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Click HERE for reviews of current West End shows.

**SCROLL DOWN for special offers**

BUYING TICKETS

You can buy tickets through ticket brokers online, by mail or phone, or in many hotels and storefront offices, but even the most honest will charge you about 25% over the ticket cost, in most cases just for phoning the theatre for you. It is almost always better to deal with the theatre box office directly. You can book tickets by phone with a credit card, for a service charge of one or two pounds, or buy them in person at the theatre, with no additional charge.

If you do choose to use a broker, it is helpful to know that they are required by law to give you the following information before asking for money or credit card details: the exact location of your tickets (part of the theatre, row and seat numbers), the base price (what you'd pay at the theatre), their commission or other charges, and the total price. If they don't volunteer this information before asking for money, end the transaction and shop elsewhere.

SAVING MONEY

Day Seats Several West End shows have adopted the National Theatre's long-held policy of holding back a block of cheap seats for sale on the day of performance. Currently HAIRSPRAY, LORD OF THE RINGS, THE LION KING, WICKED, SOUND OF MUSIC, STOMP, MAMMA MIA and BILLY ELLIOT, among others, along with all shows at the Donmar and the National Theatre, have day seats. You might want to check with the theatre in advance to find out what time to begin queuing.

Half Price Those on a budget will want to visit the Society of London Theatres' half-price "tkts" booth in Leicester Square, where tickets to that day's performances of many shows are available at half price (or, in a few cases, 3/4 price) plus a small charge. You cannot buy these tickets in advance or by phone, and what is available each day is not announced in advance. But in practice you can count on all but a very few hit shows being there most days.

(Be sure to use the official "tkts" booth, which is a free-standing building on the south side of Leicester Square, not the many storefront brokers in the area that all call themselves the "official" half-price booth but somehow run out of discounts just as you get there, and have been known to sell balcony seats at stalls prices.)

Groups If you bought every seat in the house, you would expect a discount. But in fact most shows will give you a discount for groups as small as 6. Ring the theatre and ask about group rates.

Standby Students and senior citizens can get the best deal with standby tickets. Most theatres will sell you the best remaining seats for about the price of the cheapest, starting an hour before the show begins. Phone the theatre earlier in the day to ask of they're likely to have standby -- they'll give you an honest answer.

Beat the Critics Most new shows have a week or more of preview performances before the official Opening Night. While sometimes there are last-minute script changes or technical glitches, 95% of the time you'll see the same show as everyone else later on. If you don't need critics to tell you whether you'll like it, you can save up to 50% on ticket prices during previews.

**RAILROAD OFFER**

If you come to London by train (intercity or commuter, but not underground), you can get half-price tickets to AVENUE Q, BLOOD BROTHERS, CABARET, CHICAGO, LES MISERABLES, SPAMALOT, STOMP, THIRTY-NINE STEPS, WOMAN IN BLACK and WE WILL ROCK YOU, along with other London attractions. CLICK HERE for details.

**OYSTER CARD OFFERS**

Holders of tube and bus Oyster Cards can get two-for-one prices to AVENUE Q, BUDDY, CHICAGO, LES MISERABLES, STOMP, THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS, WE WILL ROCK YOU and THE WOMAN IN BLACK, along with other discount offers. CLICK HERE for details.,

**NATIONAL THEATRE £10 SEASON**

Once again the money-changing firm Travelex underwrites a summer of reduced prices in the National's Olivier Theatre, with all seats at £10, £15 or £30. No coupons or special codes needed - these are the box office prices.

**NATIONAL THEATRE ENTRY PASS**

For a limited time, young theatregoers between 15 and 19 can join the National Theatre's free Entry Pass system enabling them to buy tickets to NT shows for £5. CLICK HERE for details.

**OTHER SPECIAL DEALS**

From time to time individual shows run test ads in a single newspaper or magazine, offering a special deal, just to see how the ad pulls. And the Society of London Theatres offers deals to their limited Official London Theatre mailing list. We'll keep you informed of all we find. In each case, phone or visit the theatre directly, and mention the publication in which the offer appeared or the SOLT offer. Note that in some cases reductions may be limited to weeknights.

BILLY ELLIOT - Victoria Palace Theatre. Top seats £40. To May 23. Mention Official London Theatre Birthday Offer.

CABARET - Lyric Theatre. Top seats £22.50. To May 30. Mention Official London Theatre offer.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA - Vaudeville Theatre. Top tickets £25. To May 23. Mention Metro offer.

INTO THE HOODS - Novello Theatre. Top seats £15. To June 7. Mention Metro Reader Offer

FRAM - National Theatre. Two-for-one on top £30 tickets. To May 22. Mention Metro 'Celebrate the City' Offer.

LES MISERABLES - Queens Theatre. Top tickets £30. To May 22. Mention Metro Offer

LORD OF THE RINGS - Drury Lane Theatre. Two-for-one on top two prices. To July 11. Mention Metro offer.

MARGUERITE - Haymarket Theatre. £10 off top three prices. To June 10. Mention Official London Theatre offer.

PYGMALION - Old Vic Theatre. Top tickets £30. May 7-31. Mention Ham & High offer.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Palladium. Top seats £37.50. To June 27. Mention Metro offer

STOMP - Ambassadors Theatre. Top seats half-price. Mention London Planner.

THAT FACE - Duke of York's Theatre. Top seats £25. To May 17. Mention Official London Theatre offer

THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS - Criterion Theatre. Top seats £25. Mention London Planner offer.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK - Fortune Theatre. Top seats half-price Mention SOLT offer.

PROGRAMMES

Unlike in France, you're not expected to tip your usher. But unlike America, you don't get a free programme book. If you want one, you have to buy it from the usher - currently the most common price is £3. Typically a programme has cast and author biographies and some magazine-style articles. The National Theatre, the Royal Court and a very few others give out free one-page cast lists if that's all you want.

PERFORMANCE TIMES

For this you'll really have to check daily papers or ring the theatres, since there are no constants. Most shows have performances Monday through Saturday evenings, with matinees Saturday and one weekday, possibly Tuesday, more likely Wednesday or Thursday. But a few shows have a Sunday performance in place of Monday, and a couple have two performances on Friday.

Evening performances may start anytime between 7:00 and 8:30, with 7:30 and 8:00 the most common, so be sure to check when you buy your ticket. Matinees are most likely to be 2:30 or 3:00.

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