Good evening everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  A few weeks ago, Laura and I spent a few days in New York City and saw a few shows on Broadway, Off Broadway, and at Radio City Musical Hall.  I learned a few things about buying show tickets so I wanted to pass along that advice.  This advice works great in NYC, but should also work well in other cities that have Broadway shows and events.  Since we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Times Square (read Track IHG Nightly Award Rates & Rebook When Prices Drop), we were able to see 5 different shows during our 3.5 days in NYC.

A few days before we arrived in NYC, we narrowed down our list of shows to see.  Laura really wanted to see Suffs (“Shaina Taub’s epic new musical telling the story of the suffragists as they fight for the women’s right to vote”); I really wanted to see Water For Elephants (“The new musical based on Sara Gruen’s best-selling novel of the same name arrives on Broadway”; and we both wanted to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular.  We bought these tickets online through the official Broadway website and Ticketmaster.

I’m passionate about live theater, so when I travel all the way to NYC and make my way to the theater, I want good seats in the Orchestra section. Since I may only see each show once, I want to sit close enough to the stage to truly enjoy the performance.  Unfortunately, when you buy tickets online, you’re hit with service fees. For example, 2 tickets to Suffs came with $102 in service fees. If I was already in NYC, I could’ve walked to the box office and purchased the same tickets in person, saving $102 in service fees.

Water For Elephants had $66 in service fees that could have been avoided if I bought tickets at the box office.

Lastly, the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular *only* charged $44 in service fees that could have been avoided if I bought tickets at the box office.  During the holiday season, there are 4-5 shows per day and the Radio City Musical Hall can seat up to 6,000 people, so buying tickets a few days before or day of should be extremely easy.

We were seated in row QQ, which is the 16th row (out of 47 rows) from the front of the orchestra, and the seats were fantastic. It’s best not to sit too close to the stage, as you might miss parts of the show. The stage is very wide, with dancers on both the left and right sides of the auditorium, plus projections on the sides and ceiling.

Along with those 3 shows, we decided to see 2 Off Broadway shows.  Both shows were at the New World Stages, which was only 2-3 blocks from our hotel.  The venue is really cool and modern with 5-6 different stages / theaters.  While I was looking at ticket prices, I learned that Telecharge (the company that processes payment for New World Stages) has Lottery and Rush ticket deals.  Depending on when you go to that page, you may see no deals… so check back again after midnight.

Or you may see several dozen shows available, depending on the day and time you check.

Here are some of the FAQs about the Lottery:

How do I enter the lottery?
Select the number of tickets you want to purchase and click the “Enter” button. Performances are typically posted at 12 AM. Lottery schedules vary so click Drawing Details before you enter.

Did I win the lottery?
Please return to this website to find out if you won. We will also send you notification of your lottery status at the email address you used to sign up. In addition, you can choose to be notified by text message. Although we will send you notifications when winners are drawn, deliverability is dependent on your email and phone. You can always return to this website at any time to view your status.

How do I claim my tickets if I win the lottery?
Winners will have five hours to complete their purchase on this website for regularly scheduled drawings. Click through the Results page of this website or your email notification or your text notification for instructions. The purchase period may vary for additional drawings. Tickets will be emailed.

Alternatively, you can check out the Rush ticket deals.  Depending on when you go to that page, you may see no deals… so check back again after 11am ET.

If you check just after 11am ET, you may see several shows available.

The number and names of the shows differ each day, so check back each day for new deals.

Here are some of the FAQs about the Rush tickets:

How do I get rush tickets?
Rush begins at 11 AM the day of the performance. Select the number of tickets you want to purchase and click the “Check Availability” button. More tickets may become available throughout the day if there is no availability when you first check. Rush ends 30 minutes before curtain. Tickets will be emailed.

What are cancellation tickets?
Cancellation tickets are prime locations released through the rush program. Tickets are available before the day of the performance and more tickets may be released as the performance approaches.

How often can I buy rush tickets?
You are eligible for rush tickets three days after your last purchase.

Laura wanted to see Mama I’m a Big Girl Now (“Marissa Jaret Winokur, Kerry Butler and Laura Bell Bundy celebrate 20 years of Broadway hits, motherhood, and lifelong friendship.”) and the cheapest tickets were $63 each.

Luckily, I was able to get 2 tickets through Telecharge Rush for $35 each ($70 total including fees) for the show later that same day.

The tickets were emailed to me within an hour of purchase and I showed the PDF QR codes at the venue entrance. The theater had only 9 rows, so even the seats in the last row offered great views. Our seats were on padded stools, just like the actresses’ seats, so we were almost at eye level with them.

Last but not least, I wanted to see The Play That Goes Wrong.  Laura didn’t want to see this show, so I went by myself.  For comparison, seat G108 is in the center of the orchestra section and the ticket was $151 (including the $42 service fee).  Instead of buying this ticket online…

We walked over to the venue 2 hours before showtime and I bought seat G109 for $69.  I was expecting the price to be $109 (the price above without service fees), but I was happy surprised by the $69 price.

Now that you know how to save a few bucks on musical and event tickets, here is my summary of the shows:

• Suffs – History was my least favorite subject in school, so I didn’t fully realize the immense struggle and effort it took for women to secure the right to vote. The musical really taught me a lot. This was Laura’s favorite musical.
• Water for Elephants – I adored the story, the songs, and the Cirque du Soleil-style acrobatics throughout the show. This would be a fantastic musical for families.
• Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular – The dancing was incredible, the special effects were mesmerizing, and I was blown away by the sheer size of Radio City Music Hall.  This is another great show for families.
• Mama I’m a Big Girl Now – If you loved the 3 lead actresses from Hairspray, you’ll love this show. It highlights their lives and careers before and after Hairspray, with each actress singing some of their favorite songs from their Broadway roles. Their voices are still amazing. Unfortunately, this show ends on Saturday, December 21, 2024, so there are only a few performances left.
• The Play That Goes Wrong – If you enjoy Monty Python or Spamalot-style comedy, this show is for you!  I laughed almost the entire time and really appreciated how the actors engaged with the audience. Just thinking about it now brings a smile and a laugh!

If you have any questions about buying tickets at the box office or via the Telecharge Lottery / Rush ticket website, please leave a comment below.  Have a great evening everyone!