Theater district waitress is overcome with emotion after receiving a $500 tip from a kind-hearted patron who left the money so she could finally buy tickets to her dream Broadway show

A waitress in the theater district was stunned to discover that a patron had left her an extremely generous $500 tip so she could finally afford a ticket to her dream Broadway show.

Clair Rachel Howell, who is originally from California but has since moved to New York City, took to Instagram to share the act of stunning generosity.

The server uploaded a series of photos, including a snapshot of the customer's receipt, as well as her subsequent trip to see Merrily We Roll along at the Hudson Theater.

She described it as a “magical moment in New York” and expressed her overwhelming gratitude for the man who gave her the “crazy and unexpected gift.”

Last month, Clair said the customer received a bill for $232.86 before leaving a whopping $500 tip.

He also scribbled a note on the receipt that read: 'Go and look cheerful! Get in the orchestra!'

The employee gave more details about the situation in the caption, which explained: 'Soooo a magical moment in New York happened to me at work the other day.

“My serving job is in the Theater District, so a lot of people come in before they see Broadway shows. As usual I always ask them what they see, and recently a family went to see Merrily We Roll along.

“Every time I had tables to see this show, I told them how great it would be, and how much I wanted to see it!”

She continued, “The table left to make their showtime and I picked up their check and did about seven double takes. Even as I write this, I am still speechless.

“THANK YOU to the gentleman who gave me this crazy and unexpected gift. I hope you'll stop by again so I can thank you personally. Magic is still alive in New York, and so is love, kindness and good, GOOD people.”

Clair concluded, “Tonight is the day and as he wished, I am in the second row waiting for the show to start. I love New York City.”

The theater lover then shared a slew of photos from her seat – including of her poster and cocktail – as she waited for the show to start.

Clair's heartwarming post received a huge amount of positive feedback from commenters who were captivated by the sweet gesture.

One person wrote: 'A holiday story. The true meaning of the season. A story that should be told every year!'

Another person added: “The magic and heart of holidays and the quiet kindness of strangers.”

A third person wrote: 'Christmas magic! I absolutely love this!'

Other followers were moved to tears.

'Literally crying. I really hope you can thank him one day, but wow. This is a small moment that shows how you can have money and how you can be human. Fantastic story. I hope you enjoyed the show,” one person wrote.”

Another person added: 'Why am I crying?'

A third person wrote: 'This made me tear up with so much joy and hope for humanity. Even when the world seems darkest, there are still small acts of kindness and generosity that prove there is still light. What an incredibly beautiful story.'

One person commented: 'That's amazing! I hope when you're famous you'll go back to that restaurant and gift a server tickets to your show!'

Clair later shared an Instagram Story, adding, “I'm overwhelmed by the love from so many internet strangers.

“I'm so happy that my magical NYC moment was able to reach people all over the world and give them a little bit of magic too.”

The Broadway show Merrily We Roll Along is about the three-decade friendship between composer Franklin Shepard, writer Mary Flynn and playwright Charley Kringas.

The trio is played by actors Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez.