TKTS Question

[hanabana]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 12:11am

Hi everyone, I have a question about getting tickets at the TKTS booth. How is my chances at getting tickets if I show up at around 6:30 PM or even later for a 8 PM show? When I get tickets there, I usually go pretty early to make sure I get tickets. However, I want to try the Book of Mormon lottery or Wicked lottery one of these days. I know that lottery for these shows are very crowded, but I don't really want to end up not watching any show at all. So I was planning to go to the lottery and then directly to the TKTS booth to get tickets if I lose. But this pretty much means I will get to the booth at 6:30, or even 7 PM or after! Has anyone here ever been to the TKTS booth after that time? Would they still have tickets for any show, and would the seats be really bad?
Any info on this would be greatly appreciated!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 12:22am

They will definitely still have tickets...they may not have everything that was up at the beginning of the day, but you will for sure have options. And the seats won't necessarily be bad, I've gotten great seats at around that time from the booth.

If you have an iPhone or iPad (it might be available on Droid also, I'm not sure), there's also a TKTS app and you would be able to look at what's up at the booth before you get there so you can decide what you want to see and just go up to the window and pay, since there's usually basically no line at that point.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 12:26am

If you really want to see The Book of Mormon and don't mind waiting do standing room. The lottery is very crowded!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 12:28am

I completely agree re: standing room.

That said, I lost BoM lotto today and still had time to successfully go to TKTS. There were still at least 10 shows up by the time I got there, and I'd already been chatting with friends for about 20 minutes after we lost.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 1:31am

While SRO is great....it's a long day standing in line.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 8:35am

The box offices will often release tickets to TKTS throughout the day as they see how walk up sales for that evening are going. So it is possible to get great seats by waiting until closer to show time to purchase at TKTS.

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 8:39am

Time should not be an issue. My wife is disabled and doesn't get around too quickly, and we were able to lose the BOM lottery, get tickets at TKTS, grab a quick bite, and get into the theater in plenty of time.

And yeah, sometimes you getter better shows and better seats last minute.

[kc2]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 10:51am

Sorry to jump on your thread hanabana - I'm coming to NY in just over a week & plan on taking advantage of the TKTS booth. I've never bought tickets that way before though so don't know how best to go about it.

What kind of time is best to go & how long a wait should I expect? (I know that's very vague and depends on variables but I'm asking anyway for a general idea.)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 11:11am

It depends on the day and the weather. The booth opens earlier when there are matinees -- but that is only for matinee sales.

some folks have great luck going at the last minute, only a half hour before curtain or so -- but the selection of WHICH shows are available is small.

[macnyc]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 11:36am

habana, double-check the BOM lottery times. I believe the lottery starts at 5:00 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (those days, curtain is at 7:00, I believe). So that means if you lose the lottery, you'll be heading over to the booth around 5:15, and it shouldn't take you more than five minutes to walk over there. I have the TKTS app and tend to check it every day. It seems to me that lots of good shows are generally available at that time, depending on what you want to see, of course.

I plan on doing the same thing next week when my sister comes to town. We already have tickets for Newsies and Once. We're going to TKTS for the Wednesday matinee (hope to see 4000 Miles, the Best Man, Tribes, or War Horse). We're going to do the BOM lottery at 5:00, and after we lose (I'm a pessimist), we'll head over to the booth to see what else on our list is available.

Also, I've recommended the free TKTS app on several occasions. It's great. And the latest version has added a feature called the Go List. You add the shows you want to see to your Go List. Then, just click on the list, and it will show you which of them is available that moment at TKTS.

Also, the booth has a separate line for plays, and it tends to be much shorter than the line for musicals.

Please be sure to double-check the lottery times and don't take my word for it! Have fun!


Updated On: 6/17/12 at 11:36 AM

[karen24]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 1:04pm

Also, just to build on what macnyc wrote, it's a good idea to have a list (mental or written down if necessary) of which shows you're most hoping to see, in order - then when you get to TKTS or check the app you'll be able to decide quickly what to ask for. I, at least, tend to go into a kind of brain freeze when I'm standing at the ticket window and can't always remember, without a list, what to ask for if my first choice show isn't available or doesn't have good seats.

[kc2]

Posted: 6/17/12 at 7:19pm

Thanks for the heads up on the app!

[hanabana]

Posted: 6/23/12 at 12:08am

Thanks so much for your inputs! Definitely very helpful. I took everyone's advice and had a list in mind for after I lose the BOM lottery. But as it turns out, I went yesterday, and did not need it. Somehow my lottery card managed to get picked up and I grabbed two of the last couple of lotto tickets! I could not believe my luck, and I am pretty sure I was literally jumping up and down. I am so grateful to the show for offering this opportunity, and to the gods of lottery for smiling on me. The show was glorious!

kc2, I usually go to the booth within the first hour that it opens, and it's pretty crowded, but I've never waited more than an hour. Usually it's about 45-50 minutes for me. If you go a bit later, the wait wouldn't be that long. In fact, I passed by the ticket booth at 5 PM yesterday, and it seemed that the wait would have been pretty short.
macnyc, you're seeing Newsies and Once? That's awesome! I'd love to see those sometime, maybe after the summer, after the busy season. Oh and a tip on the BOM lottery! You were right that the curtain's at 7 for Tuesday - Thursday, and for those days, the lottery drawing happens at 5 PM, but you must put in your entries before then, during 4:30 - 5. Another tip, I think you can try other lotteries after BOM if you don't win. Check the times for other shows with lottery - I believe you can try Wicked and Ghost because their show times are later than BOM. Have lots of fun, and good luck!!!

Thanks again on your responses everyone~ Good luck to all of you who plan to do lotto for BOM or any other show!

[macnyc]

Posted: 6/23/12 at 1:47pm

Wow, that's great! Congrats! How was the show? I'm going to do the BOM lottery on Wednesday with my sister, who's visiting. I think it will be a fun New York thing to do.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/12 at 1:50pm

Macny -- I hope you realize that very few of the people that enter actually get tickets. It's one of the hardest lotterys to win.

[macnyc]

Posted: 6/23/12 at 1:53pm

Yes, thank you, I know. I've done it a couple of times by myself. I still think it's fun! If we lose, we'll head over to the booth to pick up tickets. I have the TKTS app, so I'll know what's available.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/23/12 at 2:01pm

Great... just trying to help! Hope you win!

[hanabana]

Posted: 6/24/12 at 1:33am

Thanks macnyc. The show was fantastic, I had a lot of fun. I love the score, and the cast is very talented. The entire show is full of energy (lots of dancing involved too). And it is hilarious! And yes, I agree the lottery is in a way fun by itself, the guy who was running the lottery was entertaining, and it didn't take up much time at all. Good luck to you and your sister!

[DEClarke]

Posted: 6/26/12 at 5:16pm

I know it's hard to predict the future and all, but is there a chance that ONCE tickets will be made available at the TKTS booth by July 21? I'm in NYC July 21 - 29, but don't have the money to get tickets until I get there...

Also, the BOM Friday Matinee... does it ever go up at TKTS?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/26/12 at 8:52pm

BOM is never on tkts.

Once? I doubt it. It's been doing very well since the Tony Awards. The shows that are unlikely to be on tkts. (Not impossible, but unlikely)

Mormon
Harvey
Lion King
Newsies
Once
Wicked

[luckyleo81]

Posted: 6/26/12 at 8:56pm

If I was to have a guess right now I would say definitely not for BoM and probably not for Once. Producers only send tickets to the TKTS booth if they feel they can't sell them at full price and neither show has a problem selling out between pre-sales and cancellation lines. The only things I think that could change this in a month is if (a) people stop going to BoM now that the cast has changed and (b) Once's Tonys buzz dies down.

[THEATRICAL100]

Posted: 6/26/12 at 11:00pm

You'll be fine; my uncle periodically gets tickets to shows at tkts 30 mins prior to show. And on BOM SRO, it's fun for me. I get there early wih Starbucks, sit, and either draw, dance or talk to the friendly people around me. It really isn't too bad.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/26/12 at 11:06pm

Do you bother to read the threads? That question was not only answered minutes after he asked (a week ago) but the OP has also reported back on what happened.