Coffee is for closers, but cheap tickets are for the people who actually know how the Glengarry Glen Ross Broadway lottery works. If you've been paying attention to the 2025 Broadway season, you know this revival is a monster. We are talking about Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, and Bill Burr—three guys who could probably sell out a theater just by reading the yellow pages. But they're doing David Mamet’s Pulitzer-winning cutthroat real estate drama instead.
Getting in the room isn't easy. The primary ticket prices are, frankly, enough to make Levene weep.
Most people just assume they’re priced out of seeing stars of this caliber. They aren't. Broadway has these weird, wonderful systems designed to keep the theater accessible, or at least to make sure the front rows aren't entirely filled with people who don't know what Succession is. You just have to know which app to refresh and exactly when the digital "doors" open.
The Logistics of the Glengarry Glen Ross Broadway Lottery
Honest talk: winning a lottery is a numbers game. For the current production at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, the Glengarry Glen Ross Broadway lottery is managed through Telecharge. It’s a digital-only affair. You aren't going to find a bucket outside the stage door where you drop a physical slip of paper. Those days are mostly gone, buried under the convenience of an algorithm.
The price point is usually set at $45. Compared to the $200+ premium seats, that’s a steal.
The window opens at midnight the day before the performance. It stays open until 3:00 PM. If you’re trying to see a matinee, the cutoff is usually earlier, often the day prior. You have a very narrow window to "claim" your tickets if you win—typically 60 minutes. If you miss that email, the system cold-bloodedly moves on to the next person. It’s very on-theme for a play about guys getting fired for coming in second place.
Why This Specific Revival is a Nightmare to Win
It’s the casting. Let’s be real.
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Kieran Culkin is fresh off his Succession peak, playing Richard Roma, the role Al Pacino made famous in the film. Roma is the ultimate "closer," and Culkin’s specific brand of high-anxiety swagger fits the character like a tailored suit. Then you have Bob Odenkirk as Shelly "The Machine" Levene. We’ve spent years watching Odenkirk play a desperate, fast-talking lawyer in Better Call Saul, so seeing him tackle the desperation of a fading salesman is a meta-layer fans are dying for.
And Bill Burr? He’s Dave Moss. Burr’s natural stage presence is built on aggression and cynical observation. It’s a perfect match for Mamet’s staccato, profanity-laced dialogue.
Because of this "triple threat" of prestige TV and comedy icons, the Glengarry Glen Ross Broadway lottery is significantly more competitive than, say, a long-running musical that’s been on the boards for a decade. Thousands of people enter every single day. The odds are probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 in 500 on a weeknight and 1 in 1,000 on a weekend. Those aren't great odds, but they are better than the odds of Moss actually stealing the leads.
Standing Room and Rush: The Backup Plans
If the lottery fails you—and it probably will the first five times—don't just go home.
There is a "Rush" policy, which is different from the lottery. Digital Rush tickets often go on sale at 10:00 AM on the day of the performance via the TodayTix app. They’re usually $35 to $45. The trick here is speed. You need your payment info saved in the app, your thumb hovering over the screen at 9:59:59, and a very stable Wi-Fi connection.
Then there’s Standing Room Only (SRO). This is the "hardcore" way to see the show. SRO tickets for Glengarry Glen Ross are typically sold only when the performance is 100% sold out. You stand in a designated numbered space at the back of the orchestra.
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Is it uncomfortable? A bit. But the play is only about 90 minutes with no intermission. Standing for an hour and a half to see Odenkirk and Culkin go toe-to-toe for $30 is a trade-off most theater nerds would make in a heartbeat.
Avoiding the "Third-Party" Trap
I’ve seen people get burned on this. They search for "Glengarry tickets" and end up on a secondary resale site where "lottery-style" seats are being sold for $150. That’s a scam. Or, at the very least, it's a massive markup on a seat that isn't guaranteed.
Always go through the official Telecharge lottery portal. If a site asks you to pay to enter a lottery, run. Entry is always free. You only pay if you win.
Also, a tip on seat locations: lottery winners are often placed in the very front row or the extreme sides. In the Jacobs Theatre, the front row is actually amazing for a drama like this. You can see the spit flying during the arguments. You can see the sweat on Bill Burr’s forehead. It’s visceral. The extreme sides can be "obstructed view," meaning you might miss a character standing in a corner, but for $45, you deal with it.
Strategies That Actually Work (Sorta)
There is no way to "hack" the Telecharge algorithm, but you can improve your situational odds.
- Tuesday and Wednesday nights are your best friend. Everyone wants to go on Friday or Saturday. If you can swing a mid-week show, enter then.
- The "Single Ticket" Strategy. If you enter for two tickets, the system has to find two seats together (or at least in the same allotment). If you enter for just one, you’re much easier to place.
- Check the Weather. If there’s a massive rainstorm or a random Tuesday blizzard in New York, people forget to enter. Or they win and decide they don't want to commute in the slush. That’s when you strike.
It’s basically a game of persistence. I knew a guy who entered the Hamilton lottery every day for two years before he won. Glengarry won't be that bad because it's a limited run, but you have to be consistent.
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Actionable Steps for Your Next Attempt
First, set a recurring alarm on your phone for 11:00 AM. This gives you time to hit the Telecharge site before the afternoon cutoff.
Second, download the TodayTix app and set an alert specifically for Glengarry Glen Ross. Sometimes they do "exclusive" rush drops that aren't advertised elsewhere.
Third, if you’re in the city, physically walk to the Bernard B. Jacobs box office at 242 West 45th Street right when they open at 10:00 AM. Sometimes they have "house seats" that were released last minute. They aren't lottery prices, but they’re often cheaper than the resale market and better than the nosebleeds.
Fourth, make sure your Telecharge account is set up and your credit card is current. You do not want to be the person who wins the Glengarry Glen Ross Broadway lottery only to have their transaction declined because their card expired last month. That is a Shelly Levene level of bad luck, and nobody wants to be that guy.
Finally, if you win, get there early. The atmosphere in the lobby for this show is electric. The merch is actually decent, and you’ll want a program. You’re about to see a masterclass in acting for the price of a mediocre steak frites in Midtown.
Go get your leads.
What to Do Next
- Verify the Lottery Portal: Head to the official Telecharge digital lottery page to see the current countdown for the next performance.
- Check Social Media: Follow the official show account on Instagram. They often announce "special" lottery days or bulk ticket releases that bypass the standard daily lottery.
- Prep Your ID: Remember that lottery tickets are non-transferable. You must bring a photo ID that matches the name on the entry to pick up your tickets at the box office.