Cheap West End theatre tickets and day-seats
West End theatre shows can seem expensive and/or impossible to get into, but the trith is there's always a way to get cheap tickets or find a way in to a sold out show you want.
1. Great ticket offers. Unless a show is very hot or the run is short, you should be able to shop around and get discounted tickets to any West End show via third party sellers like our own Time Out theatre tickets service and TKTS.
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2. Returns. The faithful old return is very much a thing for sold-out West End shows. Queue up outside any given theatre an hour or two before showtime and returned tickets will be sold, albeit at full price.
3. Day-seats. The open secret of London theatre is that most big shows release excellent day tickets and day-seats on the day of performance, generally at a cheap rate, available in person from the box office only (ie, you might have to get there early and queue).
4. Lotteries. West End theatre shows that don't have day-seats will usually have a ticket lottery that you can enter online. The big one for this is ‘Hamilton’, though it's increasingly common with new shows aiming at a younger audience.
See below for show-by-show info on day tickets and lotteries in the West End.
Ongoing West End theatre ticket offers
Aladdin
A daily lottery will offer the winners a chance to buy stalls seats at £25 each. Entries will be accepted in person at the box office only two and half hours before most performances, and drawn two hours before the performance.
The Book of Mormon
A daily lottery will offer the winners a chance to buy 20 best stalls seats at £20 each. Entries will be accepted in person at the box office only two and half hours before each performance, and drawn two hours before the performance.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
A limited number of £15 tickets are available from the box office from 10am on the morning of performance.
A limited number of £20 tickets are available via lottery distribution on the TodayTix app on day of performance.
Hamilton
A daily online ticket lottery randomly distributes £10 tickets for the next day's performance. This can be done on the ‘Hamilton’ website or the official app.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Every Friday at 1pm 20 tickets will go on sale online at the show's official website for each of the following week’s performances at the same price – aka 'The Friday Forty'.
Jersey Boys
Front row tickets are £22.50 for every performance (restricted view).
Matilda the Musical
Eight £5 tickets per performance are reserved for 16-25-year-olds. One per person is available on day of performance at box office, from 10am. Bring ID.
National Theatre
There are numerous cheap ticket schemes for the NT, see here for details.
The Phantom of the Opera
A limited number of day seats will be available at £25 each from 10am on the day of the performance for Thursday matinees, only in person at the box office.
Shakespeare's Globe
Standing tickets remain priced at just £5 – comfortably the best ticket deal in London.
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London's theatre calendar is flooded with exciting new shows, big names and hotshot directors, and there's no way anyone can see them all. But here the Time Out theatre team have picked ten shows opening in London this month that you won't regret booking for.
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