No, it's because producers are greedy and know they can get away with it. The rate at which tickets have increased has FAR outsripped the rate of inflation or any additional costs of technology. It's all GREED. Period.
I remember that when I saw EVITA back in 1980, the top price for an orchestra seat was $30. The biggest cost for any show comes from salaries -- the Equity minimum was roughly $725 and the minimums for stagehands and musicians were slightly more than that and yet the show was able to make quite a healthy profit.
Today, the Equity minimum is $1428 and, again, musicians and stagehands make slightly more. In 25 years Broadway salaries have doubled and roughly speaking, costs due to inflation have doubled. So, how to explain ticket prices -- going from $30 to $111 -- nearly quadrupling? GREED. Corporations produce shows now, not people and corporations expect profits to be maximized any way possible. Thus we have have a $111 top price, so-called "cheap seats" in the rear mezz and balcony going for as much as $65 at some shows (25 years ago balcony seats never cost more than $5 to 10 -- do the math for exponential price increase on that) and premium seating for $250 to 480 per seat.
People want to get rich doing theatre now -- which wasn't the main motivation before -- and ticket buyers, as well as the future of theatre itself, are suffering because of it.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
