I did a search and didn't see a thread for this, so... I guess here one is...
For those of you in the Los Angeles area, or those heading for LA/Disneyland/Universal Studios Hollywood and perhaps interested in a seeing a theatrical musical or play, the Center Theatre Group (http://www.centertheatregroup.org/) - who run the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum - offer a deal on tickets for most of their shows (maybe even all of them).
They call them HotTix. They're a flat $20 - no tax, box office fees, or shipping fees to send them to you or anything like that. They go on sale about 3 weeks before the show opens. They don't list the date on the website, but you may be able to pry it out of someone if you call.
The seats are "limited view," which means you're either in the last 2 seats at the end of an aisle or in a box on the side of the theatre. The "limited view" means you might have a bad line of sight on the side of the theatre you're sitting on, but most productions stage everything towards the center of the stage and you're only really missing entrances and exits. On the opposite side to where you're sitting, you can actually see into the backstage wings, which can be distracting to some or interesting to others.
You can only get 2 seats together and only 2 per phone call. You can call back and order more tickets - up to 2 at a time - if you're going with a bigger group, but you won't be sitting with each other. You either have to call to order them or get them at the box office, you can't get them online.
They won't tell you were the seats are over the phone, but they'll be on the ticket when you receive them. I have gone to 6 or 7 shows at the Ahmanson now and only once been further than the 7th row of the orchestra section (which were actually the best seats). The one time we ended up in the less impressive boxes was when we got tickets during the run of the show instead of prior to it opening.
The Ahmanson tends to run mostly musicals; most are part of a national tour (as Mary Poppins was last year), but they do also have world premieres of things hoping to transfer to Broadway. I saw 9 to 5 a couple years ago before it went to Broadway, and they have Leap of Faith premiering in September with the hope of moving on. The Mark Taper is a smaller theatre and tends more towards drama and comedy.
It's a really great deal and the location is quite close to Disneyland and USH. They're both located in the same complex, which is right across the street from the Disney Concert Hall.
Just thought I'd put this out there in case anyone is interested. I've gotten some great advice here and I thought I'd pass on a little of my own.
For those of you in the Los Angeles area, or those heading for LA/Disneyland/Universal Studios Hollywood and perhaps interested in a seeing a theatrical musical or play, the Center Theatre Group (http://www.centertheatregroup.org/) - who run the Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum - offer a deal on tickets for most of their shows (maybe even all of them).
They call them HotTix. They're a flat $20 - no tax, box office fees, or shipping fees to send them to you or anything like that. They go on sale about 3 weeks before the show opens. They don't list the date on the website, but you may be able to pry it out of someone if you call.
The seats are "limited view," which means you're either in the last 2 seats at the end of an aisle or in a box on the side of the theatre. The "limited view" means you might have a bad line of sight on the side of the theatre you're sitting on, but most productions stage everything towards the center of the stage and you're only really missing entrances and exits. On the opposite side to where you're sitting, you can actually see into the backstage wings, which can be distracting to some or interesting to others.
You can only get 2 seats together and only 2 per phone call. You can call back and order more tickets - up to 2 at a time - if you're going with a bigger group, but you won't be sitting with each other. You either have to call to order them or get them at the box office, you can't get them online.
They won't tell you were the seats are over the phone, but they'll be on the ticket when you receive them. I have gone to 6 or 7 shows at the Ahmanson now and only once been further than the 7th row of the orchestra section (which were actually the best seats). The one time we ended up in the less impressive boxes was when we got tickets during the run of the show instead of prior to it opening.
The Ahmanson tends to run mostly musicals; most are part of a national tour (as Mary Poppins was last year), but they do also have world premieres of things hoping to transfer to Broadway. I saw 9 to 5 a couple years ago before it went to Broadway, and they have Leap of Faith premiering in September with the hope of moving on. The Mark Taper is a smaller theatre and tends more towards drama and comedy.
It's a really great deal and the location is quite close to Disneyland and USH. They're both located in the same complex, which is right across the street from the Disney Concert Hall.
Just thought I'd put this out there in case anyone is interested. I've gotten some great advice here and I thought I'd pass on a little of my own.
