£140 for a West End musical. £114 for a play. Add a second ticket, maybe dinner, and you've just spent more than a weekend in Paris.

There's a better way.

Last year we hit TodayTix Gold status — that's a lot of theatre. We saw Cypress Hill perform with the London Philharmonic for £30. We've sat in "restricted view" seats that were perfectly fine and set alarms for 10am ticket drops that saved us hundreds.

Everything here is something we've actually done. No recycled tips — just the methods we use, grouped by how they work.

Apps That Actually Work

TodayTix: The Essential App

If you're serious about scoring cheap West End tickets, TodayTix is the app you need on your phone. It's become our go-to for last-minute theatre deals in London, and once you understand how their three discount programmes work — Rush, Lottery, and Drops — you'll wonder how anyone pays full price.

Lottery Tickets (£10-40)

Enter daily for a chance to win discounted tickets. Hamilton runs a £10 lottery. Harry Potter offers both parts for £40. The odds vary wildly — we've heard Operation Mincemeat and Matilda hit often, while Hamilton and Harry Potter are tough.

The key is persistence. Enter every day. If you reach Red member status, your entries count double.

Drops (Silver & Gold Members)

This is our current obsession. Drops are week-of tickets refreshed daily, often 50% off classic shows. The Mousetrap, Back to the Future, The Producers — we've seen them all pop up.

You need at least Silver status to access Drops (6 tickets purchased). We've hit Gold (16 tickets) by booking shows like 101 Dalmatians, The Great Gatsby, Stranger Things, and A Very Naughty Christmas through the app. Gold also gives you 10% off everything and three free ticket protections per year — genuinely useful when plans change.

Twickets: Last-Minute Gold

Twickets is how we saw Cypress Hill perform "Insane in the Brain" with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. For £30.

The story: We woke up, checked BBC News, saw they were doing a one-off concert that night. If you're a Simpsons fan, you'll remember the 1996 episode where Homer accidentally books Cypress Hill to play with the London Symphony Orchestra — and they actually perform "Insane in the Brain" with a full orchestra. For 28 years it was a joke. Then it actually happened. We scrambled to Twickets, found last-minute resale tickets, and a few hours later we were watching a symphony orchestra back a hip-hop legend.

That's Twickets at its best — ethical resale where tickets can only be sold at face value or less. Sellers sometimes discount to guarantee a sale. Set alerts for shows you want (you get 10), enable push notifications, and act fast when they fire. About 75% of tickets sell within 48 hours.

The fees are 10-15%, but when tickets are already discounted, you still come out ahead.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

SeatPlan: Our Secret Weapon

Here's why we've never had a bad seat experience: we check SeatPlan before every booking.

It sounds simple, but most people skip this step. SeatPlan has 300,000+ photos uploaded by actual theatregoers showing exactly what you'll see from each seat. Those "restricted view" tickets that save you £50? Many are still rated 4 stars because the restriction is barely noticeable — maybe a slight overhang during one scene.

We treat these sites as a filter. If the photos look bad, we don't book. If a cheap restricted seat has positive reviews, we grab it. This strategy has saved us money without sacrificing the experience.

Official Discount Channels

TKTS Booth (Leicester Square)

The clock tower on the south side of Leicester Square has been selling discounted theatre tickets since 1980. It's the official booth run by the Society of London Theatre — not a scam, not a reseller.

Discounts run 30-40% off face value. You can buy for today, tomorrow, or up to a week ahead. Here's what most people don't know: the same prices are now available online, updated at12:01 AM daily. No queue required.

If you do visit in person, check the website first to see what's available. Nothing worse than queuing for 30 minutes only to find your show isn't discounted.

National Theatre Friday Rush (£10!)

Disney Magical Mondays (£29.50)

Every Monday at 12:00 PMDisney releases £29.50 tickets for that week's performances of The Lion King and Hercules. You have five minutes once seats hit your basket.

At the Theatre

Shakespeare's Globe: £5 Groundlings

Standing tickets at the Globe cost £5. You stand in the yard, front and centre, exactly like audiences did in Shakespeare's time. It's the best value in London theatre.

Arrive an hour early to claim a spot by the stage — you can lean on it. No sitting allowed (ushers will tell you). No umbrellas if it rains, so bring a waterproof. Comfortable shoes are essential for a 2-3 hour show.

The Globe also runs a £5 Friday Rush at 11am for the following week — though note this is currently paused and will resume in Summer 2027.

Arcola Theatre: Pay What You Can

Every Tuesday evening, Hackney's Arcola Theatre offers "pay what you can" tickets. Average donation is about £5. Show up from 6pm, queue at the box office, maximum two tickets per person. You cannot book online — it's in-person only.

Returns Queue

Old school but still works. Show up at the box office 60-90 minutes before curtain. Ask about returns. Bring cash and card (some theatres insist on one or the other). Have backup show choices in case your first pick has nothing.

Call ahead if you want — box offices will tell you what time to arrive for the best chances.

Smart Strategies

Restricted View Seats

"Restricted view" sounds terrible. Often it's not.

The West End has over 5,900 restricted view seats. Many are discounted because of a slight overhang or one moment where a set piece blocks part of the stage. At Les Misérables, certain rear stalls seats are marked restricted due to the circle overhang — but they're consistently rated 5 stars on SeatPlan.

The trick is research. Check SeatPlan, look at photos, read reviews. If calling the box office, ask "exactly what is restricted?" Staff will tell you honestly.

When the average musical ticket costs £140, a £15 restricted view seat with a 4-star rating is a no-brainer.

Preview Tickets

Shows run previews for up to a month before press night. Same cast, same production — just still being polished. Tickets are often 20-50% cheaper because producers want feedback.

The Old Vic offers preview tickets from £13 (off-peak) to £75 (peak), cheaper than regular run prices. A £2.50 transaction fee applies unless you're an OV Together member. Their PwC £10 Previews scheme ran until August 2025 — check their website for any new discount schemes.

The Young Vic sells every seat of the first preview for £10. The Yard Theatre prices first previews at £10 too.

Sign up for theatre mailing lists to catch these.

Weekday vs Weekend

This one's obvious but worth stating: the same seat can cost 20-40% less on a Tuesday than a Saturday.

Tourists pack weekend shows. Locals go midweek. Theatres discount to fill seats. If your schedule is flexible, always check Tuesday to Thursday first.

Off-West End & Local Theatres

This is where we see a lot of our theatre.

Wimbledon Theatre is our local. Major productions play here for a few days — same show, lower prices, easy to get to. We saw Friends the Musical Parody and we're planning to catch Annie.

Peacock Theatre is our go-to for dance and physical theatre. We've seen Drum Tao, Trash, and have Tutu Chic's Mambo coming up.

Park Theatre gave us Dracapella — an a cappella Dracula parody with Olivier Award winners, Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman, and Queen covers. Smaller venue, intimate atmosphere, a fraction of West End prices.

Underbelly Boulevard is where we saw Sophie's Surprise Party — an Edinburgh Fringe smash hit mixing circus and 90s house party vibes.

The experience at these venues often feels more special because of the intimacy. And your wallet notices the difference.

Seat-Filling Clubs

Theatres sometimes give away free tickets to fill empty seats. It's called "papering the house." The trick is joining the clubs that distribute them.

The caveats: short notice (days, not weeks), you can't always choose the show. But if you're flexible and discreet, you can see theatre for nearly nothing.

Young People Discounts

If you're under 25 (or under 30 for some venues), you have access to deals the rest of us don't.

Note: Prices and age eligibility may change. Always check the venue website directly before booking. Data based on our research in February 2026.

Blue Light / NHS / Military

If you work for the NHS, emergency services, the armed forces, or in teaching, you're sitting on one of the best-kept secrets for cheap theatre tickets in London. The Blue Light Card costs just £4.99 for two years — and Kro's had one as she is a teacher. It's genuinely one of the smartest purchases we've made for theatre savings.

Here's what it unlocks for West End theatre discounts:

• ATG Tickets "Local Heroes": 25% off up to 4 tickets on selected shows
• London Theatre Direct: Extra 10% off all tickets, applied automatically
• See Tickets: Regular discounts on West End shows
• The Audience Club: Free membership (normally £5/year) for access to free tickets

Blue Light Card also releases free theatre tickets throughout the year as a thank-you to key workers. These go fast, so it's worth checking their website regularly. Between the 25% ATG discount and the automatic 10% at London Theatre Direct, we've saved more than the card cost on a single booking.

Theatre Memberships

If you see three or more shows per year, ATG+ (about £50/year) might be worth it. You get priority booking before public sale, zero transaction fees, 50% off opening nights, and flexible ticket changes.

We haven't joined yet — but we're considering it given how many shows we see.

Dinner + Theatre Packages

If you're planning dinner anyway, package deals can save 10-30%. Sites like Theatre Breaks, LOVEtheatre, and Theatre Tickets Direct bundle shows with pre-theatre meals.

Alternatively, many West End restaurants offer "pre-theatre menus" (2-3 courses for £20-35) if you book a 5-7pm slot. Book the show first, then find a restaurant within walking distance.

The Bottom Line

You don't need to pay £140 to see great theatre in London. We've scored Cypress Hill for £30, hit TodayTix Gold for 10% off everything, and never had a bad seat because we check SeatPlan first.

Start with one method. Download TodayTix. Set a Twickets alert. Check your local theatre's schedule. Try the Friday Rush.

The more you explore, the more you save — and the more theatre you get to see.

Your Cheap Tickets Checklist

Track your progress — tick off each method as you try it: