Discount Broadway Tickets - Broadway Shows Offer Wednesday Matinee Discounts to Broadway shows for Retired, Retirees and Other Senior People.
Wednesday Matinees Provide The Older Population With Their Own Day on Broadway
Many Broadway shows have Wednesday matinee shows at 2PM or 3PM that are designed for the older, retired, outside-the-city crowd that are able to commute in on that day and avoid the early morning rush hour.
Many trains and other public transportation methods also put on additional resources on that day to get this particular group of people to their Broadway show destination. Some Broadway shows have moved their matinee shows to Thursday instead, to avoid the competition with the other Broadway shows on Wednesday.
Wednesday Matinee Discount Prices
Broadway show producers will often have a dip in the price of tickets for their Wednesday matinee shows. These Broadway ticket discounts are aimed at the "blue-haired" retired crowd from Long Island and New Jersey because these retired folks and senior citizens are available to fill up the Wednesday matinee shows that would normally be light on people since locals are usually at work and tourists aren't around as much mid-week.
But these Wednesday matinee discount tickets, which can be 10%- 50% less than the regular ticket prices, are available for anyone, so you can take advantage of them as long as you're free to catch a show on Wednesday afternoon, irrelevant of the color of your hair. The TKTS ticket stand is also a favorite of this crowd, but when the weather is extremely cold or extremely hot
Often Eccentric Broadway Crowd
Most Broadway shows have a Wednesday matinee performance that begins at 2PM. The audience at these matinees can be a bit eccentric -- expect to see a lot of elderly couples, dressed down tourists, and school groups. Surprisingly, the school children are usually fairly attentive audiences, since they're still new to the magic of Broadway theater. The old folks are probably the more disruptive group, as they can often be heard snoring, commenting too loudly on the action during the show or adjusting their high-pitched hearing devices.
There are a handful of Broadway musicals and plays that don't even have Wednesday matinees, so be sure to check schedules. The shows that don't have Wednesday matinees are usually those that don't have a strong appeal for kids, seniors, or tourists (i.e. shows aimed at young adults). Also note that not all Broadway shows offer a discount on their Wednesday matinee performances.
Extra Matinee Shows On The Weekend:
Some Broadway shows have gotten rid of the midweek matinee show altogether and moved it to the weekend, where they can do four shows over Saturday and Sunday, maximizing the return for the show investors by having a show when most people can make it, foregoing the older crowd completely - this makes financial sense when the show is not a good demographic match for the retired crowd, when a Broadway show has younger star that the older demographic may not be inclined to see.
