FAMED TIMES SQUARE TKTS BOOTH OPENS

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DISCOUNT BROADWAY TICKETS ARE BACK

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Story And Photos By Ann Watt

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Bernadette Peters And Gerald Schoenfeld

Unseasonably warm October weather brought out theater goers and the like to celebrate the reopening of Duffy Square and the newly renovated TKTS booth Oct. 16th at 46th Street and the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.On hand for the opening celebration was Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters, Gerald Schoenfeld and Council Speaker Christine Quinn, as well as representatives from the Times Square Alliance, the Theatre Development Fund, the Coalition for Father Duffy, and Bishop Dennis Sullivan.The redesigned TKTS booth, which will accept credit card payment at all of its ticketing windows, officially opens at 3 PM for day-of tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. The booth itself has expanded its box office from ten to twelve windows.The multimillion dollar redevelopment of the island features a fiberglass design and an amphitheater-style staircase, made up of 27 slip-resistant steps that provide seating room for more than 500 hot-chocolate-sipping bargain hunters in search of half-price tickets to “Chicago”, Avenue Q” and “Grease”, to name a few.Theatre lovers and tourists have been flocking to the booth, which offers discounted tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, music and dance events since 1973.