Leading theatre ticket comparison website SeatChoice.com has named Dancing Dancing as the hottest ticket this Christmas.

London, UK, December 22, 2010 -- Leading theatre ticket comparison website SeatChoice.com has named Dancing Dancing as the hottest ticket this Christmas.

Dirty Dancing is now into its fourth year at the Aldwych Theatre, London and there seems to be no let-up in the popularity of this great show, based on the iconic 80’s film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. According to SeatChoice.com there have been more searches for Dirty Dancing tickets in the run up to Christmas than any other production in the UK.

In second place is Michael Grandage’s production of King Lear starring Derek Jacobi at the Donmar Warehouse and in third position is the Strictly Come Dancing live tour at the 02 Arena which opens in January 2011.

Despite Christmas traditionally being the season for thigh slapping and risqué jokes not a single Pantomime made it in to this year’s top ten hottest tickets list for the Christmas period. In fact, the highest placed panto, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the Manchester Opera House, limps in at just 14th in the list of most requested tickets via SeatChoice.com searches.

The Top Ten ’Hottest Tickets for Christmas’ on SeatChoice.com are:

1. Dirty Dancing – Aldwych Theatre, London
2. King Lear – Donmar Warehouse, London
3. Strictly Come Dancing – The 02 Arena, London Docklands
4. Strictly Come Dancing – The Manchester Evening News Arena
5. We Will Rock You – Palace Theatre, Manchester
6. Matilda – Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
7. Oliver! – Theatre Royal, London
8. Warhorse – New London Theatre, London
9. The Lion King – Lyceum Theatre, London
10. Fela! – Olivier (National Theatre), London

SeatChoice.com founder Robert Iles said: “Pantomimes are no longer the must see productions at Christmas. Whereas in the past a trip to see Aladdin or Sleeping Beauty may have been the only time children got to see live theatre now there’s a huge choice of shows aimed at children and families being staged throughout the whole year. Productions including The Gruffalo, Lazy Town Live, Peppa Pig and Scooby Doo tour the country pretty much from January to December so children are getting out to the theatre more often. Getting children engaged in live theatre through contemporary TV and cartoon characters is fantastic for the theatre industry but it means the Christmas panto no longer has a monopoly on live family entertainment.”

Still struggling to think of what to buy friends and family this Christmas why not treat them to a night at the theatre? SeatChoice.com has some top tips on how to save a packet on tickets for the big London productions.

Tip One - Shop around!

Whether you’re buying car insurance or theatre tickets it pays to compare. Different ticket agents charge different prices and have different booking and handling fees all of which combine to make the total cost of your seats. When you search for tickets with SeatChoice.com the results show you the face value of the tickets available from the different ticket suppliers, any discounts available and the different fees payable so you can compare the total price, not just the ticket price. It also makes it really easy to compare availability on different dates.

Tip Two - Shop safe!

Unfortunately there’s a serious problem of criminals setting up fake ticket websites, taking your money for tickets they don’t have and then disappearing with the cash never to be seen again. The websites are often very professional looking and may even have glowing testimonials from existing customers which are of course completely made up. Search for ‘Discount Theatre Tickets UK’ using Google and you’ll get nearly 6 million results so where do you start? It’s extremely difficult to spot a fake ticket website so stick with the names you know and trust. SeatChoice.com only deals with legitimate, authorised ticket agents which means when you find your theatre or gig seats through Seatchoice.com you can be sure of receiving the tickets you buy at the price you see.

Tip Three - Monday night is the new Saturday night!

Go earlier in the week. Most shows discount tickets earlier in the week when sales are harder to find. Even for very popular shows it’s worth searching for deals on Monday and Tuesday nights as you’re far more likely to find discounted tickets available than you will for Friday and Saturday nights.

Tip Four - Be flexible!

Sometimes good discounts are offered on a "best available" basis. This means you may not know your seat numbers before you arrive at the theatre but the staff will seat you in the best seats that are not sold at full price. They can often be pretty good seats too.

Tip Five - Aim a little higher!

If you are on a really tight budget try for seats in the balcony and upper circle. The best seats in the theatre sell out first which often means that theatres struggle to sell the cheaper seats which are higher up or have a restricted view. If you don’t mind sitting a bit further from the stage, and are really watching every penny, you can often find great discounts for these seats.

About SeatChoice.com
SeatChoice.com conducts real-time searches of theatre box offices and over 20 ticket outlets including leading ticket agents such as Encore, Ticketmaster and Keith Prowse as well as specialist theatre break agents and secondary ticket suppliers such as Seatwave and Viagogo. SeatChoice.com currently searches over 34,000 ticketed shows and events.

Contact Jason at MAW Communications on 07824 818242

If you would like to link to our website please use http://www.seatchoice.com

Contact:
Jason Wyer-Smith
SeatChoice.com
Church Cottages
Norfolk, UK
07824 818242
jason@42pr.com
http://www.seatchoice.com