How to See New Broadway Shows on the Cheap
April is the month when the largest number of new shows open on Broadway. This is because the eligibility cutoff for the Tony Awards is the last Thursday of the month (this year, that's April 25). Every year, producers scramble to open their shows before that date, hoping that the Tony buzz will lead to a box-office boom.
In order to have an informed opinion about the awards, it's important to see all of the shows. But buying full-price tickets will set you back thousands of dollars. Luckily, every new show this season has either a digital lottery, a rush policy, or standing room — all giving you the opportunity to see the new Broadway season on the cheap. A brief glossary:
Lottery tickets: These tickets are available only to winners of an online drawing for the performance that day.
Rush tickets: These tickets are available for same-day purchase.
Standing room tickets: These tickets allow holders to stand in the back of the orchestra section during a performance. They are usually available only when all of the seats are sold out.
This Story of the Week will explain how to obtain the cheapest tickets available for the shows currently eligible for a Tony Award in 2019. If you were to purchase all of them, your grand total would come to $800, which is several hundred dollars less that the most expensive Hamilton ticket, and a pretty good deal for 20 different shows.
Here they are in order of their opening nights:
(© Matthew Murphy)
Pretty Woman: The Musical (opened August 16)
$42 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
$42 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
The Ferryman (opened October 21)
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Matthew Murphy)
King Kong (opened November 8)
$49 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
$49 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Deen van Meer)
The Prom (opened November 15)
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
The Cher Show (opened December 3)
$30 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Julieta Cervantes)
To Kill a Mockingbird (opened December 13)
$39 — Standing room tickets are available at the box office only on the day of the performance, and only when the performance is sold out — limited to two tickets per person.
![The Broadway cast of Be More Chill performs "Halloween".](https://cs-tm-prod-photos.azureedge.net/143950.jpg "The Broadway cast of Be More Chill performs "Halloween".")
(© Maria Baranova)
Be More Chill (opened March 10)
$40 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
Kiss Me, Kate (opened March 14)
$39 — Every performance, a limited number of rush tickets are made available through an app that can be downloaded here.
(© Matthew Murphy)
Ain't Too Proud (opened March 21)
$42 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
What the Constitution Means to Me (opened March 31)
$42 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Brigitte Lacombe)
King Lear (opened April 4)
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Little Fang Photo)
Oklahoma! (opened April 7)
$40 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Matthew Murphy)
Burn This (opened April 16)
$39 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Matthew Murphy)
Hadestown (opened April 16)
$39 — Standing room tickets are available at the box office only on the day of the performance, and only when the performance is sold out — limited to two tickets per person.
$42.50 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Allison Stock)
Hillary and Clinton (opened April 18)
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© David Gordon)
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus (opens April 21)
$40 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
All My Sons (opens April 22)
$39 — Every performance, a limited number of rush tickets are made available through an app that can be downloaded here.
(© Julieta Cervantes)
Tootsie (opens April 23)
$42 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
$42 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
(© Joan Marcus)
Ink (opens April 24)
$35 — Every performance, a limited number of rush tickets are made available through an app that can be downloaded here.
(© Matthew Murphy)
Beetlejuice (opens April 25)
$43 — Every performance has a limited number of lottery tickets, with the winners determined in an online drawing you can enter here — limited to two tickets per person.
$43 — Subject to availability, rush tickets are on sale at the box office only on the day of the performance when the box office opens (10am Monday-Saturday, noon on Sunday) — limited to two tickets per person.
