TodayTix App Brings the First Mobile Lottery to Audiences of On The Town!

If you've been an OpenLetter2NYC reader for a while, you'll know that I never attend a Broadway show at full price. Whether I wait in line for rush tickets, score a discount seat on the web, or enter the ticket lottery, I'm always on the hunt for the most affordable seats. I've been stalking the On The Town website recently, as one of my childhood friends is in the show and I just had to see her onstage as soon as possible. Imagine my surprise when I saw that On The Town is offering the first mobile lottery in Broadway history!

The TodayTix app makes entering the On The Town lottery super easy. All I had to do was download the app for free in the App Store on my iPhone (also available on Google Play and Amazon) and enter the lottery directly from my phone! Each day, I simply enter the On The Town lottery for free, and a few hours before the show I'm notified via email whether or not I scored tickets. For someone who lives in Downtown Manhattan, this app is absolutely perfect – I can enter the lottery no matter where in the city I am, and I don't have to wait in any lines at the theatre. Talk about convenient!

TodayTix is also a great app even if you're not looking to see On The Town (which you should, by the way!). The app allows you to get discounted tickets for many other Broadway shows, and is currently offering free tickets to the preview performances at The Public this season. There is no reason to stand in line out in the elements when you can buy discount tickets directly on your phone. With the time (and money) you save, you can enjoy New York City and pick up your tickets at the box office come showtime!

I also want to mention the great customer service I experienced with TodayTix. This past Saturday I entered the On The Town lottery, and figured I didn't win when showtime was getting close. Then my phone rang, and it was TodayTix! The original lottery winner cancelled, so they called and offered the ticket to me! I was so excited! I headed to the Lyric Theatre, handed my $20 in cash to the box office, and enjoyed the show from my orchestra seat. It was awesome!

I will have a full review of On The Town up on my blog once the show officially opens in October. For now, I definitely recommend that you take advantage of the TodayTix app. If you sign-up for TodayTix, please use my referral code, as you and I will both get $20 off our next ticket purchases through the app. Simply click HERE to be directed to the TodayTix website. I hope to see more Broadway shows using this app for their lottery systems soon!

Broadway | Annie

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During New York's intense heat wave my friend Casey was in town. We had tickets for the amazing Justin Timberlake and Jay Z concert at Yankee Stadium, but in order to beat the heat during the day we decided to catch a show. At the last minute, we headed to Times Square in hopes of seeing Annie. It was already past 1:00pm when we got there, and the show was to start at 2:00. The line for the TKTS booth was ridiculously long, and let's be real, there was no way I was going to stand outside in the heat. I grabbed Casey, headed into the Palace Theatre lobby, and snagged us tickets to the matinee for $59. Regular price? $118. In other words, we got the same exact discount as everyone wasting away in line at TKTS just by heading directly to the box office. Lesson of the day for all you Broadway-bound tourists: skip the TKTS booth and just go the box office. They're selling the same seats for the same price, and even if the tickets end up a bit more expensive, at least you won't have to wait in line!

As for the show, Annie was great! I've always been a huge fan of the movie. In fact, my mom actually put limits on how often I could watch it when I was younger. Unfortunately, we did miss seeing Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan (her short stint ended earlier in July), but overall the show was everything I could have wanted. Our $59 seats were smack dab in the center of the mezzanine, so we could see all of the action quite clearly. Plus, I just loved singing all the songs in my head while the girls were belting them on stage. Annie is such a feel-good musical, and it was the perfect choice for a hot, Saturday afternoon.

I definitely recommend Annie, especially for fans of the movie. Keep in mind it is a family show -- the theatre was crawling with little girls (see what I did there?). Granted, we did go to a matinee, so head to an evening show for a more grown-up crowd. While it may not be the show to see on Broadway, it's an uplifting production that reminds you the sun will come out tomorrow. 

For more information, check out the official Annie website HERE.