See the Show Before it’s Out!

The Commitments was the first show to sell all preview tickets for half price!

All top London theatre shows have preview nights where for up to a month, the musical or play is performed to audiences before the press get a chance to, and before any reviews have been written about the show. This gives the chance for the producers to change anything that is not quite working well, and to see the audience’s reactions. Sometimes, scenes may be cut or changed by the time the show officially opens, or other alterations will take place. More often than not, however, especially if the show was previously on Broadway or shown elsewhere, only minor changes will occur, and the show will be pretty much the same during the previews as it is on the press night.

Due to the nature of previews, tickets are usually a lot cheaper than once the show has opened officially, as show bosses want as many people as possible to see a performance to get feedback. It is worth enquiring about a certain new show at the box office to see if you can get cheaper tickets, and you may even be able to nab a freebie if you are at the box office just before the show starts during a preview and there are some empty seats!

• Recently the hit new musical ‘The Book of Mormon’ offered all tickets for the first London preview for only £20. Audience members had to wait in line on a specific day, and were allocated seats all over the auditorium, including top price and premium for a fraction of the cost. With premium seats now costing £127, that is a HUGE saving of £107 just by seeing it during previews!
• The upcoming production of ‘The Commitments’ at the Palace Theatre was the first West End show to offer tickets to all preview performances at HALF PRICE. This meant you could easily secure tickets for as little as £5 – an absolute bargain!

 Show Savers

Show Savers is an online club with open membership, offering discounts on current London theatre. This service is free to join, but for those who want to enjoy exclusive benefits, the Show Savers Plus club is the place to be for complimentary tickets. By paying the one off yearly fee you can have access to complimentary tickets from producers looking to generate ‘word of mouth’ publicity before a show opens. These free tickets are often used as a marketing tool, and are offered to members for a mere £2 each. Visit the website http://www.theatrenet.com/showsavers/plus.php for full details of how to sign up and become a member.

The Audience Club

The Audience Club is an organisation that allows its members to see a variety of London shows for a very small booking fee, once you have paid the £25 one-off fee to be able to purchase two tickets, or the £50 to be able to purchase four tickets. Not all of their tickets are for previews, and some are for lesser-known shows, but nevertheless it saves the costs of always purchasing full-priced tickets. http://www.theaudienceclub.com/

Share Your Preview Tips!

Have you been to a preview show recently? Do you have any advice to give to anyone wishing to attend a preview? Got any questions? Then comment in the box below!