If you want to see a show on Broadway…
The heart of Broadway’s theater district is Times Square. One of the best secrets is the TKTS booth that is run by the non-profit Theater Development Fund (tdf.org), selling day-of-show tickets discounted 20 to 50 percent.
Opening in 1973 in a trailer, it’s been a temporary structure that moved under the Marriott Marquis in 2006 when construction began on their new permanent box office.
Facing the Olive Garden across 47th Street are a dozen ticket service windows. On the other side, its roof consists of 27, 15-yard wide red translucent steps facing south across Duffy Square’s towards Times Square proper, giving residents and tourists alike a haven of calm respite at the center of the universe.
It won Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2009 Design Award as “Best Public Space,” and a 2009 Design Award by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The most popular shows – Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, Lion King, and Wicked – are never discounted, because of high demand, but most others can be found.
The only drawback is that when you get to the front of the line, you can no longer see the shows listed on the display board, so you need a “plan B” if your first choice is suddenly sold out. They open at 11 a.m. for matinees and 4 p.m. isn’t too early to arrive for evening shows.
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Those looking for a single ticket often get the best seats. It’s not unusual to find front-row singles an hour before curtain, especially on weeknights. The best news is that TKTS now takes credit cards.
The renovation of Duffy Square and the new TKTS booth has also been accompanied by the closing of Broadway to traffic from 42nd to 47th Streets, creating a pedestrian mall where crowded sidewalks would often force pedestrians into traffic. The late afternoon ambience is a refreshing change from the rest of the city’s rattle and hum.
Mark Frink is Associate Editor of Live Sound International magazine.