# Help me choose/buy tix to a Broadway show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313 "2010-01-17T14:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/1 "2010-01-17T14:41:11Z")
I am taking my daughter to see the Lion King on Broadway for her 10th birthday. I have never been to a Broadway show myself so I have a few questions. I HAVE been to NYC and seen the discount ticket booth in Times Square. Is that an option or will it likely be sold out if I wait until the day of the show? The Disney site linke to Ticketmaster to buy the tickets. Are there any other options for cheaper tickets? (I seriously doubt it!) Lastly, what do you think is a better seat for a visually rich spectacle like the Lion King? Down in front on in the middle of the mezzanine? THANKS!! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/2 "2010-01-17T16:38:13Z")
The TKTS booth will get you discount tickets, but probably not to **The Lion King**. It only has tickets to shows that aren’t selling out (though maybe by now **the Lion King** is in that category). In any case, you can’t guarantee that the tickets for a particular show will be available at a particular date (or that they don’t sell out before you get to the front of the line). [Broadway.com](http://www.broadway.com/shows/the-lion-king/) may have tickets for less than Ticketmaster. ---
**Author:** ![valleyofthedolls](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a4c791/32.png) [@valleyofthedolls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/valleyofthedolls)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/3 "2010-01-17T17:26:43Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > I am taking my daughter to see the Lion King on Broadway for her 10th birthday. I have never been to a Broadway show myself so I have a few questions. > > I HAVE been to NYC and seen the discount ticket booth in Times Square. Is that an option or will it likely be sold out if I wait until the day of the show? > > The Disney site linke to Ticketmaster to buy the tickets. Are there any other options for cheaper tickets? (I seriously doubt it!) > > Lastly, what do you think is a better seat for a visually rich spectacle like the Lion King? Down in front on in the middle of the mezzanine? > > THANKS!! The Lion King has a full house pretty much every night. You won’t be able to get discounted tickets for it. I would also purchase tickets as far in advance as possible if you have a particular day/night you want to attend. Most people will probably disagree with me but IMHO, 1st row, center of the mezzanine is the best seat in any theatre (I wouldn’t sit anywhere else in the mezzanine). Barring that, center orchestra. Skip the first few rows, your neck will thank you. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/4 "2010-01-17T18:15:47Z")
Just to echo what has been said, TKTS will not have _Lion King_ tickets, so don’t do that. It was at 100% capacity last week and 98.2% this week [(Cite)](http://www.playbill.com/features/article/135862-Broadway-Grosses-Jan-4-10), and that’s in January, a low time for Broadway. When are you planning on making this trip? ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/5 "2010-01-17T19:20:12Z")
I have done the TKTS thing in New York several times. I would say that if you have your heart set on seeing a specific show, buy the tickets directly. There’s no way to tell what TKTS will have available. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/6 "2010-01-17T19:35:34Z")
For those of you using TKTS, usually there are very long lines in the Times Square Booth, but most people don’t realize there is another booth in the Fulton’s Fishmarket Area. It’s called the South Street Seaport Booth and it’s at the corner of Front and John Streets, near the rear of the Resnick/ Prudential Building at 199 Water Street. This booth, unlike the Times Square one isn’t too crowded and they not only sell tickets to the same day evening performance, but to the matinee for the next day’s performace TKTS also has a booth in Brooklyn for theatre over there. Here’s a [site](http://www.tdf.org/TDF_SupportPage.aspx?id=68&do=v) that will tell you what tickets the TKTS booths sold the prior week. That will give you an idea of what kind of shows are available. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/7 "2010-01-17T23:42:27Z")
In addition to the site \*\*Markxxx \*\*provided, you can also check [http://www.broadwaybox.com/](http://www.broadwaybox.com/) to see what shows have discounted tickets. You won’t find discounts for sold out shows like _The Lion King, Wicked_ or _A Little Night Music_, but there are plenty of other shows that you can get for 30-50% off. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/8 "2010-01-18T08:58:06Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > TKTS also has a booth in Brooklyn for theatre over there. Just so you know, the Brooklyn TKTS booth sells tickets for the same shows as the other booths, not just Brooklyn shows. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hrududu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Hrududu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrududu)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/9 "2010-01-18T11:28:36Z")
Like everyone else has said, you won’t get Lion King tickets at the TKTS booth. I think you either need to sit 7 or 8 rows back in the orchestra or close to the front of the mezzanine. For a show thats as much as a spectacle as The Lion King you want to be far back enough to take it all in. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-choose-buy-tix-to-a-broadway-show/525313/10 "2010-01-18T13:03:42Z")
Yes, but when I take the train into the city for a day, the Father Duffy Square TKTS is within easy walking distance, and I can have lunch at Virgil’s BBQ befoer the matinee. South Street Seaport is out of the way for me (and most of everyone else who comes into Grand Central Terminal). I have NEVER seen Lion King available at TKTS, nor any of Disney’s other shows, except Mary Poppins (which was much more enjoyable than I expected – I was outvoted on that trip. Earlier this month The Wife and I saw The 39 Steps, while the daughters went to Rock of Ages.) But, as has been said, if you really want to see a specific show you must purchase those tickets directly.