Profile for Jay Lerner-Z

That's just silly. In the same spirit of worthless exaggeration...

It seems the only thing that will satisfy SteveSanders is a million bucks per head, or better yet, the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos renting out the whole theatre to themselves each night at 50 million. 

"I notice you didn't answer my question"

I thought it was a rhetorical question. Since you won't engage with me anymore, I won't answer it now. Shrug.

"WTF?"

It's quite simple. Good theatre is good theatre. The size of the auditorium is irrelevant.

Streaming isn't theatre.

This is about more than Leslie's current stint. The average Broadway price is soared out of the price range for too many people. Sorry that exhausts you.

Celebrating all of the affordable options is a great idea. Make Off-Broadway eligible for the Tonys, please. With prices like these, it is no longer deserving of special status.

SteveSanders, it's been running ten years, sure. What good is that to a 20 year old coming to Manhattan for the first time?

Jonathan, his efforts to make it more accessible are admirable, but the price of tickets far outweigh any good they've done. Obviously it is not ALL his fault. Usnavi would have a seen a screening, but could he afford the actual show?

Witchoftheeast, theatre is absolutely NOT a luxury item. Perhaps arguable a lavish Broadway musical is, not that Hamilton is particularly lavish, but theatre as a whole is not. That's like saying books are a luxury item. They are a life essential. You do make me wonder if this is another impact of these scandalous prices. People considering theatre as a once-in-a-blue-moon event. Sad.

Well. I'm not suggesting stoning him, or even cancelling him. Just expressing disappointment. He has said playing Roald Dahl is the highlight of his whole professional career, so it's not like he's doing badly right now.

Also, while I'm in "woke" mode, what a shame that Lithgow is participating in the new HBO Harry Potter series. Especially considering the acclaim he once got for portraying a trans character.

Yes, it is set in 1983, the year The Witches was published. Dahl had just written a very anti-Israel article in a newspaper. The play depicts a fictitious crisis meeting at his English home, with his American publisher having sent over an agent to investigate.

Most people can not afford it, so never know if it is worth it or not.

Do we all now agree that The Witches is, in fact, anti semitic?

I remember expressing surprise when the National Theatre in London produced their musical of it. Is that why it disappeared without trace? Could it have run concurrently with Giant, or even post-Giant?

Bwaygurl, my outrage is vast enough to cover everything. This is not a healthcare message board. Don't worry, I've got that covered too.

YouTube, TikTok, Netflix etc. are great, but there is nothing like live theatre, in person. Their interest can be piqued, but then they are locked out.

Dramamama, what difference does it make to the customer just WHO is ripping them off? They remain the victim either way.

The term "late stage capitalism" doesn't even do this outrage justice. If it was any other corporation grossly over-charging, there would be no disagreement. But because it is a show we love, and are proud of, there is. What good is sparking a newfound love of musical theatre, if simultaneously, they are shutting a whole generation out of attending?

Well, in that post, perhaps I was. Look, the main target of my ire is late-stage capitalism.

If we're all the radical leftists that binau paints us as, shouldn't we all agree that something is very wrong?

I wasn't trying to shame him, just wondering if this is why the prices surged. At least that way there would be some logical reason for it.

Is Leslie's return for love of the show, or for a big fat check?

Actual question, as I genuinely can't fathom how high some of these prices are.

Do ticket prices reflect a fair cost/profit?

It's like a grocer charging a hundred dollars for a can of beans, just because he can.

Does it need to be a business, binau?

I don't get how Lin Manuel Miranda, supposedly a champion of the working classes, the ordinary man and woman, can justify such impossible prices. Can Usnavi afford this? The celebrated diversity of this show, to portray the real America, the average Joe etc. Hm, can we revoke the Kennedy Center Honor?