Planning a 5-day trip to NY in April with my mom and sister. We're planning to see as many shows as we can, within a reasonable budget. At least two we will pre-purchase, just for peace of mind, but we may wait and see if we can get 1/2 price tix for a couple more. What is the average ticket price for shows like Cabaret, Rent, Kiss Me Kate, etc? Is the demand great enough for those shows that we may have to go through brokers?

Thanks in advance.

Top price for most shows is $75. I think it is around $90 for Cabaret. Cabaret and Kiss Me Kate have been available at the Tkts discount booth. On most days there are as many as twenty broadway shows available. I doubt you will have to go to a broker for shows you mentioned.

As a general rule I buy only through TKTS and have found tix to cost $45-50 including the service charge. Keep in mind that there although a given show may have seats ranging from $35-85 at the box office, as a general rule only the most expensive tix are offered through TKTS. In many cases they tend to be towards the sides of the theatre but I've had great luck with these seats and can recommend them. Please note that Rent is now appearing on TKTS on a regular basis but at a 25% discount. We went on a Friday night and our TKTS loge tix cost $62.50 each AFTER the discount but they were well worth it.

Most musicals are in the $80-90 range. A good source of getting tickets at a discount in advance is the Playbill website (www.playbill.com). Join the club there. (It's free and is not a gimmick.) Once you join, you are "eligible for the discounts. Check it out. Shows, such as Cabaret and Chicago are listed there. While the discount prices may not be as low as TKTS, the advantage is that you can buy them in advance (with by phone or at the box office) and you don't have to wait in line!
As for availability at TKTS, April is a busier season than February and some of today's listings may not be up in April.
Except for The Lion King, you should be able to get any show you want at regular full price and not have to go to a broker.

I just wanted to note that the $80-90 range quoted above is for full-price orchestra seats, and these are usually the seats available through TKTS. On the other hand, there are a whole range of prices and seating for most Broadway shows. I would check telecharge.com, not to buy tickets if you're looking for a discount, but because they list regualr ticket prices and have seating charts for the theaters, so you can find out what you're getting, even at a discount.

Thanks for all the informative replies! My sister got some misinformation (was quoted close to $200/each for tickets -- not Lion King!) I knew I could get the straight story here.