With the long lines at the TKTS booth in Times Square, it's pretty easy to spot that discount opportunity. (By the way, no matter how long that line looks, your wait time is 30 to 40 minutes. A small price to save 45 percent or so on a couple of Broadway tickets.) But there are less obvious discounts at most Broadway theater box offices.

The list of box office discounts includes $25 lottery tickets to shows, less-than-$40 general rush tickets, student rush tickets and standing room only tickets.

Not every show has them, The Lion King for instance, is a roaring success and doesn't offer any discounts. But even mega-hits like Billy Elliot and Jersey Boys offer fans a way to get cheaper seats.

My list is updated with all the Broadway musicals now, and I'll have the plays updated soon. Check it out.

Even though overall sales were down on Broadway for the week ended July 5, there were still 15 of 24 shows with more than 90 percent of seats sold, according to the The Broadway League's weekly recap.

Obviously, the July 4 holiday weekend - with world-class fireworks on the Hudson River - explains the drop. So, it's not a big deal.

Despite that, The Norman Conquests continued its conquest of Broadway, jumping over 9 percent in attendance. I guess it could have been Anglophiles boycotting the Fourth in favor of seeing Stephen Mangan (photo, right).

Photo by Joan Marcus

Stephen Schwartz called it "the best American Musical of the last 25 years." In 1998, it won Tony Awards for Best Book, Best Score and Best Orchestrations, though it lost Best Musical to Disney's The Lion King.

"It," of course, is Ragtime, a musical adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's book by writer Terrence McNally, lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty. And it is headed back to Broadway this fall after a successful restaging at Washington's Kennedy Center last spring.

Marcia Milgrom Dodge is directing this version, and Kevin McCollum is the lead producer. The show begins previews October 23 at the Neil Simon Theatre with the opening set for November 15.

This is a great musical, no doubt. And anyone who likes musical theater should be looking forward to hearing "Journey On," "Make Them Hear You" "Back to Before" and a whole lot more. I can't wait.

Image of the original cast CD courtesy of PriceGrabber

Broadway tickets for less than half price.

OK, have I got your attention? I thought so. Most people know of the TKTS booths that operate in Times Square and two other New York locations. They're great for "day-of" discount tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway theater and for concerts and events in New York. But who is behind TKTS?

It's the Theatre Development Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1968 that sells otherwise unused tickets to Broadway and off-Broadway productions then funnels the money back into theater. The cost to join is only $30 a year and you get access to their web listing of available shows. Even if you're from out of town but come yearly to New York, it could be worth it.

The catch, you have to be a member of certain groups or organizations, but it is a far-ranging list, from entertainment professionals to civil servants.

Check it out. If you qualify, you could save a bundle on theater tickets and be helping the theater community.