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London Theatre Tickets

wacky joewacky joe Posts: 1,971
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Weekend break in London in May.
Going to a couple shows in West End.
Should i buy tickets online or wait till i get to London.
We are staying about 15 mins walk from West End.
Thanks

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    riceutenriceuten Posts: 5,876
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    wacky joe wrote: »
    Weekend break in London in May. Going to a couple shows in West End. Should i buy tickets online or wait till i get to London. We are staying about 15 mins walk from West End. Thanks

    There are a variety of cheap (half price) ticket booths in Leicester Square if you don't mind what you want to see. If you want to see a particular show, check out what's available online beforehand, but be careful with ticket brokers. They will often sell tickets they don't have (at a considerable mark up) and then go looking for tickets.

    Also, West End is a fairly substantial place - Theatreland goes from one end of Town to the other.
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    Lou KellyLou Kelly Posts: 2,778
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    Try the TKTS booths, they have tickets for most shows.
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    newda898newda898 Posts: 5,466
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    I always go to the theatre box office itself.
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    Mystical123Mystical123 Posts: 15,822
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    Depends what you want to see. If it's a popular show like The Lion King, Book of Mormon or Matilda, then buy in advance because there won't be any tickets left by the time you get to London.

    If you want decent seats for long-runners like Les Mis, Wicked or Phantom, then book in advance.

    If you want decent seats for a show that has a famous face or two in it, like Once or The Bodyguard, then book in advance.

    Otherwise, if you're on a budget and willing to queue in the morning, check the day ticket policy for the shows you're interested in. Some have very long queues (from at least 8am for box office opening at 10). but for shows like Wicked and Once they're front row and brilliant seats for less than £30.

    If you're not fussed about what you want to see, or you want to see a show that doesn't usually sell out, then TKTS or the ticket place in Leicester Square tube station are decent bets. Some shows sell any spare tickets cheaply at the box office as well on the day of the performance, but not all.
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    Eeyore1Eeyore1 Posts: 179
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    Yeah I agree if you're gong to something popular definitely book in advance!
    I love London! What are you going to see?
    I totes recommend les mis or phantom! Wonderful :D
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    InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
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    Have a look at the "official" London theatres web site: www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk You can check out what's on and follow the links to see what's on offer at TKTS. You can't actually book the TKTS offers online but you can see what's available for the next couple of days. Also consider signing up to the Official London Theatre email newletter as this will often have offers which you can buy online.
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    Mitten KittenMitten Kitten Posts: 1,185
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    I would agree with those who suggest the ticket booth in Leicester Square if you are happy to look on the day, or if the show has cheaper day tickets, queue up as soon as the box office opens. If you do book in advance, use the shows own website. That will give you the proper price of the tickets. There are many websites out there which purport to be selling cheap tickets. They are usually offering the most expensive seats for a little amount off, or sometimes more than the most expensive ticket at the theatre. Sometimes Last Minute has some good offers.
    http://www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/

    One of the West End shows I worked on did not offer any staff discounts or free tickets and I was told to use Last Minute as that is where the cheaper tickets were.
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    wacky joewacky joe Posts: 1,971
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    Eeyore1 wrote: »
    Yeah I agree if you're gong to something popular definitely book in advance!
    I love London! What are you going to see?
    I totes recommend les mis or phantom! Wonderful :D

    We are wanting to see Jersey Boys plus one other show which we are undecided about.
    Thanks everyone for you're replies
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    Mystical123Mystical123 Posts: 15,822
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    or if the show has cheaper day tickets, queue up as soon as the box office opens.

    No, queue up long before the box office opens in most cases.
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    Penny CrayonPenny Crayon Posts: 36,158
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    wacky joe wrote: »
    We are wanting to see Jersey Boys plus one other show which we are undecided about.
    Thanks everyone for you're replies

    Not sure if the Commitments sells out every night as the Palace theatre is particularly big .......I'd highly recommend it.
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    riceutenriceuten Posts: 5,876
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    Jersey Boys - 3 shows a night (!) - doesn't look as if you'll struggle to get the cheapest (£20) seats for this...
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 135
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    I always book in advance, it has the added advantage of seeing the available seats and the seating plan and choosing the best ones available. Ill admit ive never seen Jersey Boys but at 3 shows a night i don't think you'll struggle to get tickets or good seats, so if you've already decided on that then its really up to you.
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    babinabababinaba Posts: 5,448
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    You can book tickets online at Leicester Square Box Office, I used them for Book of Mormon tickets and they were fine. When I picked them up about 3 people in the queue asked for tickets for that show but it was sold out
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    tigragirltigragirl Posts: 13,447
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    jersey boys is going out on tour, if it's coming to a place near you how about booking to see it there and pick something else to see in London.
    I have just got back from London and wanted to see either Book of Mormon or Mamma Mia
    The only tickets for BOM were £100 per person for a private box or £89 each plus booking fee for the Tuesday, absolutely nothing available for the Monday.
    Mamma Mia was available Monday, £70 per person or on Tuesday £46 per person.
    Don't forget the booking fee on top.
    what ever you see have fun
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    dave clarkedave clarke Posts: 1,037
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    We've got tickets for Jersey boys in May 1/2 price I thought it was a scam but all looks genuine I did put a post asking for advice in case they were a scam I'll look up where I got them if you want am on phone ATM not so easy to post links
    We went last year to see it and these look better seats ( those were good anyway)
    There is quite a bit of adult language if you are of a sensitive nature lol
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    Goblin QueenGoblin Queen Posts: 633
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    I only ever buy tickets from the box office or trusted sites like Ticketmaster. Which means I end up paying more than I might have to, but at least it's safe and fully legitimate.
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    Mystical123Mystical123 Posts: 15,822
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    I only ever buy tickets from the box office or trusted sites like Ticketmaster. Which means I end up paying more than I might have to, but at least it's safe and fully legitimate.

    Lots of the ticket websites are entirely legitimate, so it makes sense to search for a bargain rather than paying full price just because it's on ticketmaster!
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    dave clarkedave clarke Posts: 1,037
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    I used boxoffice.co.uk seem legit find out in May
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    simondsUU933wsimondsUU933w Posts: 4,176
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    It's the usual thing of 'you get what you pay for' (usually).

    The discount ticket places are mostly selling crappy seats (hence the low price) - quite often not that different from the direct price. Of course, there are bargains to be had but it's very hit and miss.

    I only buy direct from the theatre groups (I'm a priority/theatre club member of a few groups which gives you certain bonuses).

    And it depends on the show. As others have said, the newer or popular shows you really need to buy in advance to guarantee a seat otherwise it's a gamble.

    Me, I'm quite happy paying full price to ensure I get a good seat in the stalls ... but I know a lot of others are happy paying £20 and sitting up in the Gods :)

    Although Jersey Boys shouldn't be an issue - it's a long standing shows that rarely sells out. (not sure where the three shows a night thing has come from - it's just once like all other shows!)
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    SibeberSibeber Posts: 555
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    simonp820 wrote: »
    It's the usual thing of 'you get what you pay for' (usually).

    The discount ticket places are mostly selling crappy seats (hence the low price) - quite often not that different from the direct price. Of course, there are bargains to be had but it's very hit and miss.

    I only buy direct from the theatre groups (I'm a priority/theatre club member of a few groups which gives you certain bonuses).

    And it depends on the show. As others have said, the newer or popular shows you really need to buy in advance to guarantee a seat otherwise it's a gamble.

    Me, I'm quite happy paying full price to ensure I get a good seat in the stalls ... but I know a lot of others are happy paying £20 and sitting up in the Gods :)

    Although Jersey Boys shouldn't be an issue - it's a long standing shows that rarely sells out. (not sure where the three shows a night thing has come from - it's just once like all other shows!)

    I think Jersey boys have afternoon matinees Tuesday Sat and Sunday , have seen it many times, If you can afford it buy seats in stalls.Did the circle seats once and the wonderful music was below you so you missed a huge part of the brilliance of the show ..mind you they may have sorted that problem out at the new venue of the Piccadilly theatre but when i saw it from the circle the sound quality was poor.
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