Will be in NYC next week, considering going to see Lion King, Sunday matinee, 7/21 (more or less). Aside from looking on EBay and trying the box office or ticketmaster (the latter being probably a futile effort), any ideas on how to get decent tickets without paying totally ridiculous prices?
PS I am in Texas now but will arrive in Newark the Friday just before the Sunday show if geography is an issue.
JohnW77707
Escort a handicapped person.
Seriously.
We had to get tix for my wife’s parents about 10 months in advance. For my parents (my father uses a walker and can’t travel very far, up lots of steps, etc., and there was some concern he might be in a wheelchair by the time of the show), it was only a couple of months advance notice (it might be possible to get them faster–we just didn’t need to) and the ticket prices were considerably cheaper.
Or, you can just go stand in the TKTS line in Times Square for a full day and hope that there are some tickets available.
I tried to find out about Lion King tickets a couple of days ago by calling the New Amsterdam box office. I was told that there are no discounts given and that they do not sell tickets at the TKTS box in Times Square. Also, last time I was in New York I was told numerous times not to buy Lion King tickets from anyone besides the box office or Ticketmaster because a lot of couterfeits were going around. This was over a year ago, but I would still be wary of anyone offering the tickets for sale.
I don’t know about “best” way but when I was in the City last Xmas I checked with the theater tickets seller in the Plaza Hotel and he seemed to have tickets for everything and I doubt that they were counterfeit. However, I could almost have stayed at the Plaza for the price of one ticket.
Best bet is to show up at the box office. Lion King tix are not yet available at TKTS - the show’s still too hot.
If you show up at the box office they will probably have some cancelled tix for sale.
I did the same thing for Aida.
Two suggestions, based on experience:
First, Lola is absolutely right- if you don’t mind waiting a long time on line at the box office, there are usually some no-shows or cancellations, and your chance of getting a ticket are fair. But IF you go this route, you have to be determined and patient. A lot of people will try to do this, so you have to get there earlier and wait longer than they do.
If you’re all alone, the odds are even better. If you have a companion(s), things get a little tougher. However, here’s something that’s worked for me in the past:
Last year, as usual, I was going to New York for Thanksgiving, with my wife and her cousin. They both wanted to see “The Lion King,” but when I tried using Ticketmaster on line, I was told that I couldn’t get 3 tickets for the show. However…
I WAS able to buy 3 different individual tickets! Oh, the seats weren’t together… in fact, they were scattered pretty far apart. But all of the seats were very good ones. And let’s face it, once the curtain goes down, you won’t be talking to each other anyway, right?
So, even if Ticketmaster SAYS you can’t get two seats (or 3 or however many you need), you MAY find that you can buy multiple individual seats. It’s worth checking out- if not THIS time, then the next time you’re looking for theater tickets.
If you’re going to take the advice to show up at the Box Office, be sure to be nice. Remember that the person behind the window is a human being.
True Story:
jdimbert and I went downtown one night to see a show and were disheartened to see that the only show available at TKTS was “Crap: The Musical!” So, we decided to go to an early dinner and forget about it.
On our way to the restaurant, we passed the theatre that was showing Guys and Dolls, starring Nathan Lane. This was a Tuesday night; he had won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical the previous Sunday night. Hype for the show was high.
We decided to see if there were any cancellations. It was about 3:45 when we stepped into the Box Office, in line behind two teenage boys. The two of them rudely asked if the woman, “Had any tickets for us, lady?!” She said no, and they left.
When we got our turn, I said, “I guess you don’t, but I might as well ask. Are there any cancellations for tonight’s show?” She told me that there weren’t, yet, but I should check back around 5:00.
We went browsing in Times Square (best place in the world to waste time!) and went back. The boys must have heard the woman tell us to return, because they were there, too, warming themselves by the radiator in the corner of the lobby.
When we approached the window, the woman called out to the two boys, telling them that there were still no cancellations, there would be no cancellations and that they had to leave.
She then smiled at me and sold me two tickets in the center of the second row for $65 apiece. We were close enough to get sweated on. 
So, be nice!