NYC Theaters during Christmas
 

Hi All,<BR><BR>We are planning a short tour to NYC in the end of December, and wondering if there will be any Broadway discounts offered during that time. I recently subscribed to theatermania, playbill and hitsshowclub which keep sending me lots of offers for 40-50% off on some of the best musicals on Broadway. Will there be such discounts offered for the Christmas/New Year timeframe? Any input from Broadway frequenters?<BR>Thank you.

We've spent the last two Christmases in NYC. Whenever you really want to see specific shows on particular days with very good seats, it's best to order those tickets well ahead of time. The discount offers from Playbill, etc. depend upon how less than brisk ticket sales are and are generally offered only for certain days (often no weekends, or Thursdays) of the week one-three months ahead of time. Based on the hotel rates this year, I am guessing that an excellent fill rate is anticipated this Christmas. You can also try the TKTS booth once you arrive for same-day tickets. Last year, though, folks we ran into were complaining that there were no tickets for Broadway musicals, just plays and off Broadway productions.

Christmas Week may be the business week of the year for the theater; it's definitely one of the busiest. So, you're not likely to get those special offers on the "big" shows for that week. Buy your tickets well in advance...like now...for the hit shows like The Producers, The Lion King, etc.!

So are you predicting there won't be any discounts for the end of December shows?<BR>Thanks.

The likelihood of no Broadway show tickets being available at the Tkts booth is remote. There may not be as many shows available but there will be enough to give a person choices. Very few shows are completely sold out whatever the time of the year and that includes Saturday nights. Of course, for the more popular shows tickets should be purchased well in advance.

There'll be some shows at TKTS, but don't expect the ones that are popular at that time. For example, if this was Christmas week, among the shows that probably would NOT be available would at least be these: The Producers, The Lion King, Mamma Mia, Oklahoma, The Graduate, Thoroughly Modern Millie. That week is such a busy one that often even long-running shows like Phantom of the Opera sell out.<BR>The point is that there would be no SPECIAL promotions at that time of the year.<BR>The best advice: If there is a specific show (or shows) you want to see, get the tickets now. However, if you've seen few or none and aren't that fussy, then wait and you'll certainly get something at a discount, even that week.