Theatre tickets in London.

theatremonkey.com is a great resource for London shows and concerts. You can even check out seating plans for various venues.

I would suggest going to the box office of the theatre, which is what we do. The Lion King is fantastic, you will enjoy it. You might want to consider Wicked and Jersey Boys.

Hi Aretta, I will be in London in a couple of weeks and have been planning a lot of theatre-going. I started with this site http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/tkts/ which I found a little easier than theatre monkey to start with. Some plays I am pretty sure I will be able to get discounted tickets at the Leicester Square 1/2 price ticket booth. Some of my choices either haven't been offered at a discount or are closing while I'm there, so I have bought some tickets online. I used theatre monkey to buy tickets, sometimes buying through them, sometimes using links to other agents through the monkey's site. I always saw the seat offered before committing to purchase - and then checked it on the monkey's seating plans. I haven't booked anything more than 4 weeks in advance. OTOH I am not going to see any of the big production musicals. PM me in a couple of months and I'll be happy to answer any specific questions and tell you how it went for me. You are so lucky to be next door to OSF - I was a member when I lived in the Bay Area.

When you go to box office ask if they have any discount restricted view seats often the restriction is minimal cant see shoe of a few people but often close and GREAT views of most[INVALID] discount can be great half off

Ask for a senior discount if that applies...we got one for a rather substantial savings, no ID asked for.

Also check "Metro" which a is free newspaper easily available at tube stns, sometimes there are adds in the newspaper for discounts at some shows.

Theatremonkey also has a wide range of discounts for a lot of shows - I just checked and there are a couple of offers for Billy Elliott including "buy a top price ticket and get your hotel room free" also a "buy two for 70 GBP" deal. And discounts of about one third for Phantom. And I wouldn't discount England's Shakespeare completely even if you have great options in Oregon. We usher for the DC Shakespeare Theatre and the Folger Theater, and have seen a lot of wonderful productions there. But probably the best Shakespeare play I've ever seen was Merchant of Venice at Stratford-upon-Avon, done by TANFA [Theatre for a New Audience], with F. Murray Abraham as Shylock. So keep an eye on what's happening at Stratford; it might be worth a side trip. We also enjoyed the town very much; visited Anne Hathaway's cottage, and Mary Arden's farm. Have a wonderful trip!

Do take a tour of the Globe Theatre while you are in London. It is interesting in itself as well as in comparison to OSF's Elizabethan theatre.

Hi, how about The Mouse Trap? Is it one of the plays that i can still manage to get good bargains at tkts?

Mousetrap is almost always available the the TKTS booth. For the other shows, if you really have your heart set on seeing them, I would purchase the tickets in advance via ticketmaster UK. You don't want to travel all that distance and find out the performances are sold-out.

Looks as if you will be there for almost a whole year. That way you can reserve for the shows you really want to see- when the bookings are available- and also take advantage of whatever is available at the half price booth. Sometimes you will find a show that you had never heard of but thoroughly enjoy. We stumbled across Judy Dench and her husband Mike Williams in a play before they were well known. As well as many others we now recognize on PBS' "Brit Coms". Again you seem to have the time to go to the Box Office rather than pay brokers

We've always had the best luck at box offices. If you're going to be there a year my goodness you should have plenty of chances. If "The 39 Steps" is still playing, try to see it. LMAO. Is "Mama Mia" still around? Much, much better than the movie. Of course "The Mousetrap" is nearly an istitution.

We saw 4 plays during our 3 days in London this July. We got discounted tickets for Billy Elliot at the tkts booth (make sure you go to the freestanding one in Leicester Square)- great seats, perhaps 1/3 off regular price. I also like going directly to the box office. Often great seats are released day of performance. You may pay full price for the popular shows, but you shouldn't have to pay extra for a booking agency. You're going to be in London for quite a while so no need to prebook.

Thank you all for your info. I am not going to be there almost a year. I will be there Dec 27, 2010 to Jan 6, 2011 and now all I have to do is plan my day to day agenda so I will not be criss-crossing all over London. really appreciate all the help you have sent my way.

Aretta, We were in London a few weeks ago and wanted to see the Lion King the next evening after arrival. We went to the box office and were told they were sold out. But I offered to take a restricted view, which is usually pretty good. Much to our delight, we got a private box. The stage manager came in and alerted us that an actor would be entering our box at the beginning of the performance. When the music began an actor in African costume came in, said Hello, and when the spot lights focused on him, he began belting out the opening number. What a treat! The view was pretty good and the price was (I think) about 37 GBP for two. There were no tickets at the Hot Tix booth, so going to the theatre was the answer.

Aretta, We were in London a few weeks ago and wanted to see the Lion King the next evening after arrival. We went to the box office and were told they were sold out. But I offered to take a restricted view, which is usually pretty good. Much to our delight, we got a private box. The stage manager came in and alerted us that an actor would be entering our box at the beginning of the performance. When the music began an actor in African costume came in, said Hello, and when the spot lights focused on him, he began belting out the opening number. What a treat! The view was pretty good and the price was (I think) about 37 GBP for two. There were no tickets at the Hot Tix booth, so going to the theatre was the answer.

Aretta, Leichester square is offering tickets to Phantom. Lion King is not available at TKTS at this time. Here is another bit I picked up in my travels last week at the booth in Leichester Sqr: They sell "discounted" tickets for the day-you already know this...BUT they will sell ONLY the best seats available-at a discount. In NYC you can buy half priced tickets at any price level. You might want to check the theater to see if they have better prices. Here is another tip for a show that has been out for awile: Buy the cheap ticket(from the box office) and move up to a closer seat (that was not sold) once the lights are down or after intermission. Are you wanting to see the new Phantom-I think it is called Love Never Dies. If so-you will have to get those at the box office or online. Enjoy!

Can I suggest a show called "War Horse" which is currently showing at the New London Theatre? We absolutely loved this show (check out the trailer on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-bni4QqSv4), then were stunned to go to Castle Combe two days later and find out that Steve Spielberg is there filming a movie based on the play. Very British and unique....

I know the Ashland Festival and agree that it is wonderful, but please do not just see UK versions of Broadway musicals. I have spent more than 40 years in theatre and love the wonderful productions of British theatre.

WAR HORSE IS A MUST! Try any of the productions at the Royal National or the Royal Court. The RSC should be opening a London season soon. TKTS is a great resource and you can even find out what has been on the board AND prices on a daily basis on their website--BIG SAVINGS!

Again, please see WAR HORSE!

We have always bought tickets on line, but the last time we were in London, we went to the 1/2 price ticket booth and got fantastic seats to Billy Elliot for that evening.

Hi Aretta, don't forget to look into the "Royal Albert Hall" performances. You can do this on line or in person at the venue. It's located just West of Hyde Park. Lucky You!