website is http://www.ambassadortickets.com, other owners include Delfont Mackintosh, Nimax and Really Useful Theatres. It's really worth checking these out before you purchase.
Hope this helps,
Ben
Thank you so much everyone :-) Really appreciate your time and expertise :-)
If you decide that you don't want to risk the TKTS booth, check out Albemarle's of London. We have used them for many years. Reliable and always got excellent seats. Their site has seating diagrams of all the theatres, too.
Best shows thus far...
Waiting for Godot (Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen), Phedre (Helen Mirren, Dominic Cooper), The Observer (James Fleet, Anna Chancellor), All's Well that Ends Well (Mrs. Bale from As Time Goes By! and others!).
I highly recommend any of the above. 3/4 are at the National Theatre complex, which I love. I've done other things, but have been enjoying things that are special and that I couldn't see elsewhere. All's Well was via the half price booth. Godot and Phedre I bought online in advance. For The Observer, I bought at the box office a few hours before (highly, highly recommend this play!).
"Wicked" was being performed at the Victoria Apollo in April 2009. The Apollo saved all of its front-row seats until the morning of the show and sold them at the theater. We got in line early in the morning to get seats.
