One of the things a lot of people like to do when going on trips to New York or other large cities is to see shows. Broadway is a particular favorite, of course. One thing that a lot of people find as a hurdle to this is high prices at the box office for tickets they might want. There are ways, however, to get tickets to the events that people want at reasonable prices.
One method is to check with the theater and see if they have a lottery policy. A lottery is where the theater holds back a certain number of tickets for each performance to sell at a reduced price a short time (an hour or two usually) before the show. For items like The Book of Mormon tickets, which is one of the hottest events on Broadway, tickets can be quite expensive so the lottery is a great way to get tickets cheap, if you’re very lucky. The policy at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York where The Book of Mormon is showing is to take lottery entries starting 90 minutes before show time. The lucky winners get to take their seats, while everyone else has to go home empty handed.
Another way is to buy tickets ahead of time from a reputable ticket broker. Ticket brokers deal on what’s referred to as the secondary ticket market. This is the market for tickets purchased by people who cannot make the show, bought too many tickets, etc. It’s also a way for venues to guarantee that their tickets are all sold, whether or not all of the seats are full. Ticket brokers are not “scalpers”, as the practice has been referred to in the past; because they guarantee the validity of the tickets, and will often give a money back guarantee to back up that claim.
Because brokers deal in what is essentially a commodity, the price they charge is reflected by the market value of the ticket in question. Premium seats for very popular events such as The Book of Mormon can go for hundreds of dollars per seat, while seats to less desired events can actually be sold to the consumer at a substantial discount. Events with multiple venues, such as The Lion King tickets or discount Wicked tickets, can also be found at reduced prices, because there are more seats available.
Don’t be afraid to look for tickets to the next big event online. Ticket brokers and box offices often give discounts to purchasers through their websites, and the buyer has the added guarantee by the broker of authenticity of the tickets, as well as the protections offered by their credit card company. It really is a safer, more convenient way to get the theatre tickets people want.
