Best of New York: Cheap Broadway Shows

For both visitors and locals alike, the theatrical spirit of Broadway is something you have to experience at least once. But finding affordable tickets can be a production in itself. If you're looking for a showstopping good deal, here are some tried and true ways to get a Broadway experience at a fraction of the box office cost.

TKTS Booth

By now it's the worst-kept secret in cheap Broadway tickets, but the TKTS booth still delivers discounted tickets (from 20% to even 50% off) for popular shows. The Times Square booth is the most popular, and offers dozens of Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets on the day of the performance. If you head further south, they also operate booths at the South Street Seaport and in Downtown Brooklyn, less crowded locations where you can snag matinee tickets a day in advance.

More info: tdf.org

Broadway Box

For those who are looking for a little more advance notice, or who live further afield, Broadway Box is a great online option. The website provides dozens of discount codes, which you can use on the theater's normal ticket vending site, like Tickemaster or Telecharge. The show offerings and seating assignments are somewhat limited, but your savings will work out similarly to TKTS - up to 50% off your purchase - and you don't have to sign up for anything to get the deals; all the info is posted publicly.

More info: Broadwaybox.com

Theatermania

Unlike Broadway Box, which posts its deals on a freely-accessible site, Theatermania requires that you register with your email address to get the goods. Once you do, though, you'll get a newsletter right to your inbox with all the deals available. More comprehensive and with more availability than most competing discount sites, Theatermania will also notify you of Broadway news and reviews if you request it, so you can know which show is your best bet.
More info: Theatermania.com

Youngster Deals

Especially for families, ticket prices can add up quickly. Luckily, some of the best deals on Broadway are geared toward the younger set. On the first Tuesday and Wednesday of every month, the Broadway League holds Kid's Night, where anyone ages 6-18 gets a free ticket if accompanied by a full-paying adult. There are also deals for students and recent grads. Check out the Roundabout Theatre Company's Hiptix program, which offers $20 tickets to all their productions to those 18-35 (which can be often be a 75% discount or higher). Manhattan Theatre Club's also has a 30 Under 30 promotion, which lets those under three decades see two MTC productions for $30 each.

Rush Lines

If you're still looking for a cheaper ticket a few hours before a performance, hightail it over to the theater itself. Many Broadway theaters reserve a block of discounted tickets to distribute on the day of the show, called rush tickets. Others will record the names of hopeful patrons and enter them in a lottery for the coveted few seats. You can find a list of the specific practices for each theater on Playbill.

Where Were the Tony Awards First Held?

And the answer is ...

c) the Waldorf Astoria

In the early days of the Tonys, the ceremony wasn't held in a theater at all, but in the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel. Of course, the awards themselves were different too. Rather than scoring a trophy, winners received money clips, cigarette lighters, and jewelry!

New York Trivia Tuesday

If you're the first person to comment with the correct answer on Trivia Tuesday posts, you'll get 50% off the Amazing New York Race of your choice! Feeling smart? Then answer this week's challenge:

New York's equivalent of the Oscars, the Tony Awards celebrate the year's best Broadway shows, performers, directors and designers. Named for Antoinette Perry, actress and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing, the Tonys were held this year on June 12th at Manhattan's Beacon Theater. But at what iconic location were the first Tony Awards held?

a) Ziegfeld Theater
b) Gershwin Theater
c) Waldorf Astoria
d) Radio City Music Hall

Check back on Thursday for the answer to this week's trivia question, and to see if you're the winner!

What Ingredient Was Not in the Original Waldorf Salad?

And the answer is ...

c) walnuts

Although walnuts have become a staple of any classic Waldorf salad, they weren't in the original dish when it was invented in NYC in the 1890s. By the 1920s, however, they had been integrated into the salad, which had become so popular that Cole Porter wrote about it in his 1934 Broadway musical, Anything Goes!

Where Will Broadway Smash 'The Lion King' Open Next?

And the answer is ...

c) Singapore

One of Broadway's biggest hits, The Lion King has already opened in over a dozen countries since its New York premiere in 1997; next month, a new production will open in Singapore. The show is Broadway's eighth longest-running musical ever, with 5,483 performances to date.

New York Trivia Tuesday

Starting this month, if you're the first person to comment with the correct answer on Trivia Tuesday posts, you'll get 50% off the Amazing New York Race of your choice! Feeling smart? Then answer this week's challenge:

The Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark hasn't officially opened yet, and it's already set records in NYC. At $65 million dollars, it's the most expensive musical ever produced, and it has also had the longest preview period of any Broadway show; because they've had to wait so long, reviewers broke with tradition and filed their reports before the show's official opening night.

Director Julie Taymor has a history with Broadway and NYC: She had a major hit with The Lion King musical in 1997. Since then The Lion King has become a box office smash, with performances in France, Australian, Spain, and Taiwan, among others. It's opening in a new country in March 2011 - which is it?

a) South Africa
b) Brazil
c) Singapore
d) Indonesia

Check back on Thursday for the answer to this week's trivia question, and to see if you're the winner!

What Broadway Musical Inspired the Empire State's Illumination?

And the answer is ...

d) Jersey Boys

On November 5th and 6th, you might have seen the Empire State Building light up in red, yellow and white, the prominent colors on the Jersey Boys posters. The musical, one of the most popular currently on the Great White Way, has been playing there for five years. In 2008, the Empire State Building celebrated another musical's 5-year anniversary, by doing itself up all in green as a tribute to Wicked.

New York Trivia Tuesday

The Empire State Building started lighting up in vivid color at night in 1964, when colored floodlights were added to the facade. The iconic building's colors, which change nightly, celebrate a mix of holidays, commemorations, promotions, and quirky anniversaries. This month, the tower lit up in red, white and yellow to celebrate the anniversary of this Broadway musical's run:

a) The Lion King
b) Wicked
c) Mamma Mia
d) Jersey Boys

Check back on Thursday for the answer to this week's trivia question!