It's that time of the year again. Nicely discounted tickets to over 70 plays and musicals are up for grabs until 5 March 2023. The bee explains what to book and, crucially, what to avoid in this sale.
After the Official London Theatre sale in January and February, this is (sadly) the only other sale event of the year that's as big, both in terms of the number of participating shows and the discount levels on tickets. The bee strongly recommends you take advantage of this sale to sort out your spring and summer theatre visits.
What is London Theatre Week?
After Official London Theatre concludes its new year sale of theatre tickets, third party sellers of tickets run their own sale event called the London Theatre Week. It usually runs for a couple of weeks towards end of February / start of March, and is a great time to book tickets for the spring and summer.
How much do discounted tickets cost?
Discounted tickets cost £15, £25, £35 or £45 per seat and are available across a number of third party sellers, including TodayTix, SeatPlan, London Theatre, London Box Office and Central Tickets. That's about 40-60 per cent savings on full price tickets to West End big names, and about 20-30 per cent on off West End shows. But these are only averages, and don't apply to every show. The bee breaks down for you which shows offer the biggest bang for the buck, and which ones you're better off buying off-sale.
What if I miss out?
If you miss out, the next sale we can expect is the TodayTix 25 for 25, which runs in May and offers £25pp tickets to 25 West End shows. Then, there's the Summer Theatre Sale that's similar to London Theatre Week, but with fewer participating shows, and with tickets starting at £25pp rather than the £15pp we have access to now. But that's last year's data, and things may change this year.
What NOT to buy from the London Theatre Week Sale
If you are okay with last-minute tickets, need one or two seats only, are okay to pay about £25 per ticket, and have the flexibility to try on a different day in case you aren't successful the first time around, the following shows offer you much better value if booked through the TodayTix rush sale (note that a couple of shows sell day seats on their own sites, notably the Disney productions and Phantom of the Opera).
TodayTix releases tickets to same-day performances of the following shows at 10 AM everyday at £25 pp. You just might land an amazing stalls seat for this price, and often those seats are much better than the ones you'll get for £15 or £25 in the London Theatre Week. The bee has been to a number of West End staples on these rush tickets.
Naturally, if you want the cheapest possible tickets, or if you don't have the luxury to gamble on a same-day ticket that may or may not come through, then you're better off taking advantage of the London Theatre Week.
In alphabetical order, choose TodayTix rush or day seats over London Theatre Week for these shows.
& Juliet
Back to the Future: The Musical
Bat Out of Hell
Dirty Dancing
Frozen
George Takei's Allegiance
Heathers the Musical
Jersey Boys
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
Mamma Mia!
Newsies
Noises Off
Oklahoma!
Peaky Blinders: The Rise
Phantom of The Opera
Pretty Woman
Punchdrunk: The Burnt City
Six
Sylvia
The Book of Mormon
The Choir of Man
The Lion King
The Mousetrap
Tina
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wicked
Witness for the Prosecution
What are the best buys from London Theatre Week?
A number of classics and long-running West End staples don't participate in the rush sale on TodayTix. While you can often find day seats on Official London Theatre, they may or may not be discounted. Further, the discounts, even if available, are much smaller than the magnitude we see in the London Theatre Week and similar sale events.
For a useful guide to current West End shows' day seat policies, both through TodayTix and other means, see Theatremonkey's day seat finder.
If you've had your eye on one of the following shows, the London Theatre Week is a great time to book tickets.
Classics
Grease The Musical
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Les Misérables
Matilda the Musical
Only Fools and Horses The Musical
The Play That Goes Wrong
Note: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child offers a lottery on TodayTix, if you want to try your luck.
New shows with great value seats on London Theatre Week
Guys & Dolls
Phaedra
The Great British Bake Off Musical
Other picks
42nd Street
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Ain't Too Proud
Animal
Annie Get Your Gun
Bonnie & Clyde
Brilliant Jerks
Crazy For You
F**king Men
Groundhog Day
Retrograde
Sugar Coat
Tambo & Bones
The Good Person of Szechwan
The Rocky Horror Show
The Shape Of Things
The SpongeBob Musical
The Walworth Farce
Titus Andronicus
Village Idiot
We Will Rock You
Windfall
Winner's Curse
Hope this was helpful. Happy savings!
