IF YOU THINK PRICES ARE TOO HIGH DON"T BUY TICKETS

Posted: 1/15/10 at 1:36pm

Seriously. If you do not think a show it worth it, no one is making you buy tickets.

[Annas_Priest]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 1:40pm

Go poop in yo pants

[WickedlyEdna1962]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 1:44pm

Annas, I agree. You just posted this same opinion in another thread... was this really needed?

[ABB2357]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 2:26pm

Joe,

If my parents and a lot of other people's parents, teachers, etc. hadn't been able to afford theatre tickets 20 years ago, none of us would be posting on BWW right now.

Therefore, on behalf of all of BWW, the ghosts of Joe Papp, Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse, and whoever runs the Hiptix program at the Roundabout (so we can all bitch about their inane productions at reasonable price points), I invite you to go take a hike.

[bundy5000]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 2:32pm

If anything is too high, its you joe!

[winston89]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 2:51pm

Actually, Joe has a valid point. All of you guys who replied are acting like you're entitled to get tickets that you're able to afford.

Take a business class and realize (as it was said in another thread) that the people dictate what businesses charge.

Clearly there are people who are able to fork over 120 bucks for a Broadway show, that is why they do it.

[WickedlyEdna1962]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:01pm

"Clearly there are people who are able to fork over 120 bucks for a Broadway show, that is why they do it. "

Yes. However these are not the people that are going to fill theaters month after month. People paying $120 are most likely out of town people who see a show on Broadway MAYBE once a year. What about us people that live in NY, or around the NY area, or visit frequently? We're the people that are going to see the shows most and so it's important prices accomadate us, too.

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:17pm

Please. I'd like to know how many of you pay full price for a ticket anyway. Stop complaining.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:23pm

True!

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:24pm

While I am selfishly sympathetic to the desire to see cheaper ticket prices, there is a kernel of truth in what JoeKV asserts and those who have argued with him thus far are, to me, making a slightly different argument.

I wholeheartedly agree that it's incumbent on today's producers to make it possible for the largest possible audience to see their shows. For example, "HAMLET" making so many $25 tickets available for its run at the Broadhurst last Fall was a wonderful gesture by the producers and definitely in the spirit of inclusivness. They certainly didn't NEED to sell those seats at only $25 and could have seen even more revenue from a higher ticket price.

But what so many seem to REALLY be arguing for is the right to get what they consider to be a GOOD seat at a cheaper price. And that, I'm afraid, is not nearly as strong an argument -- both because of the free markets/capitalism argument Winston makes above, but also on the "past generations" argument ABB2357 makes above.

My parents and teachers who took me to theatre as a youngster rarely, if ever, sat in the orchestra and even if we did, it was usually in a lesser seat location. The ticket prices then were definitely lower, but they weren't that drastically more affordable based on the economy of the times. Even then, it was still quite a luxury to spend $40 or $50 on a theatre ticket and more often than not, we sat in so-so seats and paid a lower price and hunted for discounts. Simply put, there is no God-given right to sit in a great seat and pay only a price you can reasonably afford.

Now if the producers of shows like "La Cage" were ONLY offering tickets at $132.50, I would join the picket line right now. But they're not. There are other options. And there will be discounts. If their pricing bothers you that much, then boycott the show. If enough people do it, it will send a message. But especially with the costs involved in mounting a show, and even more so with the risk involved, there's no moral imperative for the producers to charge less than the market will bear for the better seat locations just because it would be a nice thing to do for the audience.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:26pm

WickedlyEdna - That is the most ridiculous request I have ever heard. Like the powers that be and going to lower the prices, making them LESS money, so that you can meet your quota of seeing Wicked 23 times each year.

Sorry to be harsh, but there are several ways of seeing a Broadway show without having to pay full price. I haven't paid full price for a show in years. Then again, I do work in the industry, but when I really want to see a show I just purchase a discount ticket, a ticket on TDF, sometimes I even use my old student ID to get a student rush ticket, or I would just pay full price because I am fortunately able to do that. Thankfully, I never have to.

All of the complaining is really ridiculous.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:35pm

well put averagebwaynut!

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:43pm

"I wholeheartedly agree that it's incumbent on today's producers to make it possible for the largest possible audience to see their shows."

I'm sorry, but why is it incumbent, exactly? Theater going is a luxury, not a inalienable right. You can't honestly talk about free market capitalism and in the same breath require producers to allow access for the largest possible audience.
Updated On: 1/15/10 at 03:43 PM

[broadwayrob]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 3:49pm

Here's something to think about. If the average ticket price keeps going up across the board won't the cheaper tickets eventually HAVE to follow suit? As it gets more expensive it WILL reach a point where it prices people out. I mean honestly a good majority of theatre-goes that will come to New York City WILL pay full price for a ticket. Eventually this will price THAT consumer out then it goes back to being a status symbol only truly affordable to the very rich .. and takes "the people's entertainment" and makes it unattainable.

I'm not saying this is the case now.. nor has it been for a while , but it's definitely something to watch in the future.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 4:08pm

I hate to be the conservative voice, but what makes theater "the people's entertainment?" Further, broadwayrob, the notion that "cheaper tickets eventually HAVE to follow suit" presupposes that the more expensive tickets are indeed selling. You theory would hold true in some cases (i.e. $55.00 balcony seats for a sold-out production of "A Little Night Music") but not for the majority of productions.

[binau]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 4:46pm

I HATE the cost of tickets, but I am still purchasing them at full cost because I'm coming all the way from Australia and I want good seats. I had to work about 11 hours just to see Night Music!!

If they can sell the tickets at such high prices then good for them, I guess.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 4:50pm

It's called "inflation." Wikipedia it.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 5:06pm

"Here's something to think about. If the average ticket price keeps going up across the board won't the cheaper tickets eventually HAVE to follow suit? As it gets more expensive it WILL reach a point where it prices people out."

It already has. But instead of lowering ticket prices, producers simply close the show. Perhaps if they didn't price shows so high to begin with some shows might be able to run longer and even earn a profit. Or split the difference and go back to a more varied pricing structure. It's preposterous that these producers charge full price for seats in the mezzanine. Discounting only goes so far. Especially when the discounted price is still expensive. For some shows, obviously, the demand is there for expensive tickets. But some shows, like Ragtime, it's ridiculous. No two shows are the same nor will they have the same appeal, as Mel Brooks discovered when Young Frankenstein flopped. It's all about making money as quickly as possible, and Broadway is the LEAST appropriate place to excercize that mentality based on the low success rate.

"I mean honestly a good majority of theatre-goes that will come to New York City WILL pay full price for a ticket. Eventually this will price THAT consumer out then it goes back to being a status symbol only truly affordable to the very rich .. and takes "the people's entertainment" and makes it unattainable."

It doesn't help that many shows that are opening are basically tourist shows, which keep local audiences away. For a show to succeed it needs to appeal to both groups. Phantom, Mamma Mia! and Wicked are so famous and grossly popular that they can survive on tourists alone. Ragtime, A Little Night Music, etc. need to strike a balance, but when they are initially overpriced who wants to spend the money? I haven't actually paid to see a Broadway show in about a year, and let me tell you, of the show's I've seen, I'm certainly glad I didn't. These shows are failing because not only are they not great, but who wants to invest the time and money on something that you aren't sure you'll like. A movie is only $12, and people don't feel AS ripped-off.

Are we ENTITLED to cheap tickets? No. But Broadway IS mass entertainment, not the bastion of high art many people think it is/should be. Broadway has always been about mass appeal...it isn't until the 60s that it was really outdone by Hollywood. The proof is in the number of tv broadcasts and movies made from Broadway material from that era.

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 7:12pm

I wrote:

"I wholeheartedly agree that it's incumbent on today's producers to make it possible for the largest possible audience to see their shows."

Play Esq responded:

I'm sorry, but why is it incumbent, exactly? Theater going is a luxury, not a inalienable right. You can't honestly talk about free market capitalism and in the same breath require producers to allow access for the largest possible audience.

Hmmm...OK, perhaps "incumbent" is too strong a word. But I actually don't think the two are mutually exclusive in spirit (even if they may be by definition).

You're right that technically, I can't support free markets and simultaneously make it obligatory for producers to make theatre accessible to as broad an audience as possible. However, as you hopefully can tell from the spirit of my post, I ultimately support a hybrid approach: an application of the purest form of free market capitalism for the majority of seats tempered by the recognition that lower price points are needed to avoid a complete erosion of the customer base.

[binau]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 7:19pm

The lowest tier prices are pretty accessible...at least in comparison, IMO.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 8:13pm

1. There is no guarantee that lowering prices would increase attendance. Bway is simply not on everyone's radar.

Expenses are so incredible high, they can't afford to lower prices. First they have to meet their nut, THEN they need to beging paying back their investors. They can't JUST keep things at bay.

5000 tix at 130 = 650,000
8000 tix at 75 = 600,000

More than 1/2 as many tix....less money. I know I'm simplifying...and I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to manipulate the numbers to show anything. I'm just simply showing that reducing tix to bring in more people is not an automatic solution.

Would I like for tix to be cheaper? Sure. But since I know about disounts I often don't pay full price anyway. I'll survive.

But I agree...if it's too much...don't go. Period. What good does complaining do from the minority? It's been a LOOOONG time since 'the masses' could attend. My parents couldn't afford to go, they DEFINTELY couldn't afford to bring me or my siblings.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 8:47pm

I do think prices are too high. And I don't buy tickets. Because I cannot afford them.

[MusicSnob1]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 9:27pm

Stop whining, CapnHooker. You all are babies.

Entertainment, specifically Broadway, is not a God given right...it's a man-made LUXURY (for those who can afford and/or are willing to spend!)

For Christ sakes. Enough!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 9:31pm

I didn't whine, Snobby. I just stated facts. *in a Snagglepuss voice* Very plainly, even.

[logan0215]

Posted: 1/15/10 at 10:32pm

"what makes theater "the people's entertainment?"

you people frighten me.