Kay

Do you have to go early to the half-price ticket booth to get evening theatre tickets? I won't be getting into town until early afternoon.

Gina

Kay, if I recall correctly, the Leicester Square ticket booth opens at 12 or 12:30 for matinees and 2 or 2:30 for evening performances. On Fridays and Saturdays, tickets tend to sell out quickly; on weekdays, I've found that I can sometimes walk up at four or five pm and have a great selection of shows and seats. Fall of 1998, I got to the ticket booth at probably 4 pm on a Tuesday and got fifth-row seats for Rent at the Shaftesbury. <BR> <BR>Suggestions: have several shows in mind that you'd be interested in seeing, so you won't feel let down if your first choice isn't available. Some of the biggest shows, like Les Mis, Chicago, Phantom, do not usually get sold at the half-price ticket booth, although it often surprises me what does. <BR> <BR>Don't forget to bring *cash*. You cannot pay by check or credit card. <BR> <BR>Have a great time! I may be going to London in late September and if I do, I'm planning a few days chockfull of theater!

Mark

Hi ... <BR> <BR>Another word of advice ... make sure you get into the correct queue ..... it can be a bit depressing to stand in a queue & find they don't sell the show you want to see !!! This happened to us !! <BR> <BR>Last year (just before Christmas) we got tickets for Starlight Express from a booth. It was Saturday at 3PM, so you should be ok. <BR> <BR>Mark

Nigel Doran

Why not try www.lastminute.com for theatre deals? You can always log on while you are here and try to get some good deals. <BR> <BR>The same site does good menu deals too.

Vanessa

Will Les Mis be playing in London in mid September? Where?

Robin

The Leicester Square booth is a great deal, but, as you probably know, you can't always get the tickets you most want. London theatre is worth the splurge if you want to see something special. You may want to look into online agencies before you go. <BR> <BR>What I enjoy so much there is that the theatres are all smaller than in the states, so the whole experience is more intimate. Also, I really felt the last time I went that there was more depth of talent in the cast-- even smaller roles were wonderfully played. maybe this is a result of having such a vibrant "scene". It's my favorite place to go.

Gina

Vanessa, oh yes! Les Mis has been running at the Palace Theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue at Charing Cross Road, for quite a few years now and shows no signs of closing that I can tell. <BR> <BR>Robin, it's true that you can't always get *the* tickets you absolutely want at Leicester Square, but if you don't go up expecting to get something truly high-demand like Les Mis or Mamma Mia!, you should be able to see great shows. And especially when going to the theater on weeknights (unlike many theaters in the U.S., most British theaters are dark on Sundays and have performances on Mondays), I've almost *never* been denied tickets if I just walked up to the box office on the day of performance. Again, there can be exceptions, especially with high-demand shows (we booked Mamma Mia! through the Albemarle Web site because it's been so madly sold out), but in many cases spending the extra processing fees to order tickets in advance through a service isn't necessary. <BR> <BR>For example, when I go to London in September, I have a list of about six shows that I really want to see (Beautiful Game, Witches of Eastwick, Green Fields Beyond, etc). I get in on a Sunday. If I have time Sunday I may call some of the theaters and check availability, but probably not. On Monday I'll go down to Leicester Square and see what I can turn up for that night; if none of the shows I want is listed, then I'll try booking through the box office. With weeknight performances and multiple shows that I want to see, I can't imagine getting shut out. <BR> <BR>All that said, if you *reallyreally* want to see Mamma Mia! or another very high-demand show and would be heartbroken if you missed it, then yes, definitely order in advance. <BR> <BR>Oh--one good way to check out what's showing up at the Leicester Square booth is through the London Theater guide online. http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/members/halfprice.html <BR> <BR>To access the information, you have to be a member, which costs 10 GBP per year; but they'll let you have trial access for a week for free. <BR> <BR>