"Rushing" Around New York - 15 shows in 10 days

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 3:23am

"Rushing" Around New York - 15 shows in 10 days

I have just spent 10 days in New York from 1st-10th June, and saw 14 Broadway Musicals (and an Off-Broadway play) for a grand total of $660 ($44 per show average). This board has been invaluable to me in finding out about rush/cheaper deals and so I wanted to share my experience in the hope of helping others.

Friday June 1 -
Mean Girls ($42.5). I arrived fairly late into the city at 4pm. My plan was to grab something from TKTS, but I thought I'd enter the Mean Girls in person lotto first. At least 200 people there, and lucky me gets drawn third. 

Saturday June 2 -
A Bronx Tale ($32). I arrive at the theatre at 9am, check my emails and I actually had won the digital lotto. Great orchestra seat for the matinee.
Carousel ($40). I managed to pick up a rush ticket for the evening performance at around 12:15. Third row side orchestra and a great view.

Sunday June 3 - 
Dear Evan Hansen ($42). I had read from this board that standing tickets were occasionally available on the day. I was first in line at 8:30am and got a great spot. They had four tickets total.
Afterglow ($25). Rush sold an hour before show. I went with a friend who had wanted to see it and it was certainly different from the other shows I saw on my trip! My only Off-Broadway show of the trip.

Monday June 4 -
Once On This Island ($49.50). The most expensive "rush" style ticket of the trip, won through the in person lottery. This was standing room but offered a really great view. It was busy and so we're lucky to win. My family had joined me in the city on Monday and two of us got drawn and so we were able to get all four of us tickets.

Tuesday June 5 -
Waitress ($40). We arrived at around 8am to be 5th in line. Managed to get four seats, side orchestra rows B/C. Not a bad view for the price.

Wednesday June 6 -
Frozen ($60). Ok, so I bought a ticket from a time square scalper. Good seat in the Mezzanine (Face Value $99). I had my second win in the Mean Girls lotto and let my mum and sister have the tickets. My dad got a cheap balcony ticket for Bronx Tale
Bands Visit ($40). Got in the rush line at 9am. Got box rush seats which offered a pretty good view for the price. Dad and sister managed to get SRO for Evan on Wednesday evening. She was third in line at 8am.

Thursday June 7
Phantom ($45). Box office sold me third row side orchestra for $45 after I'd enquired about box seats. It was a great seat!
Hello, Dolly! ($47). Side orchestra rush. Second and third row. They were partial view but we didn't miss much. 

Friday June 8
Anastasia ($66). Side Orchestra from TKTS. Great seat.
Dad won last seat at Mean Girls in person lotto. Sister got the last sole rush ticket for Come From Away my parents had managed to get that morning (arriving at 7am). Mum had a night off, not tempted by the really cheap Frozen tickets on offer from the scalpers (she could have had a $220 for about $70 20 mins before the show).

Saturday June 9
Mean Girls ($42.50) Mum won lottery so my sister and I went again. 
Come From Away ($38) arrived at 05:45 and were 2nd in line, having missed out the previous day. Got two tickets for matinee for the parents, and one for me for the evening. My sister bought a Frozen ticket from the scalpers for $75 (face value $175!) and had a great front mezz seat.

Sunday June 10 
SpongeBob ($50). Arrived just after box office opened. Great Mezz seats for $50, and a great way to end the trip.

So in conclusion, a great week, helped by a little bit of luck for the lotteries. I found the digital lottos to be a bit of a waste of time. I get that someone has to win, but the in person lottos seem a lot fairer when you can actually see the process. Rush has certainly increased in price (and seemingly popularity) in the last 10 years since I first came to New York, but it's still a great way to see things for a good price.

Frozen I guess will be on the half price booth once the initial ticket periods which were bought up by the scalpers has passed. Honestly couldn't believe the amount they seemed to have available.

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 9:43am

Wow you're very lucky indeed!!! Was there any in-person rush that you entered but did not win?!? This is awesome and great job! 

I always think digital rush is a way for the theater to get free advertising from its fans (especially for those who share it on twitter/FB) and also a way to dynamically change the number of tickets offered daily to fill up the house.

[A0326T]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 10:46am

I be in nyc early August and would like to score a good price for Frozen. How do you spot a scalper on Tines Square and how do you know if the ticket is legit. I have been using theater mania for discount and I don't think I am going to see Frozen on their list. I have not seen the Disney movie so I have none to compare but I was taken by their Tony performance.

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 11:17am

A0326T said: "I be in nyc early August and would like to score a good price for Frozen. How do you spot a scalper on Tines Square and how do you know if the ticket is legit. I have been using theater mania for discount and I don't think I am going to see Frozen on their list. I have not seen the Disney movie so I have none to compare but I was taken by their Tony performance."

On my way home I pass by Times Square almost every day and whenever I stand to check the TKTS booth offerings, the scalpers for Frozen are nearby and you don't find them; they find you. I watched Frozen a few months ago form the cheap stubhub prices. Not sure if the prices are still cheap but give it a try as well. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 11:27am

A0326T said: "I be in nyc early August and would like to score a good price for Frozen. How do you spot a scalper on Tines Square and how do you know if the ticket is legit. I have been using theater mania for discount and I don't think I am going to see Frozen on their list. I have not seen the Disney movie so I have none to compare but I was taken by their Tony performance. "

Never use those scalpers. The person that wrote this post was lucky since those guys tickets are usually fake. Use StubHub instead.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 11:29am

This is so helpful, OP! Glad you had such great luck and spent so little. :)

[nealb1]

Posted: 6/12/18 at 11:35am

WOW!  Congrats to you!  When I was just there  last month, I was able to rush some of the shows that you saw as well.  

The legit scalper tickets are the guys right by the TKTS booth.  They are the ones who stand on the side of the board, that is closest to the open seating area in Times Square.  When I was there I got to talking to one of them and they sell a lot of their tickets below face value the day of.  

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 7:22am

"Wow you're very lucky indeed!!! Was there any in-person rush that you entered but did not win?!? This is awesome and great job!"

We couldnt get CFA on Friday for the four of us as they only had one ticket left, that was from arriving at 7. We queued from 5:45 on Saturday to ensure we got another 3 for myself and my parents. All the other in person rush we got fine, including every time we did the Mean Girls in person lotto we won at least one ticket. We all managed to see it, and then my sister and I went again.

The "scalpers" or as we call then here, touts, were to the opposite side of the booth to the TKTS queue. I'd been talking to someone earlier in the week who had told me it was the best way to get Frozen tickets as they'd bought them all up and now couldn't shift them. Bought my sisters ticket off the same guy I had bought mine off earlier in the week.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 10:03am

Wow, what an amazing trip and so jealous of those prices you snagged! Man, those Frozen scalpers aren't having much luck, are they?

[ArtMan]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 1:10pm

Mark, Happy, you had a great trip.  You are from the UK, right?  You helped me some years back with suggestions for my London trip.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 4:39pm

I am indeed based in the UK.
Glad to know I helped you with a past trip. London is a totally different ballgame with tickets - much easier to do on a budget!

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 4:45pm

This Mean Girls lottery is easy to win or what?

 

I friend of mine also won the in-person the first time he tried. Is there any advice or just lucky?

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 5:01pm

But what a great post!

I intend to rush 15 shows or so around October in 20 days and I'm really hoping it works out well for me hahaha

[deathofacatler]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 5:13pm

OP, I’m glad you had so much lined up! If you don’t mind me asking, how was Dear Evan Hansen standing room? (Hopefully not as tall of a wall as the Broadhurst, ha)

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:28am

The music box is ideal for standing room, the ledge is a pretty good height

[asoftplacetoland]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 2:02am

Sooo which show was your favorite? :)

[B.JAMES]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 7:40am

Those tickets probably belonged to the company I work for. Anyone who is in town and ever looking for random last minute tickets, feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to have a coffee at the corner Starbucks with you and show you the storefront we operate out of. I’ve made some great friends and contacts over the last 4 years working there.

Cheers :)

[B.JAMES]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 7:42am

Thanks for the validation :)

[Mark_E]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:18pm

Of the new shows I saw, I loved Mean Girls. I'd previously seen SpongeBob, Dolly, Waitress, Come From Away and Dear Evan Hansen. 

Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy The Bands Visit. Went in with very high expectations and just found it to be quite dull

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:56pm

B.JAMES said: "Those tickets probably belonged to the company I work for. Anyone who is in town and ever looking for random last minute tickets, feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to have a coffee at the corner Starbucks with you and show you the storefront we operate out of. I’ve made some great friends and contacts over the last 4 years working there.

Cheers :)"

Why not just say where the storefront is?  Why the need for a sitdown coffee session/meet & greet?  Sounds like a "psst, buddy" thing to me.