Ongoing deals to top Broadway (& Off-Broadway) shows available every week.
Although the TKTS booth offers great discount tickets to same day shows, sometimes you want to plan in advance. Alternatively, there may be a specific show you’d like to see, prompting a special trip to the city just for that experience. Fortunately, there are fantastic online services that provide Broadway and off-Broadway bargains through email newsletters and online platforms.
TDF Membership
The organization behind the discount tickets at the booth also operates a membership program that offers substantial savings on tickets. Eligibility for membership is based on your career or employment status and over 100,000 people have already qualified. Once you’re a member, you can take advantage of regular opportunities for significant discounts on Broadway, off-Broadway, and even some musical productions.
Playbill.com
Playbill Online provides news, articles, and reviews of the latest Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. You can find comprehensive listings of shows in New York City on their website. Through free membership to the Playbill Club, you will receive weekly updates about deals on various productions.
Joining the club is a straightforward process, and the deals you receive can be quite rewarding. As a Playbill Club member, I secured tickets to a Sunday Matinee of Chicago for just $45 each, and I was notified about a special promotion for Rent, where I acquired $20 tickets for a specific performance.
A key advantage of the Playbill Club is that you can purchase tickets at discount prices through Telecharge, bypassing handling fees by printing the offer and going directly to the box office.
This week’s deals from Playbill.com include:
- $49 tickets to one performance of Proof
- Half-price tickets for next month’s (excluding Saturday nights) performances of Contact
- $65 tickets (some restrictions/blackout dates) for Sweet Smell of Success
- Discounts on numerous other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
TheaterMania.com
TheaterMania features a special same-day discount section where you can reserve discounted seats for same-day performances. Current listings offer a generous 40-50% discount off regular ticket prices. A nominal reservation fee of $4.75 per ticket will be charged online at the time of reservation. The ticket price itself must be paid at the box office upon ticket pickup. Remember to print the reservation confirmation and present it at the box office two hours before the show starts.
The exclusive Gold Club offered by TheaterMania is comparable to the Playbill Club, providing access to an array of tickets available for advance sale at discounted rates. A sample week’s listing included seven Broadway shows and over 15 Off/Off-Off Broadway productions, featuring savings up to 45%.
NYTix.com
New York Show Tickets offers membership at $4 per month, providing access to special discount codes, as well as information on available Broadway discounts for various productions. Although detailed access involves a fee, the overview page is free and can give you insight into potential savings if you decide to join. For regular theater-goers or those looking to purchase tickets for multiple shows, this membership can be a worthwhile investment, as it represents a small fraction compared to standard Broadway ticket prices. The site also provides information on parking, TV show tickets, and comedy shows for members.
The Bottom Line
The titles available through these services fluctuate week by week, and one club might have a deal on a show while another does not. Having subscribed to these services for over a year, I’ve found that with a bit of patience, I can often find tickets to shows of interest (although this is not always the case for very popular hits like The Producers). It’s advantageous to print out the offers and take them to the box office to avoid online and phone order handling charges. For theater enthusiasts looking to explore New York City while saving money, options like the Playbill Club, TM Insider, and Hit Show Club could prove exceptionally beneficial!
TodayTix
In a saturated market of ticketing apps, TodayTix stands out with the highest ratings and customer satisfaction. Developed by Broadway Producers, TodayTix allows users to purchase seats for shows up to 30 days in advance, often at significantly lower prices than those found at the box office. Additionally, the app provides updates on new shows and enables users to enter lotteries for chances to win free or discounted seats at popular performances.
