Hamilton has finally arrived in London. After first being workshopped in New York in 2013, the hit show has finally come to the West End.

The musical tells the story of the founding fathers of the United States of America through hip-hop, rhythm and blues, pop music, soul music. In particular, the story follows Alexander Hamilton, an orphan born in the West Indies who became an influential figure in the fight for American independence. The musical follows Hamilton’s life from his early years to his death in a duel after he’d been promoted to several important positions in the burgeoning US government.

Noteworthy theatre attendees to see the play have included Hillary and Bill Clinton, as well as Vice President Mike Pence.

Hamilton London opening night

The opening night at the Victoria Palace theatre in London on 6th December 2017 received a standing ovation. Rave reviews followed on social media.

One particularly noteworthy tweet from a graduate working for Ambassador Theatre Group read:

“Remortgage your house and get a ticket, it’s that good.”

Obviously intended as a joke, the prospect isn’t as outrageous as it sounds. Tickets for Hamilton’s initial run sold out within the first few hours of going online, back in January 2017.

Hamilton London ticket prices

Ticket prices for Hamilton have been seen online for some suitably ridiculous figures. Some touts are charging over £1,000 for tickets to the preview shows on eBay.

However, it is important to note that these tickets are no longer usable. The official Hamilton website states, very clearly that any Hamilton ticket that has been resold “will result in the entire original booking being cancelled.” And no one will get their money back. Other London theatres such as the Palace Theatre where Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is playing have employed ID checks to ensure resold ticket buyers cannot get entry.

Thus, there are only three places to buy Hamilton tickets officially:

On each of these websites, prices are the same. The cost of tickets is as follows:

Preview run (6th December to 21st December 2017)

Standard tickets cost either £20, £32.50, £47.50 or £79.50. Obviously here the price paid depends on how far away from the stage one is. Seats in the stalls and the front of the circle cost the most, while the back of the upper circle is cheapest.

There were also £127.50 premium tickets which have now sold out. However, from 15th December to 20th December, £190 premium tickets will be available.

Finally, there are various boxes available, some of which have a butler service:

  • Stalls Boxes Rear (each holds 4): £90 per seat – includes Butler Service
  • Rear Royal Circle ‘Matcham’ Box (holds 4): £65.00 per seat – includes Butler Service (limited vertical viewing due to circle overhang)
  • Rear Royal Circle ‘Victoria & Albert’ Boxes (each holds 4): £47.50 per seat (limited vertical viewing due to circle overhang)
  • Side Grand Circle Boxes (each hold 2): £32.50 per seat

Main run (22nd December 2017 to 30th June 2018)

Standard tickets cost £20.00, £37.50, £57.50 or £89.50. In addition, there were premium tickets for £137.50, though these have sold out. However, £200 late-release premium tickets will be available online at 12 noon every Monday for all of the following week’s performances.

In addition, there are the boxes:

  • Stalls Boxes Rear (each holds 4): £100 per seat – includes Butler Service
  • Rear Royal Circle ‘Matcham’ Box (holds 4): £75.00 per seat – includes Butler Service (limited vertical viewing due to circle overhang)
  • Rear Royal Circle ‘Victoria & Albert’ Boxes (each holds 4): £57.50 per seat (limited vertical viewing due to circle overhang)
  • Side Grand Circle Boxes (each hold 2): £37.50 per seat

Tickets for the main run cost more than the preview run because the show will be more ‘polished’. In essence, a preview run is an extended dress rehearsal for the audience. Theatres use these shows to gain audience feedback and tweak performances ready for their full run.

How to get cheap Hamilton London ticket prices

The official website

Thankfully there are still tickets available for Hamilton, although availability is somewhat scarce. Tickets for the show between January 2018 and June 2018 are all available from £59.50 each.

The most easily available tickets available are the paperless premium tickets.

The Hamilton London tickets lottery

While many theatre fans will find such a cost trifling, others may struggle to pay that amount.

However, there are other ways to get tickets. Like Book Of Mormon and the aforementioned Harry Potter play, Hamilton fans will be able to put their names in a lottery for tickets.

Fans putting their names into the lottery stand a chance of being randomly selected. Those who win will get the chance to buy their tickets for just £10 each, with a maximum of two tickets available per winner.

Musical theatre fans can enter the lottery online here or via the official Hamilton app.

A limited number of tickets will be made available for lotteries for each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday performance. Lotteries open at 4pm and close 2pm the following day. Within an hour of the lottery closing all entrants will find out whether or not they won, and winners will be given details on how to collect their tickets.

Wait for the next booking period

Of course, the lottery can be a tricky way to book tickets. Thus, the other solution for cheap tickets is simply to wait for the next booking period and for more tickets to be released. Due to its sell-out run, it’s very unlikely Hamilton‘s tenure on the West End won’t be extended past its original closing date in June 2018.

Unfortunately, there’s no telling when a new booking period will be announced, though, so it’s best to follow Hamilton‘s social media feeds on Facebook and Twitter.

Remember, theatre shows are very unlikely to close while there’s still huge demand to see them. The Phantom Of The Opera, for example, has been running continuously on the West End since 1986. The same goes for recent hits such as Wicked and The Book Of Mormon which have run since 2006 and 2013 respectively.

So don’t panic – if you have a strong desire to see Hamilton, you will get the opportunity to see it at some point. In the mean time, it’s best not to panic. Remember, tickets get cheaper the longer plays go on. Don’t give in to touts and scalpers, and buy from official sources whenever possible.

And hey, if you want to see something really fresh, why not check out our list of the best plays and musicals coming to Broadway soon?