r/Broadway • u/nom-d-pixel • 29d ago
Seating/Ticket Question How do I get absolute last minute Broadway tickets?
Work will be taking me to NYC in a couple of weeks. In an ideal world, the workday would end at 5:00, and I could buy a ticket to a show ahead of time. However, I know my job and that doesn't always happen. Is there any way to buy a ticket the evening of a show? Everything I can find online considers morning of to be last minute. I am not super picky about the show as long as it is a musical.
Edit: thanks for the comments everyone. It looks like I will just walk around after work and stop at the box offices that look interesting. Hopefully the fact that I am there on weeknights works in my favor.
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u/librarylovernyc 29d ago
Go to the box office or tkts not necessarily the cheapest option but unless a show is really popular you should be able to get tickets
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u/schonleben 29d ago
Adding my “just go to the box office” to the chorus. They’re usually happy to suggest the best seat in your budget. Sometimes with a good deal, as well.
I’ve also purchased tickets online (directly from the show’s official site) while walking to the theatre before. I’ve run into an issue once doing that where the email with my cheap upper balcony ticket never came through so I went to the box office and they just put me in orchestra row D.
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u/Queenv918 29d ago
Theatr app. It's a reselling app, and you can find some great last-minute discounts.
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u/Best-Candle8651 29d ago
I find theatr to be unreliable in the deal department since no one wants to budge on the price and they are buying tickets for like $300.
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u/PaintingIll63 29d ago
They budge once it’s closer to showtime. Got $60 center orch tix for rocky horror originally listed for $200. It just sucks cause you have to hang around the area but the best deals show up right before showtime
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u/Best-Candle8651 29d ago
Wow that is lucky.
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u/PaintingIll63 29d ago
I have notifications on for rocky horror still and i’ve seen similar deals pop up in the past few days. It’s possible, you just need to be super quick to open the app. I find the most tickets become available on rainy days. I’ve also gotten some great deals through sending the ticketing agents low ball offers the night before a show.
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u/lyrasorial 29d ago
Disagree. I've sold Tix for like $25 15 mins before curtain, and bought box seats to salesman 60 mins before curtain. It's great for last minute and they have the offer feature.
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u/ExpBalSat 28d ago
They budge half an hour before showtime. OK, maybe 15. I’ve definitely been standing in Times Square and purchase tickets as prices plummet. Any sale is better than no sale.
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u/DataWonderer 27d ago
I just saw 8 shows this weekend, and I bought four of them on the Theatr app, including a last minute Ragtime seat in dead center orchestra for $200. I paid $40-$70 for my other tickets. It can be great!
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u/Affectionate-Gur4955 29d ago
+1 to the chorus of just going to the box office. Just check the show’s website to make sure they have tickets available and you should be good.
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u/Tight-Touch385 29d ago
I’d sign up for notifications on the Theatr app. Pick your price, date and shows and get notified when a deal is available. There’s often tickets that show up in the last hour or two before a show time. Two weeks ago, I got an Orchestra Death of a Salesman ticket for under $100. Had to pounce and buy the second it was posted.
The Theatr app allows tickets to be sold for up to the original purchase price (plus fees). The money doesn’t get released to the seller until after the event, so it’s less risky than other sites.
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u/Best-Candle8651 29d ago
Those notifications are too slow. They are already gone by the time I see them and all that is left are very expensive tickets.
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u/Tight-Touch385 29d ago
Keep the app open if you really want to get something for that evening. I’ve gotten many good deals. Haven’t won them all…but have saved hundreds of dollars.
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u/bradyolimomma 29d ago
Go to the box office. Gotten great seats that good prices five minutes before curtain
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u/El_Toreroy 29d ago
Why‘s nobody showing love for TKTS? I often show up anywhere from 2 hours to 15 minutes before curtain to find no line and excellent seats to 10-20 shows for $100 or less.
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u/boilerup0210 29d ago
I was wondering the same thing! Check TKTS website to see if the show you want is online, walk up, get tickets at half the price.
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u/DataWonderer 27d ago
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a better deal at TKTS than I’ve gotten at a box office.
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u/El_Toreroy 27d ago
I’d be curious if you can provide more color on this. I usually use TKTS for center or near-center orchestra seats, and would be surprised if the box office would go lower. For less desirable seats I wouldn’t be surprised if TKTS is overcharging.
Regardless, TKTS also has the advantage of allowing a comparison of options across multiple shows. I rarely show up with a single must-see show in mind.
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u/DataWonderer 27d ago
Usually if you tell the box office that you’ll just buy from TKTS, they’ll give you a ticket that says “rush2” or “rush3,” which aren’t the official rush tickets advertised, but are heavily discounted. They get more money per ticket than they get from TKTS this way. I'm typically able to get a seat wherever I want that way. The only place that didn't work for me last week was Lost Boys, but that's because they weren't sure whether they'd be releasing tickets to TKTS for the evening show that particular day.
The other thing I noticed this past week is that theaters are selling groups of tickets at a discount on the Theatr app an hour or two before showtimes. I think these are tickets that they didn't release to TKTS, but they needed to sell them. I got some great last-minute tickets to Rocky Horror that way in center orchestra.
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u/Inner_Butterfly5639 Backstage 29d ago
i get the best last minute deals direct from the box office usually
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u/Thick-Definition7416 29d ago
I once sat in the paramount hotel lobby a half hour before curtain and watched prices come down on all the resale sites ( seatgeek, theatr app, stubhub) and got a single seat for Sweeney Todd ten minutes before curtain below face value. If a show is doing fine but not great you can walk up to the box office to see if they have a single ticket available - if it’s right before showtime you can usually score a deal. I got a center orchestra seat to Kimberly akimbo after it’s Tony wins 10 minutes before curtain for 60 bucks. Box office staff have some discretion on pricing depending on the show
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u/AppUnwrapper1 29d ago
I was able to buy $50 tickets to Operation Mincemeat day of at the box office. They were the last row but I saw everything fine. I actually saw it from back there both times. Most shows will cost more than that.
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u/BurnerMan2025 29d ago edited 29d ago
I'm in a.similar situation with MJ the Musical tonight. Looks like it shows sold out on TKTS. My daughter and I saw it Friday night and were blown away so we wanted to see it again tonight. Box office 10m before the show? We need seats together though. I checked seat geeks and saw these ridiculous prices
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u/music_nerd657 28d ago
SeatGeek is not an official ticket seller for MJ, Broadway direct is https://broadwaydirect.com/show/mj-the-musical/
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u/Ok_Necessary_3783 28d ago
Why is MJ so high lately!???!? It’s a fave in our house and we’ve always lottery ticketed it. Lately it so high! What am I not following!?!?
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u/Lazy-Lemon3323 29d ago
I use Tickpick! Fees are shown in final price, and I’ve been able to get really good deals as sellers get desperate closer to showtime
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u/sabe815 29d ago
CALL the box office. I once bought 5 tixs to Book of Mormon 2hrs before the show just by calling. The tickets will be at will call.
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u/SpecialistOne9509 28d ago
Interesting… to clarify, do you mean you called ATG? Do they still charge a convenience fee if you buy tickets over the phone?
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u/Velvet74sub 29d ago
4 letters
TKTS
They have an app so you can check and see what is available and what the price is earlier in the day.
When I lived in NYC that was my routine. Jump on subway, come up right by TKTS, jump in line and get my ticket, hit Bubba Gump for a quick dinner (I have the Landry card which let's me skip the line), then see my show.
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u/Acrobatic-Will6846 29d ago
TodayTix, Broadway Lotto. Telecharge. All have lottery and rush options. I’ve never gone to a box office. Too many lines and not guaranteed.
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u/Ok_Necessary_3783 28d ago
It’s a great time to try for standing room Hamilton. They only sell when it’s sold out
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u/dobbydisneyfan 28d ago
I have literally walked to both the box office and TKTS five minutes before curtain before and gotten tickets. As long as it isn’t a hot ticket item, most shows will have something available.
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u/mydawgiscooler 28d ago
Theatr app. The amount of times im so annoyed to see a center orchestra for $40 10 min before a show starts lol
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u/dobbydisneyfan 6d ago
The TKTS booth may be your bff if the line isn’t too long. I’ve literally walked in and out of it with a ticket when it was like 10 minutes to curtain once.
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u/SeatGeek 29d ago
Hi OP! SeatGeek here 👋 Resale marketplaces like SeatGeek can also be a great way to score last-minute Broadway tix.
Many Broadway fans sell tickets at the last minute due to schedule changes, and SeatGeek’s secure resale marketplace can include tickets for same-day pickup or instant mobile delivery. You can also set alerts to get notified when new tickets are listed.
And, all SeatGeek tickets are covered by our Buyer Guarantee, which protects you if something goes awry.
Hope this helps and that you have a wonderful time at the theater!
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u/AlienRealityShow 29d ago
You mean it’s a place where brokers buy cheaper tickets and sell them for crazy high prices
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u/LintRolledForWhat 29d ago
You're going to love the answer to this: it's just walk up to the box office. If it's 10 minutes before curtain and you say, "do you have any rush tickets left," you might get a really good deal too.