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I'm planning an exciting trip to London, however I wonder if I should purchase my theater tickets now, or wait until I get there. Any suggestions would be welcome. This site has been so helpful in making my plans.

That depends upon what you want to see. If you have specific shows that are "hot ticket" shows, then you need to book them as soon as possible by calling the box office directly and having them hold the tickets there for you. But if you are open and flexible, then wait till you get there and get tickets at the official half-price booth at Leicester Square. There are always many good shows with good half-price tickets available.

Except for a very few of the biggest hits, there is no need to book ahead. If there is a blockbuster you simply must see, call the theatre directly and the will hold your ticket at the box office to collect when you are in London. But for the vast majority of shows, go to the 1/2 price TKTS booth in Leicester Square. They sell the best seats to most shows - but only on the day of performance.

wow - Patrick and I were posting at the same time. it is a good thing we offered the same advice :-D

We were in London in the summer of 2000. We went to buy tickets for Mama Mia at the theater on a monday morning, stood in line for 15 minutes, got 4 tickets for the evening show the next day... no problem.

Great minds think alike, Janis!!!

Deadra, Here's the link for the Society of London Theatre's website: http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/ It has lots of good information, including details on the half priced TKS kiosk in Leicester Square. One thought about advanced tickets-- Sometimes it pays to make an international phone call direct to a theater box office. Some, but not all, theaters in London will allow you to book tickets directly (using a credit card). This avoids the hefty booking fees that agencies and online sellers add to the ticket price. Just pick up the tickets at the theater on the day of the performance...but be SURE to bring the same credit card that you used to charge the tickets. Phone numbers for many theater box offices are listed on the website above. Be sure to call during the box office hours (London time). And if you go this route, you may want to use a "10-10" dial around number that offers low rates to the UK for you call(s). Enjoy London! David White http://www.KidsToLondon.com

continued..... FYI: More and more theaters are using commercial booking services (such as Ticketmaster) and this makes direct booking difficult. So don't be surprised if the phone number for a theater's "box office" turns out to be a booking service...

Thanks for the tips!!!

If you live near a big city, I would pass on the "hot ticket" items like Mama Mia, since they will probably tour, and the road companies are just as good. On the other hand, when we are in London there are always scores of smaller plays that we may not get to see in LA. Last time we saw "The Play Wot I wrote." Very funny. Other times we saw "Stones in his Pocket," "Woman in Black," "Stepping Out" (the play) and other shows that never toured and were wonderful. I always say I am going to see "Mousetrap," but there are so many other things that I never saw it. Well, maybe next time. Or the time after that. Or in four years. It will still be there. Go for the smaller shows.

So if you have to use an on-line booking service - does anyone know which one has the most resonable fees?

Ticketmaster has the most reasonable fees - 2 to 2.5 pounds per ticket over the face value of the ticket. The website is www.ticketmaster.co.uk This site actually has a floor plan for each theatre, and you can refer to it when purchasing tickets. Just keep the window open when you're booking the seats, and a confirmation will come back with the seat number. If you don't care for that particular seat, make a new request, but the seats are sold in numerical order. Also, you have the option to have the tickets mailed to you or held at the box office.