Method 1: Work in London Box Office: My first job in leaving Uni was as a meerkat, popping up over the counter of the Old Vic to sell tickets... the money was ok, the hours were long, but the perks included access to the secret masonery of ticketsales, swapping unsold seats with other meerkats in theatres all over London. It was an education ...
Method 2: Buy Theatremonkey: A Guide to London's West End - the most comprehensive and userfriendly guide to chosing and buying theatre tickets ever published.
TheatreMonkey is, similtaneously, a website, the theatre buff called Steve who runs it, and now a beautifully designed book, that provides first hand inside information on booking tickets for London theatres.
Not only does the Monkey tells us how to go about get our tickets (even for "sell out" shows), without being ripped off, he has also done the hard work for us - and visited every single venue to test the seats; leg room, vertigo, that little bit shaved off by a pillar or a balcony (often, ironically, the most exciting seats as well as the cheapest) - the Monkey has been there and checked them for us. Above and beyond, I call it
The quirks of each theatre building (and they are odd and quirky, believe me) are lovingly detailed, and each has been given a new, beautifully designed, seating plan - for the first time in a standardised format
What the Monkey has missed (and that's not much, as far as I can tell!) is been supplied and supplemented by comments made by other theatre goers via his website.
The book itself is comprehensive enough to allow to plan almost every aspect of your visit, and just slim enough to fit inside a pocket or handbag.
I've long been in the habit of buying pocket A-Z maps of London for overseas guests, with my mobile number and a pre-pay oyster card taped to the front cover.
Now I will be throwing a Theatremonkey: into their bags with it, along with admonition to "get lost, have fun and come home in one piece!"
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