Advice on how I can snag last second tickets with these limitations?

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 12:43pm

I am hoping the canny denizens of this board will have some insights on the best way to accomplish my goal of attending at least a couple of Broadway shows while I'm in Brooklyn later this week at an event with an unpredictable schedule.  On Thursday and Friday, I may or may not have my evenings free, but I won't know until late in the day each day.  Since I don't know, I can't take the chance of buying tickets until maybe an hour, maybe less, before a show.  I know about how long it takes to get from downtown Brooklyn to a theater.  My question is would it be better to first go to TKTS in Brooklyn, assuming it is still open, and see what they have, or go straight to the theater of a show I would like to see and hope they have something available?

FYI, the two shows I'd most like to see are Gary and Burn This.  The latter has decent availability on Thursday but not so much on Friday.  I can see one of these shows on Saturday with much less uncertainty about my schedule, but I don't want to pay regular price for either show if I can avoid it.

This is all new to me -- I usually buy my tickets months in advance!  

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 3:44pm

I'd say you're missing the obvious compromise solution:

Go straight to the Times Square TKTS booth and see what's available. That easy, if there's nothing to your liking, you're right there if you want to the try going direct to the theater.

[Eliza2]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 3:51pm

there is a TKTS app that you can look at as you're traveling from Brooklyn to Times Square to get an idea of what they have available and at what discount for that night.

There's also the TodayTix app where you can purchase directly from your phone and pick your tickets up from a TodayTix rep in front of the theatre. 

[teresa2]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 4:59pm

You can also check stubhub. Prices drop the closer to the show as they want to get rid of them, even if they take a loss.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 5:23pm

I would surprised if you weren’t able to just walk to the box office mid day/early evening to get rush tickets for Gary.

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 5:59pm

Thanks to all who responded.  I figured TKTS in TImes Square would be busier than Brooklyn's and with my tight time-frame, might not work as well.  I hadn't thought about using the app that way, so that was helpful. 

I can't do rush per se as I will be unable to go to the box office until almost curtain's up.  But, I get the broader point.

[Emmaloucbway]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 8:57pm

I could be wrong but I don't think there's TKTS in Brooklyn anymore. Didn't it close recently? 

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 3/24/19 at 9:11pm

Emmaloucbway said: "I could be wrong but I don't think there'sTKTS in Brooklyn anymore. Didn't it close recently?"

That's correct. The Brooklyn TKTS booth closed several months ago. I used it a number of times and there was never any traffic. Surprised they kept it open as long as they did. Once Lincoln Center came on line, its days were numbered.

 

[Fosse76]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 1:24am

theaterdrew said: "Thanks to all who responded. I figured TKTS in TImes Square would be busier thanBrooklyn's and with my tight time-frame, might not work as well. I hadn't thought about using the app that way, so that was helpful.

I can't do rush per se as I will be unable to go to the box office until almost curtain's up. But, I get the broader point."

You can see what's available on TKTS using the app or online. You don't need to actually be there to see what's available. Also, there is pretty much no line closer to curtain, so you should be able to get a ticket and get to the theater in time. And depending on the show, the later you get there, the increased probability of getting a better seat, since the remaining unsold seats will be made available to TKTS.

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 9:28am

Thank you, Fosse76.  I feel more confident I'l be able to make this work.  About the Brooklyn site, that's frustrating because when I looked up its hours, there was no indication it was closed. Now I see it is no longer on the TDF site list.

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 9:44am

I agree with Fosse76. With my experience with TKTS during the low season 30-45 minutes before a show starts, lines tend to be very short even at the Times Square location. It's only long during the peak/high season of late spring, summer, and holidays.

Good luck!

[Lola1955]

Posted: 3/25/19 at 4:51pm

I'm a longtime TodayTix user (and actually work for the company now) and can say that it's often a great way to get last-minute tickets. TodayTix currently has tickets available for Thursday and Friday for both "Gary" and "Burn This."

https://www.todaytix.com/x/nyc/shows/14698-gary

https://www.todaytix.com/x/nyc/shows/14600-burn-this

You can also log into the app and filter by day to see what's available day of. Hope this helps!