Ticket Prices on the Rise... Again!

[myManCape]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 3:20pm

The recent jump to $111 isn't enough as some shows plan to exploit the holiday season. And once producers see that they can get away with charging these prices there not going to go back down.

As per Telecharge:
Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me - Musical


Detailed Pricing Information
Orchestra: $111.25
Mezzanine (Rows A-D): $111.25
Mezzanine (Rows E-H): $86.25
Mezzanine (Rows J-K): $56.25

Week of December 25 - 31:
Orchestra: $121.25
Mezzanine (Rows A-D): $121.25
Mezzanine (Rows E-H): $86.25
Mezzanine (Rows J-K): $56.25

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 3:23pm

Jesus, and that's hardly an expensive show to put on, is it?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 3:24pm

Ticket prices have always spiked during that time period. Nothing new.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 4:32pm

Yeah, but they spiked to the current $111.25 mark where they are now. That's already a ridiculous price, though becoming more and more commonplace. $121.25 is just wrong.

I don't think any show should ever be more than $100 unless we all receive gift bags with gold in them at the end of the evening, or if it's for charity.

[myManCape]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 5:05pm

Yes the last spike put tickets to $111. I believe the first shows to go up were Jersey Boys and Spamalot. After tickets hit 111 they never came back down and now thats the normal price for most shows. Once tickets jump to $121 at the end of the year its very unlikely that they return to 111. Once producers see that they can get away with charging more theres no reason to lower the price. Although a gold gift bag would be nice.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 5:16pm

Jesus! That's just insane! You could recoup an investment with just one showing!

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 5:39pm

No, for that week tickets went as high at $125 I think this past year....

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 5:57pm

Yeah I am pretty sure they raised the price over the holiday season this year as well.

[mabel]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:10pm

It's still ridiculous. I think I take it for granted that I have my student ID, and just what a great deal that is. When my parents were in town last week, we were going to see a show, and it really hit me just how obscene the prices have gotten. Tickets for Sweeney Todd at TKTS were a couple dollars shy of $60 with fees. I'm sorry, but unless I'm getting primo seats (and these weren't, being in row T on the side), I just can't justify paying that price.

It wasn't that long ago that the orchestra used to be $75. While it's not as if it was last year or the year before, I'm only talking like 5 or 6 years ago. If the next jump is going to be to $120+ (and while that's for a holiday week now, I don't think the permanant jump is that far off)...there's just no excuse to be getting within $20-30 of doubling already high prices in 6 years or so. Is it just me, or does that seem insane? In another five years, are the current premium ticket prices going to be the norm?

Frankly, it's the same thing with college (and I suppose much of everything else, but I'm sticking with tuition for the moment). While I lucked out getting a hold on my tuition, the room and board jumped (and continues to jump) every year, to the point, where I just don't see how it could go on (and yet it does). Room and board my freshman year was something like $7500, and now there are rooms that are as high as $14,000! While they aren't the necessarily the same room, the fact that most rooms seemed to jump $700-1000 each year is mindboggling to me. If I were coming in as a freshman now, would room and board be $15-18,000 by the time I'd graduate?!?)

Anyway, back to theater...I guess there's not much that you can do about it when Jersey Boys is sold out months in advance, shows like Threepenny and Pajama Game sell out their entire limited runs. Why wouldn't they keep upping the prices if people are willing to pay??

[boxers7]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:45pm

I feel as though each show should have different ticket prices. My parents have seen Sweeney Todd, Avenue Q, and Spelling Bee and each time come home, loving the show, and saying "we paid 100 dollars for that?"

[mabel]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 6:52pm

I totally agree. I don't see why shows like Sweeney or Bee which have fairly small casts and a minimalist set/costumes should charge the same price as something like Lion King or Dirty Rotten Scoundrals that have large casts, multiple sets, extravagant costumes, etc.

And how could a show like I Am My Own Wife (as much as I loved it) charge $90 (or whatever it was) for a one man show with the one set/costume, etc??? Just because big musicals charge $100+ doesn't mean that every show should.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:00pm

It's all GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED GREED and some more GREED thrown in with all that other GREED!

It's dispicable. I've decided that I WILL NOT pay for ANYTHING oer $60 until prices are lowered about $50. MargoChanning's blog has an excellent post that states how prices have jumped over 300% since 1981, when salaries have jumped less than 100%!

Prices need only be LESS than $80, if that! I'm absolutely disgusted with this greed. Eventually they WILL have to stop this or no one will really be able to go anymore. Or the government will have to regulate it with everything else once we get the lezes-fairesses out of the majority and start getting the inflation fixed with some good leadership!

You'd have to be pretty thick in the head to not see that the only reason why 2005 was the highest grossing year on Broadway was because of massive price hikes! I wouldn't be surprised if 2006 topped last year's!

There's another thread talking about production costs. I haven't done the math, but I'd bet that if WICKED cut out all of its prime seating and lowered at least most of the Orchestra to $80, it would still be breaking even! I wouldn't be surprised if they could cut them all down to $60! My gosh, I sat in the third to last row there of the mezzanine for $50!!! Those seats were good, but not that good!

Something needs to be done, and I think something will be done within the next decade or so!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:10pm

The day disounted tickets are $ 100 is the day we stop going altogether

It is greed and as long as people are willing to pay outrageous prices they will go up.Since people are will to pay $ 250 for a ticket especialy to one roundly roasted by critics they think people will pay anything .The producers are cutting their own throat. They are losing generations of theatergoers who can not afford it. By the time producers call a halt to the madness it will be too late and many will be hurt including tourism items like hotels and restaurants

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:14pm

I'm so fired up about this right now, it makes me want to organize demonstrations!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:24pm

Do not start by "3 Days of Rain"

I agree but something like this has to take its natural course. Some people will pay anything so you waste your time with them. Teachers state they are not paid enough (another discussion ) but one was interviewed buying a premium ticket for 3 Days. Underpaid but able to shell out $ 250 to see a straight play roasted by critcs. Am I missing something here ?

When people stop going it will be to late. It will happen gradually & naturally producers will make up for the loss by rising prices on others. Greed also is involved with the selling of concessions

Somoen I used to know said " When you die, it does not make much difference how many shows you have seen" I agreed than but I am inwardly chuckiling as who said it to me but I agree

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:31pm

True, but I like to enjoy life (and I think we all should) and theatre is what I enjoy. On "Broadway: The Golden Age," the narrator/documentator said that it was a time when you could go to the theatre as much as you liked and see so many different amazing shows. It was affordable for everybody and made it a community. I so want it to be like that again. People WANT to wake up in the morning and say "I'm going to buy a ticket for Phantom in the center of the firts row" and not have to worry about burning a hole in their pocket.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:32pm

I want to say that this will go right back down when people stop going but it won't.

Tourists will ALWAYS go to Broadway, it's like " the thing to do." With them still going, hotels and restaurants will be fine.

What sucks if for the locals, like myself, that WON'T pay for this.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:38pm

I'm not even a local and it makes me furious! I live three hours away, but I'm so involved with the theatre scene that I feel I like I live there whenever I go. I like to be a part of the community, not a "tourist who wants to see everything", and that's why I don't accept these prices. I ony get to NY a few times a year because I'm in high school.

I do, of course, see sights and museums, but when I do go, I don't feel like a tourist, I feel like I belong there, and that's why I feel so strongly about this.

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:45pm

It's just so unnecesary. There's no reason to raise prices, it's already expensive.

[missyrose87]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:53pm

the day tickets go on sale for a show like wicked, people buy them all for about $90 each. they then go and sale them on ebay for sometimes 500 a pair, and people pay it. i think the companies are raising prices so that ticket brokers dont want to spend that much to buy them, because to make a profit they would have to almost double it. i am not saying that i agree with the higher prices, but i would rather pay a ton of money to the actual company than to a ticket broker who is just trying to make a profit off of me and my desire to see the show

[NickHyper]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:53pm

I believe it might have to do with a restoration charge. For example, Sweeny Todd tickets are 111.25 because of a 1.25 restoration fee. I've seen other theatres with the same prices. So they just tack on the extra 1.25. But that's just a possibility, I'm not 100% sure.

[mabel]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:54pm

What about off-Broadway shows charging $65-75!?! It's all just crazy...KER-AZY, my friends.

[myManCape]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 11:18pm

Nick> All tickets include the theatre restoration fee. I dont know if its required but every show does it. That $1.25 is intended to be spent on the theatre to make sure that they dont become run down. I have yet to be in a Broadway theatre thats in bad condition and we continue to see improvements on theatres such as the Lyceum, Belasco and Rodgers. So it leads me to believe that, the $1.25 is being put to good use. And believe me, that $1.25 does not put a ticket price over the absurd limit. $61.25 would be reasonable $121.25 is ridiculous.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 4/23/06 at 12:00am

and gee you would think the rent being paid by the show to the theatre company would pay for the upkeep. it should be the owners responsibilty to keep the theatre in good condition, not the publics

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/23/06 at 12:09am

That jump for the holiday week isn't new. I remember Spamalot had a similar pricing structure this past December.