Student Blog: Broadway: Good For You, Bad For The Bank

People are surprised when I tell them I've been back in New Jersey for a week and haven't seen a Broadway show yet. I've been to the city twice, yes - once for a free K-POP: THE MUSICAL cast album signing event, and once to grab dinner with friends - but I haven't stepped foot in a Broadway theater in over a month and a half.

It's really hard, because I do want to go see shows. There are so many new shows that have opened recently that I'm dying to see, and some older but still amazing shows that I'm hoping to catch this summer. Yet, every time I think about buying tickets, I'm stopped by one thing: money.

The fact of the matter is, theater tickets are expensive. A trip to the city can easily cost you a hundred dollars - and that's if you purchase one of the cheaper tickets. The average price for a Broadway show ticket is $118, but tickets can go to nearly $450. For a college student, that's extremely out of budget.

So how do I see shows? Lottery and rush tickets are my best friends. I play the Broadway lottery as often as I can, aiming to win the chance to purchase $30-50 tickets. My most recent show, PETER PAN GOES WRONG, was a lottery win. I don't rush shows very often, but I keep an eye on the TodayTix app to see if they have any digital rush tickets each morning at 9 AM (despite attempting every day, I still have not successfully rushed & JULIET). Occasionally, if I have a free day, I'll get to the city at 9 AM and stand in line for TKTS tickets. TKTS offers same-day discounts to Broadway and off-Broadway shows, at up to 50% off the original price.

It's not just the show tickets that rack up the cost. If I take the bus, it's an extra $10; if I drive in, it can be an additional $30-50, not to mention gas. Shows start around dinner time, so if I don't eat something beforehand, that's another $10-20 spent on food. Don't even get me started on merch, which will surely rack your bill up into triple digits.

As a college student living on a budget, I try not to spend more than $50 on a single show ticket. The most I've ever paid was a $99 TKTS ticket for closing week of BEETLEJUICE - I had been dying to see the show, and I don't think I could've gotten a better deal. Even so, I winced handing over my credit card, and I think my bank account shed a few tears that day.

I really wish I could say that there was an easy way to buy cheap tickets, that Broadway could charge $10-20 a ticket. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Some shows offer discounted tickets during previews, such as ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME ($50 orchestra and mezzanine tickets, go check it out!), and others purposefully set low lottery/rush prices. BAD CINDERELLA is a great example - they have a lottery, in-person rush AND digital rush, all for $30, and it's pretty easy to get tickets. On the other hand, while the HAMILTON lottery lets you purchase $10 tickets, it's ridiculously hard to win.

There are upsides and downsides to everything, and at the end of the day, I believe it's important to focus on the positives. So while I might not be able to see a show every night, it makes the ones I do see all the more special.