The West End is full of theatres with shows, musicals and plays from the world’s best composers, writers and directors, and often with performances from the world’s leading actors. So much to see but also, so expensive.
However, many theatres have day release tickets, usually around £10, with some as low as £7.50. These might be standing tickets, or for specific seats. Usually, once the curtain has been called, an usher will show you to an empty seat if one is available as latecomers are not admitted. This could be a restricted view seat in the circle – or front row in the stalls.
For the most popular productions you will need to get in a queue at the box office early to get these tickets. You can gauge how early by doing a quick internet search. Theatre goers will post about the sorts of times they needed to start queuing to help out other fans. For shows that have been running a while, you can often buy these tickets as soon as the box office opens or within an hour of the show starting.
Students can join the Royal Opera House for free. They then have access to tickets on standby. These will cost between £1 and £25, and could be unsold or returned tickets that might have a face-value of £25 to £100. Standby tickets are sold on the day.
It is also worth noting that some theatres offer cheap or discounted seats on the day in the front rows, where the height of the stage cuts out a view of the actors’ feet. For instance, at the National Theatre, seats in the front three rows can often be bought for £15 for this reason. Use the theatre seat guide on TheatreMonkey.com to make sure you are fine with the possible restrictions placed on your view.
Author: Lynley Oram.
