Riedel on Hamilton $995 premium tickets - Page 2

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 7:37am

I think we are at a point where buying Hamilton tickets is a better investment than real estate or the stock market.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 7:47am

I don't get the argument that raising the prices will stop the brokers. The brokers will just raise their prices another thousand dollars. 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 8:25am

Wow. I just booked a 5 day trip for 2 to Las Vegas including 2 Cirque shows. The entire price of the trip including room, shows, and airfare is cheaper then it would be for the two of us to go see Hamilton at this rumored premium ticket price change. 

Hamilton is great and all, but when you could go on a 5 day vacation for LESS then the price of going to see a 2 and a half hour show... that's just madness on a whole new level.
 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 8:32am

"Hamilton is great and all, but when you could go on a 5 day vacation for LESS then the price of going to see a 2 and a half hour show... that's just madness on a whole new level."

 

My wife and I booked a 7 day cruise next year with a balcony cabin. The cost per person was less than this ticket to Hamilton. 

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 8:35am

I understand this is the way things are today but I long for the days when the average person could get a front row seat for normal orchestra price. The problem with these things is that there will always be somebody out there willing to pay this type of price to see the "hit" show. I am so glad I got to see Hamilton last September for $89. Granted I was not in the orchestra but still had a wonderful time.

[rcbell64]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 9:00am

Another who can vouch for tickets dropping in price prior to showtime. We were in the cancellation line from 8 pm to 7:30 pm the following night and could see the writing on the wall as no tickets had been released yet for night and only 4 tickets had been released for the matinee show, so we started looking at stubhub and swore if we could get tickets for less than $400 each we would buy them as a back up and sell them at cost to the people behind us if we got tickets in the cancellation line. The cheapest tickets started at $698 and we got those for $300 about 20 minutes before showtime. It's a gamble though and very nerve wracking wh cause you don't want to pay too much but you also don't want to miss altogether. Those tickets were Rear mezz so not great but better than not seeing it and it really is a great theater. There aren't many terrible seats. 

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 9:18am

There are plenty of sporting events that charge this much. Obviously there are still cheaper options to get into those events but even a theatres "nose bleed"  seats are still rather closer. Eventually the prices will even out a bit over time. The show hasn't even been on Broadway for a year. Like it's been said numerous times if you are on ticketmaster when the next block of tickets you can get face value tickets. I bought my tickets for July back in September. 

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 9:33am

I doubt they'll be raised that high. They'll go up but doesn't Riedel have some agenda against Hamilton. I remember he was reporting about how they weren't allowing Tony voters to see the show becuase they were that confident or something which turned out to be false. But I can see why they will raise them especially with scalpers getting tickets.

[Petrichor]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 9:57am

So...if premium tickets are $995, what is their plan for regular? Surely they wouldn't keep regular tickets priced at $140-190, they're gonna have to boost that price up a few hundred as well. My guess would be anywhere from $600-$800(I apologize if these numbers are inaccurate, I'm just basing them off of other shows). I see their goal, and at the end of they day that's how businesses work, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact it seems dreadfully...egotistical? They'd now be targeting an audience strictly made up of richer-than-average people who have no problem dropping that much money per ticket, and are showing no signs of hope for your everyday theatre enthusiasts who would absolutely love to see the show but aren't able to. No more everyday families or eager and passionate theatre students, no more people who enjoy see the same show multiple times. I actually think this "holier than thou" attitude might hurt their show in the long run. People, including celebrities, will leave their show thinking it was great, but are those same people going to drop another $1,000 per to come back and see the same show again? No, doubtfully. If they did I would think them most unwise seeing as they'd be able to fit in two other shows for less than the price of one Hamilton ticket. It just seems like a surefire way of LOSING traffic over time. 

 

Sure, right now the future of Hamilton looks promising, but who's to say it will stand the test of time like other big name shows? Wicked, Phantom, Les Mis, etc. Although I'm not sure how things worked back when those shows were starting to gain popularity, I think I'm safe in saying they never thought of pulling a move like this. Especially after the original cast leaves, depending on replacements, the hype could drastically die down. To be honest, as much I would have loved to see the show, I'm kinda already put off by the thought that they're even considering this. Yeah, I get that there will always be people who will pay that price...but there will also always be other great shows, now and in the future. Hamilton is not the end. As long as no one else decides to spike up their prices, we're good. 

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 10:13am

But such behaviour encourages general inflation of prices- as if being $700 less than Hamilton makes a $200 ticket a bargain!

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 10:45am

devonian.t said: "But such behaviour encourages general inflation of prices- as if being $700 less than Hamilton makes a $200 ticket a bargain!

 

"

 

No, it doesn't. That's not how it works. 

[sueb1863]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 11:39am

This show's image is going to go from "cool scrappy inspired little off-Broadway show that made a huge splash" to "overblown ego-soaked obnoxious monster" if it isn't careful. People are going to start rooting against it just because it seems to be getting very full of itself.

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 11:47am

devonian.t said: "The question is: is this healthy in the long run for Broadway and theatre in general, when it struggles to avoid charges of elitism and finds difficulty in widening its demographic?  With shows pricing themselves out of the market, this risks even more shows flopping."

 

Few shows are going to be burdened with this dilemma. Aside from Hamilton, you could buy a discounted ticket to see almost every other show on Broadway right now, so I'm not sure how the exception will start setting the rules.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 12:11pm

sueb1863 said: "People are going to start rooting against it just because it seems to be getting very full of itself."

I'm a bit resentful of this statement. I don't think I agree that the producers of a wildly, unprecedentedly successful Broadway show are being "full of themselves" by capitalizing on its incredibly high demand. A show that's "full of itself" would be charging obscene prices for tickets that nobody's purchasing anyway. Hamilton is just taking advantage of everything it's getting—what's so wrong with that?

[Hellob]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 12:57pm

I think psychologically speaking, it's easier for the buyer to overpay scalpers than the box office. It would cause resentment among buyers. The SH/TM seller is an invisible annoyance but knowing the producers would do that to me is way more irritating. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:10pm

Petrichor said: "So...if premium tickets are $995, what is their plan for regular? Surely they wouldn't keep regular tickets priced at $140-190, they're gonna have to boost that price up a few hundred as well. My guess would be anywhere from $600-$800(I apologize if these numbers are inaccurate, I'm just basing them off of other shows). I see their goal, and at the end of they day that's how businesses work, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact it seems dreadfully...egotistical? They'd now be targeting an audience strictly made up of richer-than-average people who have no problem dropping that much money per ticket, and are showing no signs of hope for your everyday theatre enthusiasts who would absolutely love to see the show but aren't able to. No more everyday families or eager and passionate theatre students, no more people who enjoy see the same show multiple times. I actually think this "holier than thou" attitude might hurt their show in the long run. People, including celebrities, will leave their show thinking it was great, but are those same people going to drop another $1,000 per to come back and see the same show again? No, doubtfully. If they did I would think them most unwise seeing as they'd be able to fit in two other shows for less than the price of one Hamilton ticket. It just seems like a surefire way of LOSING traffic over time. 

 

Sure, right now the future of Hamilton looks promising, but who's to say it will stand the test of time like other big name shows? Wicked, Phantom, Les Mis, etc. Although I'm not sure how things worked back when those shows were starting to gain popularity, I think I'm safe in saying they never thought of pulling a move like this. Especially after the original cast leaves, depending on replacements, the hype could drastically die down. To be honest, as much I would have loved to see the show, I'm kinda already put off by the thought that they're even considering this. Yeah, I get that there will always be people who will pay that price...but there will also always be other great shows, now and in the future. Hamilton is not the end. As long as no one else decides to spike up their prices, we're good. 

 

1.  No, regular priced tickets will not be 600-800 dollars.  Not by a long shot.  It wouldn't surprise me if they again raised those prices...but not to that amount.  

 

2.  You can't really compare the shows you stated as premium seating hadn't yet begun.  (It started with The Producers)  This isn't going to hurt anything.   This isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  Will it last 10+ years?  Who knows....but it's already (likely) recouped or will very soon.  The producers will make big bank on this even if it only lasts 5 years -- which is unlikely.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:16pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "sueb1863 said: "People are going to start rooting against it just because it seems to be getting very full of itself."

I'm a bit resentful of this statement. I don't think I agree that the producers of a wildly, unprecedentedly successful Broadway show are being "full of themselves" by capitalizing on its incredibly high demand. A show that's "full of itself" would be charging obscene prices for tickets that nobody's purchasing anyway. Hamilton is just taking advantage of everything it's getting—what's so wrong with that?

 

"

Guess you could use the same argument on fracking and other stuff that will drain the earth eventually. The problem is it deters the next generation from going to theater excepting rich, perhaps spoiled, kids. In a long run Hamilton will not be as "revolutionary" as it claims to be.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:21pm

...Is Broadway a natural resource?

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:35pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "...Is Broadway a natural resource?

 

"

lmao so true. I don't know why ppl are mad at them raising prices for premium tickets. Do people here buy premium tickets anyway? there's obviously an audience who are willing to buy those tickets so idk.  I doubt they will be raised to 1000 dollars though and I think the regular ticket prices will stay the same but the show is sold out.

Updated On: 4/24/16 at 01:35 PM

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:44pm

Broadway Forever2 said " I don't know why ppl are mad at them raising prices for premium tickets. Do people here buy premium tickets anyway? there's obviously an audience who are willing to buy those tickets so idk.  I doubt they will be raised to 1000 dollars though and I think the regular ticket prices will stay the same but the show is sold out. "


I don't mind them having or raising premium ticket prices. But I do think it's pushing it with how far back in the orchestra and off to the side they consider premium (below the mezz overhang, really?) There's a shortage of non-premium orchestra seating. 

Updated On: 4/24/16 at 01:44 PM

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 1:59pm

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "Broadway Forever2 said " I don't know why ppl are mad at them raising prices for premium tickets. Do people here buy premium tickets anyway? there's obviously an audience who are willing to buy those tickets so idk.  I doubt they will be raised to 1000 dollars though and I think the regular ticket prices will stay the same but the show is sold out. "


I don't mind them having or raising premium ticket prices. But I do think it's pushing it with how far back in the orchestra and off to the side they consider premium (below the mezz overhang, really?) There's a shortage of non-premium orchestra seating. 

 

"

I guess I see your point. I've just never considered premium tickets when watching broadway shows but I'm not rich haha. I guess we'll see what really happens after Tony's cuz I don't really trust Riedel.

[Margo319]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 2:00pm

The only way to avoid scalper tickets (who have great software that allows them to buy many tickets in minutes) is to release the next batch of tickets on sale at the box office only.  Yes, its inconvenient for most people, but I think people really want to see the show, not sell their ticket for a very high price with this method.  

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 2:03pm

So only people in NY can go?  That's kind of silly.  

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 2:06pm

Margo319 said: "The only way to avoid scalper tickets (who have great software that allows them to buy many tickets in minutes) is to release the next batch of tickets on sale at the box office only.  Yes, its inconvenient for most people, but I think people really want to see the show, not sell their ticket for a very high price with this method."

No. This would make the show both financially and geographically inaccessible!

[A Canadian in NYC]

Posted: 4/24/16 at 2:14pm

It's simple economics; supply vs demand. And while it breaks my heart to think that prices will be raised to this level on the next batch released, I agree with those that reason the producers should be able to gain from this demand. 

It will definitely strike me out from ever getting premium seats again but I've seen it once and I'm going again in June and November and then the tours will begin. 

I really do hope this frenzy dies down soon so everyone can have the opportunity to see this show when in New York. There really isn't anything like it!