A New York City server got tickets to a “crazy expensive” Broadway show she had been dying to see thanks to a generous patron who left her a gentle nudge along with a $500 tip.
Clair Rachel Howell, 27, serves many Broadway-loving guests at her restaurant job in the Theater District and often asks them what they’re seeing.
One night in late December, she struck up a conversation with a family who was going to see “Merrily We Roll Along” at the Hudson Theatre and had mentioned how she wanted to see the play but knew the tickets were pricey.
“I’ve been wanting to see it for a very long time, but I know it would be crazy expensive,” told The Post Friday.
Before she even had time to collect the check, the family had headed to their 7 p.m. showing — leaving behind an “insane” and “unexpected” gift, Howell said.
She found the family generously left her a $500 tip, making the bill total $732.86, she revealed on Instagram.
The gentleman who paid wrote “Go see Merrily! Sit in the orchestra!” on the receipt.
Although she considered saving the money, Howell ultimately decided to use it for the exact purpose the generous diner intended: To go see “Merrily We Go Along.”
“It was a generous act of kindness,” she told The Post via phone, recalling how she had to do “seven double takes” to believe it.
“I bought the ticket that night.”
She never expected the massive tip, saying the family were “super nice” and “super chill” and “weren’t flashy people.”
“It’s just crazy, it’s something that happens in a dream,” said the California native, who moved to the Big Apple eight years ago to pursue acting herself.
She purchased a second-row ticket to the Broadway production, which cost around $400, and said it “literally felt like I was on stage with them.”
“It was so cool,” she said, adding that she even bought herself an Aperol Spritz to celebrate her night on the town.
Her restaurant job — which she declined to identify — was the reason she became interested in the play that The Post described as “youthfully optimistic” as she heard about it from so many diners.
She went into the Hudson Theatre knowing the basics of the plot but was excited to finally see the hit production she had heard so much about.
The Astoria resident called her gift a “feel-good holiday moment” and hopes it sparks charity in others who have the means to do so.
Howell, who has worked at the restaurant since July, will forever remember the gentleman and his parents who gifted her the sweet tip and hopes others will get to experience similar acts of kindness.
The server has quite a background in theater, having played several roles in cruise productions, including Anna in “Frozen” on Disney Cruise Line, and starring roles in “Little Women” and “The Little Mermaid” on stage, according to her resume.
“Merrily We Roll Along” follows a three-decade friendship between a composer, writer and playwright and stars “Harry Potter” powerhouse Daniel Radcliffe.