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Black Friday is upon us, and London has been blessed with not one but two massive pre-Christmas theatre sales, from TodayTix and London Theatre Direct, which is great news for YOU, the theatre loving public.
We wouldn’t presume to say one sale is better than the other: we’re just happy somebody is out here savinbg you money. But in fact the difference between the sales seems to be that they have discounts for different shows, so let’s just break it down for you.
The TodayTix sale features exclusive prices for MJ the Musical, The Book of Mormon, Les Miserablès, Guys and Dolls, The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong, and some pretty cool upcoming work including yet-to-open shows at the National Theatre and Royal Court.
And then there’s the London Theatre Direct sale, which in essence takes in the other big West End shows: we’re talking Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Tina, Matilda, Moulin Rouge, The Devil Wears Prada, Magic Mike, Stranger Things, Mrs Doubtfire, Oliver!, Hadestown, Doctor Strangelove, plus more.
For whatever reason there is a bit of crossover - they both have offers on Starlight Express and The Lehman Trilogy – but in general imagine there is one colossal London theatre sale of such potency that it had to be divided in two, is the basic idea.
It’s difficult to make a general summary of dozens of offers, but if it’s in the sale you can clearly expect to save some money – the long-running The Book of Mormon starts at just £25, which is pretty sensational, frankly; if it’s Hamilton you’re still paying a fair whack but might save £30 on a stalls ticket; if you’re thinking of booking a Christmas show then have a look through the sales first as you can get some actively pretty cheap tickets to seasonal stuff; if there’s something coming next year that you’re looking forward to then now is the time to book it; and if you want to get your mum Les Mis tickets for Christmas then obviously she’d want you to make the best saving possible.
Best Black Friday deals on musicals
1. Book of Mormon from £25 is just a really nice price to see a perennially enjoyable show – you’ll need to book for next year but there’s lots of availability from February.
2. Despite what it says above, at time of writing it was possible to buy Hamilton tickets for a sensational £25 in the first two days of April only. We’re not clear why it’s just those days – prices start at £55 for other dates (which is still pretty good!).
3. It’s hard to argue with £15 tickets to Tina! The Tina Turner Musical.
Best Black Friday deals on plays
1. You can currently catch Sigourney Weaver’s UK stage debut in Shakespeare’s The Tempest from £35 – get in before the hype builds.
2. The Lyric Hammersmith’s panto this year is an excellent production of Aladdin and £15 a ticket is a very good price for it if you’re in the market for something seasonal.
3. It’s a bit of a punt but ypu can currently get tickets to the National theatre’s imminent stage rarity Alterations starring Arinzé Kene for just £20 – it’s a bit of an unknown but it opens to good reviews in February you’ll have had yourself an absolute bargain.
Both Black Friday sales are now on.
The TodayTix sale runs until December 4.
The London Theatre Direct sale runs until December 8.
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