Half-Price Ticket Service Gets a Goldstar

I love live events–ballet, plays and concerts. But I live in the Washington, DC area, where ticket prices for just about everything are high. So I’ve passed up many events because the $75 or $100 ticket prices were too much for more than an occasional outing.

That’s why I love Goldstar, a half-price online ticket broker. Their tag line: “Get Out More.” At half price (plus a service charge scaled to ticket price), I’m willing to take a flyer on something that’s less than a sure thing and, better yet, get tickets to a hot event at half price.

Goldstar is not the only discount ticket game in town. In Washington, there’s the Cultural Alliance’s Ticket Place. But the selection of events is limited and many of the discount tickets are available only on the day of performance.  From time to time I get e-mail announcements from venues about discounts for specific events. But that means subscribing individually to each venue’s e-mail list. Goldstar is one-stop shopping for discounts at all venues.

Listings Customized by ZIP Code

Here’s how it works. You sign up for a weekly e-mail of events customized for you by ZIP code. My home ZIP code gives me listings for the Washington, DC area. But I’ve also entered a New York City ZIP code, so I can purchase tickets to Broadway shows for occasional New York weekends. Tickets are purchased online with a credit card. You pick them up at the venue’s box office on the performance day. For ongoing plays and other event, member reviews and ratings give you the lowdown on whether it’s worth going.

Here’s a sampler of the more than 50 events for Washington this week:

• Arena Stage’s blockbuster Duke Ellington revue Sophisticated Ladies ($35-40)
• The Kennedy Center’s Beatles concert Classical Mystery Tour ($34.50-$39)
• The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession. ($27.50-$41)

There are also tickets to Washington Nationals baseball games ($10-$100) and cheaper-than-a-movie tickets for the Source theatre’s annual 10-minute play competition ($9.00).

In addition to the weekly events summary, you can also sign up for Roar of the Crowd e-mails listing the highest member-rated events and hot sellers. You can also subscribe to Event Alerts for categories that interest you, such as classic rock, sports or comedy.

While Goldstar is an online service, real people respond to e-mails. My e-mail request for accessible seating was answered within minutes.

In addition to Washington and New York, Goldstar is available in 11 other areas. The website lists events in all locations. So you can check out discounts if you’re visiting one of those destinations.