Hamilton's ticket price jump- Page 3

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 8:40am

"I have never understood why some of those venues don't open their doors a half-hour sooner.  Some of them start letting in the long line-ups of people at 15 minutes before curtain time, so that people who arrived half an hour before curtain and got in line right away are still not guaranteed that they can go to the bathroom and still get to their seats on time.  "

That is a very good point. If you go to sporting event, you are usually allowed in 1-2 hrs before the game starts. The same thing is true if you go to a concert, so why is Broadwayso different? Are they checking things out in the theater 1 hr before the show starts which prevents the audience from being let in earlier? 

 

[Movidude742]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 9:13am

yankeefan7 said: "That is a very good point. If you go to sporting event, you are usually allowed in 1-2 hrs before the game starts. The same thing is true if you go to a concert, so why is Broadwayso different? Are they checking things out in the theater 1 hr before the show starts which prevents the audience from being let in earlier? 

 

well as Dramamama said a few posts above:

Opening the house earlier would incur costs: for paying the front of house AND technical staff.  Additionally, I believe union rules help in preventing that.  Calling out for a performance only has to happen by 1/2 hours....many patrons would already be past the posting the lobby.  Also, things like fight call happen ON stage.  The house can't be open until all that is done.

 

 

 

"

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 9:21am

^yes, they are.  Both actors and techies.  

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 9:49am

"

well as Dramamama said a few posts above:

Opening the house earlier would incur costs: for paying the front of house AND technical staff.  Additionally, I believe union rules help in preventing that.  Calling out for a performance only has to happen by 1/2 hours....many patrons would already be past the posting the lobby.  Also, things like fight call happen ON stage.  The house can't be open until all that is done."

 

 

Thanks for the information,I  figured there was a reason but was not positive. In our local theatres in Charlotte for Broadway tours, people are let in at least 1 hr early but the "house" is not open until 30 minutes before curtain.

Updated On: 9/14/15 at 09:49 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:48pm

Better to keep people out in the cold and the rain as they are only paying customers so who cares about them.

 

When Ragtime played, I remember the house being open earlier so people could go into the concession and souvenir area. This was the original production in the now Lyric.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:49pm

Better to keep people out in the cold and the rain as they are only paying customers so who cares about them.

 

When Ragtime played, I remember the house being open earlier so people could go into the concession and souvenir area. This was the original production in the now Lyric.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/15 at 12:54pm

From today's Times article about diversity on Broadway this season, Miranda echoes some of the themes first raised by Mr Roxy in his pamphlet, What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Broadway Ticket Prices:

 

“It’s so random the way shows get to Broadway — sometimes it’s a theater opening up, and sometimes it’s a show finally being ready after years of workshops, but I’m very heartened that our stages are starting to look more like our city,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of “Hamilton.”

 

Mr. Miranda said that even with more diverse casts and story lines, audience diversity remains a serious concern, which he attributed in part to the high cost of tickets.

 

“The pricing is above my pay grade to solve, because mounting shows is really expensive, and producers price aggressively to make money back for their investors — that’s their job, but at the same time it’s crazy how expensive they are,” he said. “And there are many people for whom it’s not even a thing on their radar, so hopefully these shows will become destinations for diverse audiences, and then that starts the next generation going.”

Updated On: 9/13/15 at 12:54 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 10:04pm

'“The pricing is above my pay grade to solve, because mounting shows is really expensive, and producers price aggressively to make money back for their investors — that’s their job, but at the same time it’s crazy how expensive they are,” he said."

I just think the "premium" price tickets which started with "The Producers" has gotten absurd. I know Broadway shows are expensive to run but almost $500 for one seat to see "Hamilton"is crazy. I just think it sends a message that very good seats to a hit Broadway show are only for the rich. I think most of us have had a seat in the first row of a show many years ago and it was the same orchestra price as any other orchestra seat. I miss those days - lol.

[qafgenius122]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 10:47pm

Reading this thread is making me feel a bit bad, I've seen the show twice and paid a total of 20 bucks. The lottery is winnable. Just gotta keep trying, locals! 2 out of 3 ain't too bad tho.

[asmith0307]

Posted: 9/14/15 at 10:56pm

A big difference in the lobby openings in touring houses and the Broadway houses has to do with the theaters themselves. Many of the touring houses have lobbies that patrons can stand in and wait. As for the Broadway houses, besides the little box office area, very few houses have a lobby (Lyric, Imperial, Beaumont, and Gershwin are some exceptions). Instead, the doors open directly into the house. The Hobby in Houston opens the lobbies about an hour before hand if I remember correctly (its been a while since I was there that early), and the Nederlander/Broadway in Chicago Theaters tend to open the lobby 45 minutes before curtain. 

 

As for costs, show calls are typically 4 hours in my experience. Anything longer usually requires overtime, and no producer wants to pay that if they can avoid it. 

Updated On: 9/14/15 at 10:56 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 10:14am

"Reading this thread is making me feel a bit bad, I've seen the show twice and paid a total of 20 bucks. The lottery is winnable. Just gotta keep trying, locals! 2 out of 3 ain't too bad tho."

That is great but many people can't do the lottery. I saw it the day before Labor Day and we got the tickets several months ago with seats in mezzanine. The price was very reasonable, I think the main focus of this thread is how expense the "premium" seats are to buy for this show.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 10:37am

I don't know what is worse: that Hamilton is charging $477 for top seats or that people are willing to pay them. You could try to justify that all you'd like but you'd never win that argument. I don't care how good Hamilton is. Back when I was young, I remember we paid $99 for a second-row seat to AIDA, and even that was jaw-droppingly expensive. I love Broadway but this is just depressing -- and not sustainable. It's setting the Great White Way up for a one-hit-per-season scenario, which is so unfortunate for other shows!

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 10:50am

Skimbleshanks2 said: "I don't know what is worse: that Hamilton is charging $477 for top seats or that people are willing to pay them. You could try to justify that all you'd like but you'd never win that argument."

 

Really? That's an easy argument to win.

 

If Hamilton sells seats for $100, and the secondary market then re-sells those tickets for $500, it does beg the question why I would rather give $400 to someone who put nothing into the production and it just profiting off of it. Also, in this day and age, scalping can sometimes be risky, since I can resell the same PDF multiple times, and whoever gets theirs scanned first gets to enter the theater.

 

With dynamic pricing, Hamilton is profiting directly off of the work, it is setting a price based on the market (dynamic prices also come down when no one will pay them; I've attended many a show buying the tickets 90 minutes in advance when the premium seat became regular and took a discount code), and patrons are assured they are going to be OK entering the theater with a valid ticket.

 

Until you come up with a solution that eliminates the secondary market, I don't see this issue going away. Plus, it is a "problem" most shows don't mind having. Even if they eventually sort out how to remove the secondary market, premium won't go away since it enables people with more resources to not plan ahead and still get great seats last-minute.

 

But it is very easy to justify it, as long as the Hamilton producers are making a bigger chunk of change than the scalpers would have grabbed without those high ticket prices. It is hard to come up with a better system that deals with the reality of all of these variables.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 10:54am

Alright. Well, don't come crying to me in five years when Broadway's only running shows are The Lion King, Aladdin, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon and Phantom.

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 10:56am

Well Ticketmaster has a secondary market right on its own website. It's been discussed before and I agree that was likely intended for concert sales but it's a pretty big joke to me to see Ticketmaster, and in turn the producers, essentially endorsing scalping with those prices.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:05am

No show is worth $477 a ticket. That's just inhuman. 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:08am

Ticketmaster's "reseller" marketplace even has partial view tickets listed close to $500. I know lots of these prices drop on day of the show, but still. It's also curious to see lots of the hard of hearing/partial vision/handicapped accessible seats listed on there. I always assumed those were seats that sold through the box office?

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:14am

Skimbleshanks2 said: "Alright. Well, don't come crying to me in five years when Broadway's only running shows are The Lion King, Aladdin, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon and Phantom."

 

Why would that be the case? Sure, every show would WANT to be in Hamilton's position, but few can. 

 

NJ_BroadwayGirl: "Well Ticketmaster has a secondary market right on its own website. It's been discussed before and I agree that was likely intended for concert sales but it's a pretty big joke to me to see Ticketmaster, and in turn the producers, essentially endorsing scalping with those prices."

 

Again, it serves a market need, which is that when you buy a resold ticket, you are getting a new ticket with a new barcode issued in your name. And it is the same secondary market argument, why would Ticketmaster sell a $100 ticket and then be fine with StubHub selling it for a $400 markup, as opposed to providing that service itself?

 

It all has to do with demand. You can resell Amazing Grace tickets on Ticketmaster, too. Only no one is... 

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:17am

NJ_BroadwayGirl said: "It's also curious to see lots of the hard of hearing/partial vision/handicapped accessible seats listed on there. I always assumed those were seats that sold through the box office?"

 

Not curious at all, and no, you just go to a dropdown on the Ticketmaster site and select that you want Accessible seating, and then you can buy it. No special procedure.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:18am

The wheelchair & companion seats are available on Ticketmaster.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:19am

I assume ticketmaster collects a percentage of those sales through its secondary market. Does anyone know whether the producers share in that?  

 

I appreciate that ticket master has a resell option so that if your plans change and you can no longer make the show, you aren't out of luck. But it's unfortunate that people are able to use it to make a profit. It seems like it would be better for ticketmaster to allow you to resell for face value of what you paid (plus I'm sure they'd add additional fees) but I don't foresee that happening if ticketmaster is making a percentage of the resale price. 

 

Also does anyone know if when ticket master does this the reissued tickets have a different bar code?  I'm wondering if it is less risky than stubhub, or if you could still face a situation where someone resold you their tickets but then still used/sold the original tickets such that if they get in first your tickets are no good. 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:20am

Ah thanks for clarifying. I guess since I don't need them I never checked the box. But I'm also not a scalper.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:21am

"I assume ticketmaster collects a percentage of those sales through its secondary market. Does anyone know whether the producers share in that? "

I don't think so. Why would they?

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:34am

ChiTheaterFan said: "Also does anyone know if when ticket master does this the reissued tickets have a different bar code?  I'm wondering if it is less risky than stubhub, or if you could still face a situation where someone resold you their tickets but then still used/sold the original tickets such that if they get in first your tickets are no good."

 

Yes, old bar codes are canceled at time of purchase, new bar code is issued.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 9/15/15 at 11:51am

neonlightsxo said: ""I assume ticketmaster collects a percentage of those sales through its secondary market. Does anyone know whether the producers share in that? "

I don't think so. Why would they? "

I guess producers may be the wrong entity. I can see where it would be an incentive to choose ticketmaster over telecharge but now I'm realizing that's more a decision of the theater...  At any rate I can see why someone would try to negotiate for this as part of the ticketmaster contract. i.e. I'll choose you to sell my tickets but you have to give me a cut off what you make from the secondary market.