May your name be drawn, your seats prime, and your theatre experiences unforgettable.
Hadestown
Location: Lyric Theatre (on Shaftesbury Avenue, not to be confused with Lyric Hammersmith)
Ticket Price: £30 per ticket
Where to Book: TodayTix
Dates: Booking through December 2024 as of this writing
Winnability: Not that easy
Overview: Hadestown is a Tony Award-winning musical that retells the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in a post-apocalyptic, Depression-era America. With a score blending modern American folk music with vintage New Orleans jazz, it’s a unique and immersive theatrical experience.
The bee’s experience: The bee has been trying its luck with the Hadestown lottery on TodayTix. While winning offers a chance to see the show for just £30, the bee has yet to buzz with success. The lottery opens at 00:01 am daily, with entries closing four hours before the performance. You need the TodayTix app to enter.
Cabaret
Location: Playhouse Theatre
Ticket Price: £25 per ticket
Where to Book: TodayTix
Dates: Ongoing
Winnability: Difficult but not impossible
Overview: Set in 1930s Berlin, Cabaret is a dark and alluring musical that delves into the lives of the patrons and performers of the Kit Kat Club as the shadow of Nazism looms. It’s an immersive experience that has received rave reviews from both audiences and critics with its intense narrative and stunning performances. Not to mention seven Olivier awards back in 2022.
The bee’s experience: The bee has won the Cabaret lottery before and can confirm that the seats are absolutely fantastic, possibly the best in the house. It’s an incredible opportunity to see a critically acclaimed show from prime viewing spots.
Further links: Read about the bee's reflections on this production of Cabaret, and the bee's experience with the Cabaret lottery.
Hamilton
Location: Victoria Palace Theatre
Ticket Price: £10 per ticket
Where to Book: TodayTix
Dates: Ongoing
Winnability: Next to impossible, the bee thinks.
Overview: Hamilton is the groundbreaking musical that tells the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton through a blend of hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and traditional show tunes. It’s a cultural phenomenon that continues to draw sold-out crowds.
The bee’s experience: Despite numerous attempts over the last two years, the bee has yet to win the Hamilton lottery. The allure of seeing this spectacular show for just £10 keeps the bee trying daily, as the bee cannot bring itself to pay full price for a popular hit musical that the bee suspects it will not enjoy very much.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Friday Forty)
Location: Palace Theatre
Ticket Price: £80 total for parts 1 and 2
Where to Book: TodayTix
Dates: Ongoing
Winnability: Winnable
Overview:This magical production brings the world of Harry Potter to life in a thrilling stage show that spans two parts. The Friday Forty lottery offers a chance to purchase premium seats for both parts at a significant discount.
The bee’s experience: The bee has been fortunate to experience the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child from the front rows, thanks to the Friday Forty lottery. The front-row view is incredible, though it involves a bit of neck craning. The bee won this lottery on its very first attempt. Yes, really. The bee's theory is that this is a show that's more popular among tourists than locals (or so the bee has heard) and tourists tend not to be aware of the lottery or find it hard to plan their trips around lottery-related uncertainty, which strangely makes this lottery somewhat more winnable than one would expect given how popular the show is. But the bee speculates...the only thing bee knows for sure is that it won the lottery the first time it ever attempted to.
Further links: The bee was left spellbound by the special effects. More on the bee's experience of winning the Friday Forty lottery here.
MJ the Musical
Location: Prince Edward Theatre
Ticket Price: £30 per ticket
Where to Book: TodayTix
Dates: Ongoing
Winnability: Winnable
Overview: MJ the Musical celebrates the life and music of Michael Jackson. This high-energy show features some of the King of Pop’s biggest hits and is said to offer a thrilling theatrical experience.
The bee's experience: This isn't the kind of show that the bee is particularly interested in, so the bee does not have much experience with the show or its lottery. The bee has heard anecdotally though that this lottery is one of the easier ones to win.
Location: Gielgud Theatre
Ticket Price: £22
Where to Book: Official website
Dates: Booking through Aug 2024 as of this writing
Winnability: Winnable
Overview: 2:22 A Ghost Story is a spine-chilling play about a group of friends who encounter a ghostly presence. It’s a suspenseful and thrilling production that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. The bee has found itself jumping out of its skin on at least six different occasions due to the jump-scares in this play, although the plot itself has a number of loose ends, the bee thinks.
The bee’s experience: The bee is keen on the 2:22 lottery, which offers discounted tickets through the official website. This is especially the sort of play for which having a good seat makes all the difference. The nice thing is that you are auto-enrolled every week until you unsubscribe, so you do not need to ritualise entering the lottery as one has to do with TodayTix. Every Wednesday, winners will be drawn at random and contacted by email. The email will contain a unique link to buy a pair of £22 tickets for performances for the following week and must be used within 24 hours.
Location: Fortune Theatre
Ticket Price: £25 per ticket
Where to Book: Official website
Dates for the Run: Ongoing
Winnability: Winnable
Overview: Operation Mincemeat is a dark comedy musical based on a true World War II story. It tells the tale of a British intelligence operation that helped turn the tide of the war.
The bee's experience: The bee won this lottery, dear thespians! But the bee was exasperated to find that the seats available to book for £25 were not great. One would expect that the lottery gives you access to great seats at discounted prices, but these seats were not massively discounted relative to full price. Disappointing, but the bee will try again and hope for better options next time.
Lottery draw details: The draw is every other Monday at 2 pm. If you win, you receive an email that will contain a unique link to buy a pair of £25 tickets and must be used within 24 hours. You will be automatically entered into the draw every week once you sign up, but can unsubscribe at any time. Also, when you sign up, you will be asked to unscramble a secret codeword to increase your odds. It's optional, but if you would like to know the answer, expand below to see it.
Operation Mincemeat codeword for lottery
Subterfuge
And there you have it, dear thespians! Whether you're a seasoned ticket lottery veteran or a newbie buzzing with excitement, the bee wishes you the best of luck.
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