Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN - Page 3
Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
#50Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:54pmI have tickets from TKTS that I just found from 1999 (only 12 years ago) where half price 5th row orchestra seats cost $35 meaning full price was $70. So in 12 years we've jumped almost $100 which is very scary.
pinoyidol2006
Broadway Star Joined: 5/3/11
#51Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 1:17amHmmmn, I do wonder what's driving the price up so much.
I like your imperturbable perspicacity.
#52Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 1:26am
As has been pointed out, it's almost universally standard for any actor in a principal role in a new Broadway show to have a "Tony clause" in their contract. Usually, this entails a one-time bonus payment for a Tony nomination and a mutually agreed-upon weekly raise for a Tony win that continues through the duration of the contract effective the performance following the ceremony. There's no re-negotiating involved.
Because she's been involved with the show since the very beginning of the developmental phase, though, James will be entitled to a shared portion of the show's profits forever. The same can be said for others like Rory O'Malley and Josh Gad who participated in previous workshops and readings prior to the Broadway incarnation. I think the Equity rule mandates that all those actors collectively share one percentage point, no?
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Updated On: 6/14/11 at 01:26 AM
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
PortalGamer
Chorus Member Joined: 4/29/11
#53Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 6:23amThe amount of people doing trades is less and less every year. How many people that make costumes and do that is less and less I would not be shocked if we pay 400 dollars for a ticket.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#54Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 6:51am
Portal -- I'm sure you have a point to make, but I'll be darned if I can find it!
Jordan -- I don't think it's fair to compare a 1/2 tix from a show that is not selling well to the hottest ticket on Bway to do a price comparison. A hundred dollar increase is also comparing it to the HOLIDAY price -- which is also a relatively new thing (I think).
Compare it to, for example Mamma Mia -- which you can get every day at TKTS -- and its a more fair comparison: 130 bucks. SO, the increase is really only 60 bucks in 12 years. (I use ONLY in comparision to your claim of a $100 increase.)
That isn't to say that the prices are not out of control. As I said, I won't pay the full price they are asking now, but there are plenty of folks that will!
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Updated On: 6/14/11 at 06:51 AM
goldenstate5
Featured Actor Joined: 5/8/06
#55Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 8:03am
Don't know why everybody is freaking out. This is a show that was sold out nearly three months in advance BEFORE winning best musical. And it's STILL less expensive than The Producers, ten years ago!
Many have the right take on things: BOM is the exception to the rule. It's literally the hottest ticket on Broadway right now. Seeing as for a regular ticket you'll need to most likely wait until around the holidays come a couple weeks, it's probably justified. People will pay the value, and so prices are raised. Just be glad they aren't Mel Brooks exorbitant.
Updated On: 6/14/11 at 08:03 AM
#56Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 8:10amHow is it less expensive than The Producers?
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#57Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 9:07am
"It's literally the hottest ticket on Broadway right now."
Is "literally" the word you want to use there?
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#58Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 9:21am
I was looking for a motel near the Jersey Shore for next weekend. Even Holiday Inn Express which normally goes for about $99 a night is $239 a night for Friday or Saturday in the summer. Same idea. They charge that because they can. At least Book of Mormon didn't raise their prices 139%!
It's a business folks. You don't want it, you don't pay it. Why do people not understand that an investor has every right to earn back as much money as possible when he has a hit?
Why on earth would anyone sell anything for way less money than people are willing to pay? If you were selling some item you wanted to get rid of and people were offering to pay you $200 for it, would you honestly say, "no, I don't think it's worth that much, so I'll only take $100 for it -- even though you're willing to pay $200". How daft is that?
alterego
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/03
#59Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 9:44amBook now as it won't be around in a years time.
spike3
Leading Actor Joined: 5/17/11
#60Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 10:00am
as long as people make the purchase, prices will continue to go up.As Patash said, it is a business.
Why do you think that Theatre Refreshment can charge $5 for water, or $15 for a liquor drink, or $10 for a coke you can bring to your seat? Its because its a business and people will pay that money just so they can get the non-souvenir cup and bring it to their seat, or in this case, so they can say they saw the latest hit show. They have something you think you need or want,and you pay for it.
#61Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 10:00am
If you really think Mormon won't be around in a years time you are seriously deluded.
It's one of those shows that probably won't need to discount for a good while, and even when it does eventually need to discount, it can probably make a profit even if every seat was sold at half price.
#62Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 10:01am
"How is it less expensive than The Producers?"
I believe Mel Brooks started a premium ticket price at $1,000. Someone correct me, if I'm wrong, though...
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#63Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 10:09amNo, it was $500,000.
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#64Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 6:49pm
I think there is a difference between premium ticket prices and the ticket prices that most people will pay to see a show. Book of Mormon appears to be the most expensive show ever on Broadway, for the average theatre goer...I think?
Not that I necessarily disagree with the prices they are charging, although agree it probably doesn't encourage regular theatre-going.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
nygrl232
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/19/08
#65Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/14/11 at 9:06pm
Nascar the Musical.
"Why am I driving in circles, with advertisements on my suit? It feels as though I have sold out, when I'm really not that kiiiiind of duuude..."
#66Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 3:18pm
"How is it less expensive than The Producers?"
I believe Mel Brooks started a premium ticket price at $1,000. Someone correct me, if I'm wrong, though..."
OK, I'll partially correct you. The Producers did set some new records for pricing on Broadway, but the premium ticket prices were not $1000 -- at least for regular performances. I do seem to recall that there were a couple of special Christmas week performances and perhaps New Year's Eve with even higher prices, and I won't insist that those prices might not have been $1000 for some limited seating, but that was not the regular premium price.
And yes, overall, the prices for Book of Mormon are higher than those for The Producers.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#67Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 7:52pm
"that's why we have lottos and rushes. Broadway has always been expensive, it's the nature of the beast. "
While I can see both sides of this, and am not even really sure how I feel (other than it is expensive), I don't think this is actually true. Broadway has been relatively expensive for a while now, back in the day--by which I mean the 50s (an era I know oh so well...) I believe the cost was more even with other things. I know Sondheim claims that it wasn't all that different paying for a decent theatre seat than it was for a movie ticket. If a family wnt to see a Broadway show it didn't have to be fit into their budget the same way a day at Disneyland (which I think is cheaper) would be...
Little-Lotte
Leading Actor Joined: 4/27/06
#68Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 8:29pm
I think the reason why so many people are up in arms about this is because this was a totally unwarranted price hike just for the sake of a price hike. The show has already been sold out for months before the awards. The nominations and other minor awards already secured it into next year. The Tony win was really just icing on the cake, a multi-year run has been a given for months now. The majority of people buying these newly priced tickets won't even be seeing the show in the next 3 months. So this is just being greedy because they can.
I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the fact that producers don't make their investments back. One, many of the big Broadway productions are produced by corporations, not individuals. Studios like Disney, Warner Bros. and Universal (all of whom have produced Broadway shows in the last decade) see $10 million as a drop in the bucket as far as a loss. Two of the Book of Mormon producers work almost exclusively in film (one of them is actually the producer of South Park) these people are millionaires. Theatre production is a gamble and everyone knows that going into it, it's not something they're not ready for or don't have the financial means to deal with. If that were the case then 1)no one would want to be a producer and 2)there would be no Broadway shows currently running.
And yes, other shows WILL grab onto this price hike. I remember I saw The Boy From Oz from the orchestra and I don't remember that ticket being more than $100 and this was AFTER Hugh had won the Tony in 2004!
pinoyidol2006
Broadway Star Joined: 5/3/11
#69Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 8:51pm
I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the fact that producers don't make their investments back. One, many of the big Broadway productions are produced by corporations, not individuals. Studios like Disney, Warner Bros. and Universal (all of whom have produced Broadway shows in the last decade) see $10 million as a drop in the bucket as far as a loss. Two of the Book of Mormon producers work almost exclusively in film (one of them is actually the producer of South Park) these people are millionaires. Theatre production is a gamble and everyone knows that going into it, it's not something they're not ready for or don't have the financial means to deal with. If that were the case then 1)no one would want to be a producer and 2)there would be no Broadway shows currently running.
I disagree. Your argument is basically saying rich people make careless investments with their assets. People who invest in Broadway shows understand that there is risk involved, but they are banking on making back their investment and then some. Yes they do have the financial means to deal with a loss, but if investing in Broadway is always at a loss, then those investments WILL stop because they will have run out of "financial means" to deal with losses. The more profitable Broadway is, the more shows will get produced.
Do I like that the prices are so ridiculously high? No. But clearly enough people can pay at those prices to fill that theater. If there aren't, prices will go down. Those "half-priced" tickets people were talking about earlier in the thread is an example of that.
I like your imperturbable perspicacity.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#70Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 9:03pm
I have no problem with them raising prices. If people will pay, then so be it. Eventually prices will come down...and NO, not everyone will rise their prices to match....only the shows that feel their audience will pay it.
Here is the pickle: didn't they rise prices the MORNING of the Tonys -- so before they even knew for sure they had won???
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
#71Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 9:13pmThey also released premium seats for shows the morning of the Tonys. There were no tickets to be found on telecharge until the end of August, but I kept checking, and on Sunday morning they had tons of premium seats.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
#72Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/15/11 at 9:22pm
Oh, Little Lotte, there are so many things wrong with what you've written above I don't know where to start.
Get back in that damn mirror, please.
#73Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:19pm
Are you REALLY comparing Nascar to Broadway?!
Apples and oranges...
More like fresh, crisp apples and rotten oranges 
"All our dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them." -- Walt Disney
We must have different Gods. My God said "do to others what you would have them do to you". Your God seems to have said "My Way or the Highway".
#74Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN
Posted: 6/16/11 at 12:49pm
Going off what the other two people said, not to get too blah but we have to account for inflation as well. What cost $70 in 1999 would cost $90.71 in 2010. Probably not the most reliable source I got that from, but what was $100 jump became a $60 jump and accounting for inflation, is really only $40.
At the end of the day it is a business and they have the right to raise their prices. Not seeing Book of Mormon doesn't mean you'll never get to enjoy theater. You may have to wait longer than you'd like but if you want something faster or better, in the society we live in, you pay for it. To me it's almost like complaining that first class is so much better than coach. If you want a more comfortable plane ride, you pay infinitely more. So if not, sit in a crappy seat. Or you don't get a direct flight (wait til the hype around the show dies down).
It's not just tickets that have gone up - the cost for putting a production has gone up and so has the risk of investing in a Broadway show. It isn't wrong for people to want to make a profit. If no one took a risk, nothing would ever make it to Broadway ever... and we'd have nothing to bitch about the prices for.
Just my take.
