Theatre: At the Door Discounts

Day Tickets / Tickets at the Door

Some theaters sell reduced price tickets on the day of the performance. These are often front row seats, but may also include other seats unsold for that day. Times vary for the release of these tickets, but it is often at 10:00 am or when the box office opens on the day of the performance. It is usually advisable to arrive earlier as there may be a queue for popular shows.

 Contact the theater directly to see if they have day tickets and when they are released.
Returned Tickets

People often return tickets to the theatre for resale and 90 minutes before a show starts, ticket agents send their tickets back to the boxoffice. Returns may be sold at regular or discounted prices. For popular shows, there is often a queue for returned tickets.

Contact the theatre for returns procedures.


 Concessions

 Some theatres have reduced price tickets for students, senior citizens and jobseekers. Theatres also offer a free ticket for the companion of a disabled person paying full price.

Contact the theater for their concessions’ policy.


 Standing Room Tickets

 Some theatres offer Standing Room Tickets for sold-out shows. These can be purchased at the box office.

The Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square (Chelsea) offers standing tickets at 10p for a limited number of tickets on sale an hour before performances at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. Tickets are only available in person and are restricted to one per person. Each ticket offers a 'restricted view' and they're subject to availability.

Most Popular

Five Characters in Search of a Good Night’s Sleep ★★★★ Southwark Playhouse | Apr 27 - May 21, 2022

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The title says it all. These are five monologues delivered by characters who are apparently suffering from insomnia. They are five very different people, but they all endure the same malady and in doing so they have time to recount their memories, regrets, fears and aspirations. Helen (Sally Knyvette) is a middle class woman who is self-contained and house proud; Bill (Vincenzo Nicoli) is a gentle chef with a romantic nature; Hugo (Gary Lilburn) is an Irish sculptor who as a child was abandoned by his father; Terry (Geraldine Alexander) is a woman who has lost a child and is now a caregiver for her own mother; Harvey (Andrew Hawkins) is a left-wing teacher who has been sacked from his job. All of the characters have interesting stories and all of the actors do absolutely first rate jobs at bringing them to life. Indeed, the quality of the acting is what makes this an exceptional production. However for us, the writing and construction of the work did not always rise to the high standar
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Future Shock ★★★★ 180 The Strand | Apr 28 - Aug 28, 2022

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Presented by Fact and 180 Studios this exhibition takes one into a series of immersive audio-visual experiences that question both reality and how we view it. The installations seek to blur the distinctions between the actual and the virtual, using AI, 3D digital mapping, lasers, holographic projections and some good old smoke and mirrors. The artists and collectives represented are creating situations which cause the viewer/participants to reconsider their relation to time and space and to re-evaluate the nature of their perception. With United Visual Artists' Vanishing Point 3:1 and Topologies , one is invited to participate in a surreal journey that both disorients and resituates. It is a profound and moving event. We also particularly liked Lawrence Lek's Theta . However, it's unfortunate that there is not a timed entry so that one experiences the narrative from the beginning. The works of Weirdcore and Nonotak, Subconscious and Daydream V.6 , also stood out for us a
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Space Station Earth ★★★★ Royal Albert Hall | May 15, 2022

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Space Station Earth combines original music by Ilan Eshkeri with images from the International Space Station to create an experience that seeks to offer the audience a new perspective on our planet and our place in the universe. The concert is preceded by a discussion between the composer and British, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, Tim Peake. Peake talks about approaching Eshkeri with the idea for the project and about his own experiences travelling to the Space Station and living there. He does a terrific job of communicating his enthusiasm for space travel and for this collaborative effort which seeks to share that adventure. The concert itself strives to immerse the listener/spectator in the myriad of feelings provoked by a voyage into space. As Eshkeri notes "There are so many facts and figures about travelling to the International Space Station, but no one has ever told the emotional journey that astronauts go on." Eshkeri's lush and uplifting composition wh
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Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show ★★★★★ Richmond Theatre | May 23 - 28, 2022

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If you've ever wondered about the appeal of this cult classic, the current production will definitely answer any questions!  Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show is a manically delightful evening in the theatre. Ore Oduba and Haley Flaherty are simply perfect as the naïve young Brad and Janet whose car breaks down and who then stumble into a world of questionable pastimes and forbidden pleasures. Oduba's rendition of "Dammit Janet," supplemented by the obligatory audience commentary, sets the tone for a hilarious rollercoaster of a night. From that point on, we are off and running, and the pace never flags as the horror/science fiction narrative bewilders and bemuses. Some of the funniest ripostes come from the audience itself, but the Narrator, Philip Franks, contributes a superb commentary, laced with some pithy comments about the contemporary political situation, that adds to the mayhem. Lauren Ingram as Columbia does a quite brilliant comic mime, and Suzie
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Busman's Honeymoon ★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Apr 28 - Jun 25, 2022

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The Mill at Sonning remains the perfect dinner theatre experience. The meal is always first rate and the setting is a positive delight. For a summer afternoon or evening out, this is a venue that always delivers a delightful break from the city while offering amazing value. The current production is Dorothy L. Sayers' final Lord Peter Wimsey mystery, Busman's Honeymoon . The perspicacious detective has finally married Harriet Vane, the love of his life, and they've purchased Talboys, a quiet country house in Hertfordshire. But, as it turns out the honeymoon hideaway is very far from providing a pastoral idyll. Murder is afoot and Wimsey is drawn into the proceedings. For lovers of the classic whodunit, the puzzle will definitely confound them as Wimsey declares the solution is to be found not in the "why" but in the "how" of the crime. Sayers' world and characters are studied, stylised creations and, by its very nature, the genre has a certain brittl
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Bad Nights and Odd Days ★★★★ Greenwich Theatre | June 23 - July 10, 2021

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Bad Nights and Odd Days is a long evening of short plays. Dating from 1971 to 1980, the four fascinating pieces by Caryl Churchill are supremely well acted under James Haddrell's tight direction. In Seagulls , Churchill explores the effect of unwanted celebrity on the telekinetic Valerie who cannot cope with fame. This is an excellent portrayal from Kerrie Taylor. Put simply, Three More Sleepless Nights sees two couples suffering relationship turmoil. Churchill's signature overlapping dialogue appears here, and performers Paul McGann and, especially, Gracy Goldman excel; meanwhile, Dan Gaisford, as Pete, wibbles on about the plot of Alien seemingly unaware that Dawn (Verna Vyas) is disintegrating beside him. The third play, Abortive , doesn't quite delve deeply enough into its subject of abortion after rape, although McGann (Colin) and Taylor (Roz) again give outstanding performances. Finally, Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen sees Churchill in an unusual foray into fut
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The Human Connection ★★★★ Omnibus Theatre | June 22 - July 4, 2021

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The Human Connection , a double bill by Eugene O'Hare, is not exactly well balanced. The first monologue ( Larry Devlin Wants to Talk to You About Something That Happened ) lasts around twenty minutes, whilst the second ( Child 786 ) is a two-hander running for over eighty minutes. For us, the first piece was much more impressive; it was considerably better written and superbly performed. Stephen Kennedy is in award-winning form as Larry. Standing alone in a pool of light, he nervously fiddles with his fingers and scratches his ear as he passionately recalls painful memories of hitting his eight-year-old son over twenty years ago. He gives a frightening and faultless performance. Perhaps, the writing, good as it is, lacks an overarching shape but it remains powerful stuff. Before a final shock, we suffer much of Larry's torment and heartbreak. This is spellbinding theatre! Child 786 left us with too many unanswered questions. O'Hare's take on the pandemic feels a littl
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Paula Rego ★★★★★ Tate Britain | Jul 7 - Oct 24, 2021

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This Paula Rego retrospective is a simply phenomenal exhibition. She is, perhaps, not as well known as she should be – if you've been to the café at the National Gallery you may not have realised that the murals there are by Rego. Here, in Tate Britain, we have over one hundred pieces from sixty years arranged through eleven galleries, which show the huge range of her work. Rego's fierce anti-fascism frequently manifests itself as does her sociopolitical feminism; women are frequently depicted as coerced and abused by the system, notably in the Dog Woman series of pictures. She uses the full range of media whilst seemingly reinventing figurative painting. Many works have never been seen in Britain before; two which we found particularly striking were The Dance (1988) featuring her husband and Cast of Characters from Snow White (1996). The latter with its hint of cruelty behind the lightheartedness offers a nod towards Bruegel or Hogarth. Elements of caricature morph into ni
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Shackleton's Carpenter, The Jermyn Street Theatre - ★★★★★ - Until August 17, 2019

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This is the story of a man in a desperate situation who speaks truth to power and who then wonders if he has been punished by a resolutely optimistic leader who brooks neither doubt nor opposition. It sounds like a question that might be facing many in our current political situation. Shackleton's Carpenter is also a tale which evokes Coleridge's ancient mariner who held his audience entranced by the horrific recounting of a disastrous voyage at sea. But political and literary allusions aside, this is ultimately an evening in which Malcolm Rennie brings to life Harry McNish, the carpenter on Sir Ernest Shackleton's fateful antarctic voyage of 1914. McNish's story has many resonances, but writer, Gail Louw, never allows them to overwhelm the reality of an ordinary sailor caught in extraordinary circumstances. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, by the disappointment that he was singled out not to receive the Polar Medal and by memories of the slaughter of his pet cat,
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Disney's The Lion King ★★★★ Lyceum Theatre | Extended Run

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It is hard to believe that Disney's The Lion King has been running in the West End for over twenty years. It is certainly one of the company's best loved musical productions, and the audiences continue to fill the theatre. The tale of the lion cub, Simba, dealing with his own youthful shortcomings and overcoming the malevolence of his uncle, Scar, continues to resonate with audiences around the world. The narrative of the cub's growth to maturity and his assumption of his rightful place in the order of nature is brought to life by the extraordinary music and lyrics of Elton John and Tim Rice, and the ground-breaking costume and puppet design of Julie Taymor and Michael Curry. The scenic design of Richard Hudson is unforgettable and the opening sequence of the "Circle of Life" is positively awe-inspiring. The current cast with Thenjiwe Thendiva Nofemele as Rafiki, Shaun Escoffery as Mufasa, and George Asprey as Scar continue the strong tradition established by the
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The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings