Click HERE for theatre locations and telephone numbers

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, THE LION KING, WICKED, 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 many shows are sold at deep discounts up to seven days in advance. You have to buy in person (no phone orders), selecting from the list of what's available, but in practice all but a very few sold-out hits are available most days. Discounts vary, but are generally close to half-price, and the booth also sells full-price tickets (with no commission) for the few shows without discounts, so you can make it a one-stop shopping centre for all your theatre buying. (For North Londoners, there is now a second tkts booth at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.)

(Be sure to use the official "tkts" booth, which is a free-standing building in Leicester Square itself, not the many storefront brokers on the side streets 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 the next performance, for about the price of the cheapest. In most cases standby tickets aren't available until about an hour before the show, though some theatres will sell them earlier in the day, or even a day in advance. Phone or visit the theatre and 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.

**FREE TICKETS**

There's nothing cheaper than free! To encourage young audiences, the Arts Council underwrites free tickets to many West End, fringe and regional theatres for those under 25. CLICK HERE for details.

**RAILROAD OFFER**

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

**OYSTER CARD OFFERS**

At the moment, there are no two-for-one offers for Oyster Card holders. When a new batch are announced, we will provide a link from this page.

**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.

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - Jermyn Street Theatre. Top seats £10. March 10-20. Mention Official London Theatre offer/

AVENUE Q - Wyndham's Theatre. Top seats £25. March 22 - May 14. Mention Metro Offer.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF - Novello Theatre. Top seats £35 to March 11, £39.50 March 15-25. Mention Official London Theatre offer.

GREASE - Piccadilly Theatre. Two-for-one on top seats. To March 19. Mention Metro offer.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS - Wyndham's Theatre. Top seats £25 and £30 seats £15. To March 13. Mention 'Get Into London Theatre' offer.

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED - Garrick Theatre. Two-for-one on top two prices.To March 25. Mention Metro offer.

NATION - National Theatre. Top seats £20. To March 25. Mention Metro Reader Offer.

OLIVER - Drury Lane Theatre. Family deal - four top seats for £150. To May 27. Mention Official London Theatre offer.

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION - Old Vic Theatre. Top seats £29.50. To April 3. Mention Metro offer.

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

THE 39 STEPS - Criterion Theatre. Top seats half-price. To March 31. Mention Official London Theatre offer.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK - Fortune Theatre. Top seats half-price. Mention London Planner.

WAITING FOR GODOT - Haymarket Theatre. Top seats £37.50. To March 29. Mention Metro offer.

**FURTHER MONEY-SAVING TIPS**

For expert, impartial advice on saving money on everything from travel through hotels, restaurants and even phone calls, we recommend MONEYSAVINGLONDON.COM.

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.

Return to TheatreguideLondon home page.