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[title]London theatre has a reputation for being expensive. And there’s no getting away from the fact that it can be: in particular top West End prices have soared in recent years, with many popular shows having an upper price of over £200 or even £300 – as much as a music festival.
However, the exorbitant top prices really aren’t the whole story. London theatre is vastly cheaper than America’s Broadway, and the cheapest tickets for any given show are almost always less than £30, and often less than £20. And there will always be inexpensive ways into a show, be it snagging a discounted online ticket or buying a bargain basement standing ticket.
Want to go to the theatre in London but don’t think you can afford it? Here’s a hopefully exhaustive guide to why you’re wrong.
I’m Andrzej Łukowski, Time Out’s theatre editor, and arguably I got this job purely to avoid having to pay for theatre tickets. But I’ve picked up a few tricks on the way that I’m delighted to share with you, gentle reader.
Buy early
A lot of West End naysayers act as if the top prices are the standard prices, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Every show has cheap seats, but they often sell out. Pay attention to what’s coming up and try to get in as early as possible. If there’s a long-running West End show you want to see, follow its socials so you when new blocks of tickets go on sale.
Online lotteries and rush tickets
Virtually every show will have cheap last-minute tickets available digitally. Broadly speaking you’re either looking at an online lottery that will randomly dole out the chance to buy cheap stalls tickets (generally either to that day’s performance or the next) or ‘rush tickets’, wherein cheap stalls tickets are put on sale at a certain time, usually for the following week’s shows. See show websites for details.
Day-seats
Time was that the surest way to get a cheap stalls ticket was to queue for a day-seat: most major shows would release a limited number of tickets at the box office at 10am on a first come, first served, in person callers only basis. The practice has somewhat declined with the rise of lotteries and rush tickets, but remains fairly common.
The TKTS booth in Leicester Square
The iconic booth is operated by the Society of London Theatre and if you’re not hugely picky about what you see it’s terrific for a discounted ticket, as it’s TKTS’s job to sell whatever unsold tickets there are in the West End for the next week or so. Rock up and they’ll sort you out with reduced tickets for a show that night or in the next week.
Snag a return
Returns queues remain a thing, at pretty much any theatre. For a sold-out show it’s worth ringing the box office to get an idea of what time to get down to be in with a chance, but basically the deal is all held and returned tickets will get sold off at a discounted price at the theatre itself in the last minutes before curtain up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Try an online ticketing platform
There are lots of third-party ticket sellers – including your old pals Time Out! On the whole they operate more dynamic prices than buying direct from the theatre. If a show is selling well, the tickets are likely to be more expensive (though they may still have inventory when the theatre itself has sold out). If a show is not selling well, their prices will likely dip far below the official prices.
Online ticket sales
There isn’t a major West End ticket sale every week, but it can feel like it. In particular, ‘London Theatre Week’ happens twice a year, and is a month long each time. Many big West End shows sign up for these sales, and as a minimum you’ll save a few quid booking via these offers. We regularly bring you news about major sales on our London news page.
Stand!
If Shakespeare’s Globe is the only London theatre that actively makes a virtue of standing – it’s a quintessential London experience to pay £5 to take to your feet as one of the famed ‘groundlings’ – many will let you stand at the back of the house for a nominal feel. Famously the Royal Court still offers 10p tickets in person from 6pm for each Downstairs performance (although it’ll set you back a princely £1 if you pay by card).
Become a member
Are theatre memberships worth it? It’s a complicated question, but there is no doubt that they will give you by far the best priority booking access, which will enable you to have a much smoother purchasing experience for any show that’s likely to sell out. Memberships tend to start at around £50; it obviously makes little financial sense to have loads of them but they can be worth it if well-targeted.
Buy in bulk
Potentially a bit niche this one, but ‘group bookings’ (usually defined as 10 or more, though it varies from show to show) typically unlock special rates, and even the possibility of buying tickets ahead of even members. You’ll usually need to speak to somebody direct from the theatre about this, though the official website should give you contact information.
Go off-peak
There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but on the whole prices are a little higher throughout the West End and some major theatres on Fridays and the weekend, and a little lower early and midweek. It’s usually cheaper to go on a Tuesday than a Saturday, basically.
Be young
If you’re lucky enough to be under 25 (and in some cases under 30) many theatres will offer you special rates or deals. This varies a lot: major West End players the Jamie Lloyd Company typically reserves a large number of affordable tickets for younger audiences; the Almeida Theatre often has a free performance of its major shows for younglings; the National Theatre has a special 16-25 rate. In general if you have youth on your side, see if there are options to parlay it into a discount before making a booking.
If you’re planning a visit to London and want to combine a show with a hotel stay, check out the best hotels in the West End.
If you want to know what musicals are currently or soon to run in London, take a gander at out musicals round-up.