Looking For Discount Broadway Tickets? There Are Apps For That
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - If you're looking to take a date to a Broadway show, but don't want to pay those Broadway prices, there are new ways to get discount tickets.
It's all in the palm of your hand.
There's no shortage of options for people wanting to see musicals and plays on the Great White Way, for a discount.
Some visit the box office, or wait at the TKTS ticket booth in hopes of scoring a deal.
"I don't miss it when I'm here. I'm always first in line," one woman on the TKTS line told CBSN New York's Alex Denis.
With a record number of Broadway-goers looking to see shows, the industry is changing. Shows like Hamilton and Springsteen on Broadway helped transform the way people get their hands on hard-to-come-by tickets. Crowds lining the streets for in-person lottery drawings became so overwhelming, demand went digital.
Leaving it completely up to chance, the Hamilton lottery offers 46 seats every day for just $10, while apps like TodayTix helps you score tickets to a show of your choice through your phone.
Co-founder and CEO Brian Fenty explained to Denis why he calls his company convenient theater tickets.
"We have over 300 partners in New York City, from Lincoln Center, to shows downtown, to Broadway's best titles, to trolly tours in Brooklyn. And they're not just the cheapest tickets, if you want to sit in the front row, or you want to sit in the back row, we have all of that availability but at the guaranteed best price," Fenty said.
You can select same day shows, or plan up to three months out.
"There are always so many tickets available. We have Broadway tickets that start at $25 to over 100 shows in New York City- and across the world in 14 cities," Fenty said.
Tickets will either be delivered directly to you at the theater, left at will call, or delivered through email.
Now there's a way to turn deal hunting into a game. Liz Durand Streisand is the co-founder and CEO of Broadway Roulette, an online service turning midmarket seats, which typically sell for $89-$125 into a $49 grab.
The catch? You don't get total say. You pick the day, they pick the show.
"There's no bad show on Broadway. that's the reality," she said.
You can select a date for as soon as tomorrow, or three months out. You can decide evening or matinee, number of tickets, and eliminate between 4-6 shows depending on how much you're willing to spend.
"You pay at the time of purchase and lock in your tickets, and you don't hear from us again until the day before your show," Streisand said.
On the day of the event, your show is revealed. You pick up tickets at the box office. If you check out #BroadwayRoulette, you'll see people have scored seats to everything from the Lion King, Wicked, to Hamilton.
"We don't do any partial views where you're blocked, and we generally avoid the last couple rows of the theater," Streisand said.
So if you're willing to play, you may score big for a small price.
When shows are in preview, its an even better time to score deals.
