NYC show tickets
 

Any suggestions on how to get last minute tickets for B-way/off Broadway shows?

You can try to go to the TKTS booth in the World Trade Center. The one in Times Square tends to get horrendously crowded, but the World Trade Center booth is far less so. You can by same day tickets for almost half price. I got excellent seats to Ragtime for only $41.

A couple other suggestions: <BR>1. IF you go to TKTS booth in Times Square around 5-6 p.m., there is rarely, if ever, a line. You may not have as much of a choice, but there will be shows up there. Just keep in mind that you're not going to find the hit shows available at the half-price booth any time. <BR>2. Go to this website: <BR>www.playbill.com <BR>Join the club--anyone can. There's no charge. And it is NOT a gimmick. Once you join (it just takes a minute), you can they be "eligible" to get tickets at a discount, simply by printing a copy of the particular show offer and either taking it to the box office or calling up. (It'll cost $5-$5.50 extra per ticket if you call, rather than doing it in person, but it'll still be a bargain.) Among the shows currently available are Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Side Man, Peter Pan, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues and a host of other on and off-Broadway shows. I've used it several times and have gotten good seats at good prices, without having to wait at TKTS.

TKTS is a great deal and definitely worth waiting in line for -- I have used it at least 10 times and have had only good experiences. Just be aware that they only take cash -- no credit cards! The discount is 25 to 50 percent plus a hefty service charge, but it's worth it. And they tend to have pretty good seats -- I have always gotten seats in the orchestra and several times have been in one of the first 5 rows. Like the earlier poster said, the one in the World Trade Center has shorter lines, and it also has another advantage: while the one in Times Square will only sell you tickets for shows the same day, the one in the WTC will on Saturdays sell you tickets for Sunday performances as well as Saturday performances. However, I usually just go to the one in Times Square because it is very inconvenient to go all the way down to the World Trade Center and then come all the way back to the theatre district; it's easier just to stay in line in Times Square. One trick is to get there early before they open so you're at the front of the line -- bring the newspaper and your breakfast (there is a Starbucks nearby) and the time passes pretty quickly, and you have the rest of your day free to do other things. If you want to know what shows TKTS has had tickets for lately, you can check the following website: newyork.sidewalk.com. <BR> <BR>Another way to get last minute tickets for shows is to wait in line at the box office the same day of the show. That is how I got tickets to see "The Lion King" last summer. These will be full price tickets but for some shows like Lion King it's the only way to get tickets at the last minute. You have to get there very early, but it's worth it. Each show usually has VIP tickets that go unused, which they make available at full price prior to showtime, and they also usually have some people bring their tickets for others who got sick or whatever and couldn't make it and resell those at full price as well. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Correction on previous post: It is NOT a hefty service charge for tickets. Only $2.50. At least, that's not hefty to me. <BR>I'll agree with her suggestion about getting in line early (say, by 9 a.m. for matinee tickets) and 1-1:30 for evening tickets. To give you an idea on waiting time once TKTS opens, figure about a half-hour wait for each street block length of the line. (Yes, the double lines can be as long as the equivalent of 3-4 street blocks each!)