Broadway tickets and theatre tours

The short answer

Pick the show, then the section. Each of the six show tickets below admits you to one performance, and SkyGate sells every one of them by seating section rather than by seat: you choose, for example, Rear Mezzanine or Front Orchestra, and the best seats available in that section are assigned to you.[8][4][1] The seventh product, the New York Broadway Walking Tour with Studio Visit, includes no show ticket.[11]

The sections differ in name from show to show because the theatres differ, so compare sections within one show, not across shows. SkyGate does not show a seat map, and XTOUR does not publish one.

Family musicals: The Lion King and Aladdin

The Lion King Broadway Musical Ticket in New York is the Disney musical told with puppetry and masks, music by Elton John and Tim Rice, and direction by Julie Taymor, according to SkyGate. It has 17 seating options, and SkyGate's listing says it is suitable for children 6 and over, children under 2 are not permitted, and the running time is about two hours and thirty minutes with one intermission.[1]

There is an unresolved theatre question. SkyGate's product page names the Minskoff Theatre, 200 West 45th Street, but every option voucher gives the Lyric Theatre, 214 W 43rd St, which is the address the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child production gives for its own show.[7][1] XTOUR could not read The Lion King's own site, so it has not confirmed the theatre and shows no theatre pin for this ticket. Check the address on your voucher with SkyGate before the day.

Disney's Aladdin Broadway Ticket in New York plays the New Amsterdam Theatre, which the theatre's own site places at Broadway and 42nd Street and which lists Aladdin as its show.[3] SkyGate offers 16 seating options, from Rear Balcony to Premium Orchestra or Mezzanine. Its listing says children under 6 are not allowed, children under 14 must be with a paying companion at least 14 years old, and the show uses strobe lights and pyrotechnics.[2] See the New Amsterdam Theatre page on XTOUR.

Wicked and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

The Wicked Broadway Show Ticket in New York is for the musical about Elphaba and Galinda before The Wizard of Oz, with music by Stephen Schwartz, according to SkyGate.[4] The production's own site gives the Gershwin Theatre, 222 W 51st St.[5] SkyGate has 35 seating options and says children under 5 are not permitted, the show suits ages 8 and up, and it runs about two hours and forty-five minutes with one intermission.[4] See the Gershwin Theatre page on XTOUR.

The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Broadway Ticket in New York is a play rather than a musical, set 19 years after the original series, according to SkyGate.[6] The production gives its address as the Lyric Theatre, 214 W 43rd St.[7] SkyGate's six options run from Balcony to Premium Orchestra or Dress Circle, and its listing says the show suits ages 8 and up, children under 5 are not permitted, and under-15s must be with an adult.[6] See the Lyric Theatre page on XTOUR.

Chicago and Stranger Things: The First Shadow

The Chicago Broadway Show Ticket in New York is the Kander and Ebb musical set in the 1920s, with choreography by Bob Fosse, according to SkyGate.[8] The production's site gives the Ambassador Theatre, 219 West 49th Street.[9] SkyGate lists 39 seating options, many naming specific row ranges, and says children under 4 are not permitted and the show is recommended for adults and teens. Chicago is also the one show here where SkyGate says seats are assigned and emailed about two weeks before your show date, rather than shortly after booking.[8] See the Ambassador Theatre page on XTOUR.

The Stranger Things: The First Shadow Broadway Show Ticket in New York is a play set in 1959 as a prequel to the television series, according to SkyGate. SkyGate's listing says it is suitable for 12 and over, children under 5 are not permitted, under-15s must be with an adult, and the show uses gunfire audio, explosions, haze, strobe and strong language. Like The Lion King, its theatre is unconfirmed: the product page names the Marquis Theatre, 210 West 46th Street, while the vouchers give the Lyric Theatre address.[10] The production's site refused automated reading, so XTOUR has not verified which is right.

Broadway without a show: the walking tour

The New York Broadway Walking Tour with Studio Visit is a guided walk, not a performance. SkyGate's itinerary meets at Father Duffy Square on West 47th Street at 2:30 PM, walks Broadway past the Richard Rodgers, Majestic and Shubert theatres, the Second Stage Theatre and Theatre Row, and ends with a behind-the-scenes visit to a theatre facility at 4:30 PM. The theatres are passed from outside: no option includes entry to them or a show.[11] SkyGate does not name the rehearsal studio. The single option includes an English-speaking guide, with tickets for adults 12 and over and children 6 to 11.[11]

How to choose

• With children under 8, The Lion King (suitable from 6) or Aladdin (no under-6s).[2][1]
• For the most seat choice, Wicked or Chicago, which have the most seating options.[8][4]
• For a play rather than a musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child or Stranger Things: The First Shadow.[10][6]
• For the theatre district by day, the walking tour, which can sit before an evening show.[11]

Before you book

• Check the age rule for your show: each listing gives its own minimum age.[10][8][6][4][2][1]
• For The Lion King and Stranger Things, confirm the theatre on your voucher; SkyGate's pages give two addresses.[10][1]
• Section names are per theatre; a "Mezzanine" in one theatre is not the same as in another.