I love watching live performances. So, when I was in New York, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to catch Broadway shows. I discovered that I could get half price tickets via the TKTS booth, so that means I could catch two shows for the price of one! However, if there is a show that you really want to catch and the shows are really good or are fairly new, then chances of getting tickets at the TKTS booth are slim or non-existent (for e.g. Wicked and Lion King). Thanks to a friend, we managed to get Lion King tickets from the Minskoff theatre at full price. At least, we didn't have to pay a premium from third party websites. The Lion King was awesome - right down from the creative animal costumes to the jungle props to the world-class music (who can forget the haunting tune of Elton John's "Circle of Life"). Lion King was worth the top dollar paid!
In New York city, there are 2 TKTS booths:
1) Times Square - Located "under the red steps" In Father Duffy Square on
Broadway and 47th Street.Sells day-of-performance tickets only
2) South Street Seaport - Located at the corner of Front and John Streets, near the rear of the Resnick/ Prudential Building at 199 Water Street. Sells tickets to evening performances on the day of the performance, and matinee tickets the day before.
Although, it's located downtown, we went to the South Street Seaport as the booth opens at 11am whilst the Times Square booth only opens at 3pm. Do go earlier as the queue usually starts before the booth opens. Be prepared with a couple of show options because you don't know what shows will be on sale that day.
However, there is still a good selection of shows on sale. We managed to get really good seats (on the 3rd row) for Hair Spray. We were so close we could see the sweat on the faces of the performers. The show was very entertaining. There were groovy dance moves and catchy tunes. We found ourselves tapping our feet and rooting for Tracy Turnblad (everyone loves to see the underdog succeed)!
I really wanted to catch Mama Mia. Unfortunately, there were no available discount tickets on the days we went to the TKTS booth. That's the luck of the draw. Fortunately, Mama Mia (the London production) is coming to Malaysia in December. So, I will get to see it after all - at full price. Still, there are some things worth splurging on!
