Twas the week before Christmas, each show had a full house…and then January came and wiped them all out. Ok, so that rhyme scheme was rough. But the takeaway is that Broadway is currently enjoying what is usually its most profitable week of the year. Families flock to New York for the holidays, and in the spirit of overspending (budgets be damned! It’s Christmas!), purchase tremendous amounts of tickets with hopes of a few hours of fun in between shopping and relatives.
After the Christmas extravaganza ends, a grim period on Broadway commences, commonly (though not affectionately) called the “January Slaughter”. January and February are tough for every shows’ bottom line. Not many theatergoers are willing to shell out hundreds more dollars after they examine their post-Christmas credit card balance.
Thirteen productions are currently planning to shutter their doors between now and March. The struggling Love Letters didn’t even make it through December before cutting its run short (which completely ruined my plans of seeing Dame Diana “Olenna Tyrell” Rigg on Broadway). Some runs were scheduled to close during the winter, while others were forced due to low ticket sales. With so many shows closing in such a small amount of time, I’ve compiled a list of which final hurrah’s you should make a point to catch, and the cheapest way to get tickets.
What’s Closing?
Closing January 3th
Cinderella
Closing January 4th
Pippin
Once
The Real Thing
This is Our Youth
The Illusionists
Side Show
Closing January 18th
Rock of Ages
Motown: the Musical
Closing February 8th
The River
Closing February 15th
The Elephant Man
Closing February 22nd
A Delicate Balance
You Can’t Take it With You
What to See?
CINDERELLA
If you’re a fan of spectacular design, then William Ivey Long’s Tony winning costumes alone are reason to book a trip. The production looks gorgeous from head to toe, and features an updated book thanks to Douglas Carter Beane (Cindy gets to be more than a damsel in distress this time). The cast currently features Keke Palmer (Cinderella), NeNe Leakes (Madame), and Judy Kaye (Fairy Godmother).
Tickets on a budget: Students (…or those who still have student IDs) can take advantage of the Student Rush policy. You can purchase one ticket per ID for $32, when the Box Office opens on the day of the show. Tuesday – Thursday performances only.
PIPPIN
The 2013 Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical is a great mix of story and spectacle thanks to Diane Paulus’ direction and high flying circus acts choreographed by Gypsy Snyder (of circus troupe Les 7 doigts de le main). The Voice winner Josh Kaufman recently took over the title role. The cast also features Carly Hughes (Leading Player), Charlotte D’Amboise (Fastrada), and Priscilla Lopez (Berthe).
Tickets on a budget: This one offers a General Rush (no age restriction)! A limited number of $37 tickets are available at the Music box theatre, when the box office opens on the day of the show. One ticket per person.
ONCE
This Tony winner, and “little musical that could” is finally ending its very successful run at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. A charming piece that is refreshingly intimate a stripped down compared to most other musicals on Broadway. Each actor plays their own instruments as they sing through a love story based on the hit indie film. You can read our own Karl Delossantos’ rave review here.
Tickets on a budget: General Rush tickets are available when the box office opens on the day of the performance, 2 tickets per person. They will run you $35 Tuesday-Thursday, or $40 Friday-Sunday.
SIDE SHOW
This gorgeously produced revival has proved to be just as tough a sell as its original incarnation. But the story of conjoined Hilton sisters truly won me over, and you can read my take on it here. The best thing about it is its two stars, Erin Davie and Emily Padgett, who belt through the powerful score like two runaway trains. They’ll give you all the feels, and they will certainly be nominated for best actress come Tony Awards time.
Tickets on a budget: General Rush is offered when the box office opens (10a.m.) on the day of the show, to patrons 30 and under. There’s a maximum of two $37 rush tickets per person.
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
The classic comedy about the most dysfunctional of families holds up remarkably well. This is mostly thanks to the stellar ensemble headed by James Earl Jones, Kristine Nielsen, Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Ashley, and Annaleigh Ashford. For fans of HBO’s “Veep”, Anna Chlumsky will replace Rose Byrne who ends her tenure on January 4th. Comedies have been taking inspiration from this play for decades, so you owe it to yourself to see the original done right.
Tickets on a budget: Student Rush is available when the Longacre box office opens on the day of the show (Monday-Saturday at 10am, Sunday at noon). Rush tickets are $30 each and limited to one ticket per student ID. Additionally $37 full priced seats are sold in the Balcony.
More Discount Options!
There are certainly other shows I would recommend (A Delicate Balance, The Elephant Man) that currently don’t have a discount program in place. But fear not broke Broadway fans! Here are a few other ways to score reasonably priced tickets.
TKTS
Sure, the lines can be long. But this half price booth can be the best place to score same day seats for a successful show like A Delicate Balance without going into triple digits. While not as cheap as rush or lottery seats, one can generally expect to pay approximately $60-90. TKTS now has an app you can download to see which shows are on sale at the booth, so you can know if the show you want is available before you go. Pro tip: Don’t forget the booths in downtown Brooklyn and the south Street Seaport which have shorter lines.
HIPTIX
Roundabout Theatre has an amazing (and easy to use) discount program for patrons 35 and under. Sign up online and you’ll then have access to $25 tickets for all of Roundabout’s shows, including The Real Thing, Cabaret, and On the 20th Century. You are granted up to two per production, and can even select your own seats online without being charged additional service fees. Sign up here: http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/HipTix.aspx
LINCTIX
Lincoln Center has a similar program for patrons 35 and under. After signing up, you are eligible to purchase a $32 ticket to each of their productions (a small service fee applies online). This currently includes Disgraced, The Oldest Boy, and the upcoming revival of The King and I with Kelli O’Hara. Unfortunately you can only purchase one discounted ticket per person, but they allow you to coordinate with other friends in the program. Sign up here: http://www.lct.org/linctix/
TODAYTIX
Discount tickets in the palm of your hand! TodayTix is a new app that lets you browse Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and purchase discounted tickets from your phone. The one downside is that you can’t select your exact seat location, but I’ve found them to be pretty decent. Some shows, like On the Town, even allow you to enter their ticket lottery on the app. For many shows, you can meet a TodayTix concierge outside of the theatre to pick up your tickets (aka avoiding the long box office line). Use this code at checkout to save $20 on your first order with the app: XJQKU.
Sam is an Actor/Singer based in New York City, and a graduate of Emerson College in Boston with BFA in Acting . After graduating he performed with Imaginary Beasts and was a member of the final Boston cast of "The Awesome 80's Prom". In NYC his performances include a stint in the New York Musical Theatre Festival and cabaret acts with Molly Pope and Timothy Mathis. Most nights he can be found with a bottle of wine in one hand and a PS4 controller in the other. It sounds complicated, but he makes it work. Read his blog at samonstage.blogspot.com