Broadway has gotten very expensive and sometimes we don’t take advantage of what for New Yorkers is in our own backyard, and for visitors what is available when you come to NYC.  It’s sad to think that money can mean the difference from experiencing culture or not, but it can play a big role in what we do and what we don’t or how much we do it.

This past weekend I had a girlfriend visiting from France and she had never been to a Broadway play even though this was her 4th time visiting me.  In her case it was because of the language difference.  But this time sort of last minute we decided to give it a shot as her English has improved.  Choosing a musical so if she didn’t understand all of the language at least she would be able to enjoy the music; between us we settled on the play  “Gypsy” with Patti LuPone.  And because we were already going to Times Square for her to buy souvenirs for her children, I decided to give the old TKTS booth a try.  It had been a long time since I ventured out amid all the tourists in NYC and went to Times Square and the TKTS booth on a Saturday.  What inspired me were all the trips I have taken to France and the many times my friend has gone headfirst into the height of traffic and tourism to show me something I wanted to see or to do something that she thought I might enjoy, like driving from Aix En Provence to Nice and Cannes on a weekend in the summer.  Armed with that as my context I ventured into the throngs of the tourist jungle in search of two tickets to the Broadway showing of “Gypsy.”

At first it was scary.  I haven’t seen that many people crowded together in a long time.  I have to say that a weekday in the winter is a lot easier to handle, but they are actually very organized and the lines though long move rather quickly, and if you put yourself in the right headspace you can turn it into an event.  In the cue with you are mostly people on vacation so they are already in a better place then most working New Yorkers.  Plus there is the excitement of Broadway, which truly does merit excitement.  Some times I think that my best New York experiences come when I have company in from out of town, because you find yourself looking at the city through their eyes and doing things that you don’t ordinarily do.  For example actually stopping at landmarks and museums you pass sometimes even on a daily basis.  Or another example in my case taking the time and dealing with the crowds to get ½ price tickets to a phenomenal show that was totally inspiring and fun.  For the cost of a moderate dinner out in NYC and maybe a drink or two depending upon where you go, you can enjoy some of the best talent in the world and in this case also some of the best “pit” musicians in the business play and sing their hearts out for your pleasure and experience.  Or you can choose a drama, an off Broadway play, or some other theatrical event they have listed that day.

Selling same day tickets, in other words the tickets that are left and haven’t sold for that day’s performance or the next day’s matinee’s you can buy tickets for 25 to 50 percent off.  With three booths, two in Manhattan (Times Square and the South Street Seaport) and one in Brooklyn (downtown), you can find dozens of plays to choose from each day.  Below is a link to their website to find out more information.  The hours and what they offer vary from booth to booth so check to see which one works best for your schedule.  Also note that in January and February some of your harder to get tickets some times show up on the TKTS board.  I’ve seen some wonderful performances this way.  So if you live in NYC or are planning a trip here, and money is an option or you just can’t justify spending so much on one ticket, or whatever your reason may be, I suggest going a little out of your way and giving yourself the experience of a live performance or two or three.  At these more affordable prices it’s something worth considering.  I know I’ve never been sorry.

TKTS Discount Booths website.  If interested cut and paste this link into your browser.

http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56