Last Moment Tickets

Since more than 40 years the stand of TCTS at Times Square (47th Street and Broadway) sells tickets at reduced prices on the same date. Open most nights at 3 pm (late mornings on the debut days) and rebates vary from 20 to 50 per cent on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Those hints can help you get the best places and help you get more time:

• Whilst the newsstand begins to sell tickets at 15.00, some theatres are waiting until 18.00 to free places for TCTS - so keep an ear out for your favourite show. Properly planned, a later visit can mean a shortened waiting period and good places for another batch. - Window #12, on the western side of the cabin, is usually reserved only for theatre performances (as distinct from musicals) - it is often a much short line to buy tickets.

Those satellites open and shut down sooner than the home base, usually have short wires and provide next night matinees (so they will be selling you tickets on Friday Saturday at 2 pm). There is also luckyseat.com, which provides same-day tickets for some of the hottest shows - like Springsteen on Broadway and Disney's Frozen - and broadwaydirect.com, which supports lots for shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Wicked.

Ever since Rent on Broadway made its début more than 20 years ago, shows have been offering tickets directly at the theatre ticket desk for same-day shows. Averaging about $40 for these tickets, but getting them means spending some extra effort and getting in line a few hour before the show.

However, some express tickets also oblige you to be a college or college graduate or under a certain ages. Playbill.com has a complete list of the latest Broadway shows that provide express tickets, with full detail of their policy and prices. "When a show's seat is booked out, some theatres have SRO tickets for the back of the orchester.

$25-$40 and are usually bought at the cash register, although some shows - like the Tony winner Dear Evan Hansen - use an on-line system. In order to find out if a show has SRO, contact the cashier directly or see their entry on playbill.com. When you are looking for the gold tickets for a lower cost than the bullion prices (Springsteen, anyone?), the cancellations line is the right way.

Tickets cancelled at par value will be offered at the evening ticket counter. At least two hrs before the drapes is the general norm - but be sure to do it with the theatre, as this is different for some shows (for Hamilton the line is formed at dawn).