American Theater Takes a Trip to London

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 1:36pm

A good article in today's NYT.  Sharing gift link:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/theater/broadway-theater-london-prices.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SFA.t0mo.YDOYyJB9j-l2&smid=url-share

Updated On: 3/10/26 at 01:36 PM

[Observation]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 1:38pm

I just booked a trip to London, I'm seeing two shows, "End of the Rainbow" with Jinkx Monsoon and "Oh, Mary!" with Catherine Tate. I found front row tickets and paid less than I would for one ticket to Broadway. I've never been to London and shocked at the price differences.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 1:47pm

I was planning my first trip to London before I decided to leave the East Coast and move back to Colorado. (It was a quick decision) So I am jealous! Do share when you return and enjoy!

[binau]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 2:17pm

Observation said: "I just booked a trip to London, I'm seeing two shows, "End of the Rainbow" with Jinkx Monsoon and "Oh, Mary!" with Catherine Tate. I found front row tickets and paid less than I would for one ticket to Broadway. I've never been to London and shocked at the price differences."

It’s amazing for American tourists but obviously there is a reason it’s cheap, London salaries for most industries are terrible in comparison to say NYC. The economy just isn’t good. 

And theatre is particularly brutal with very low pay and conditions for actors without the same kind of NYC protections. It’s why many ensemble members are very young and will leave the business when they can’t make a living.  

It’s also why I think NYC actors especially musicals are much more talented and experienced. Some of the ensemble dancers and singers I see in NYC are so impressive.

We can also see that lower costs have probably helped London in recent years with many important productions and shows originating there first.

Im always toying in my mind what the best approach is. My heart yearns for excellence so I probably prefer what happens on stage in NYC as a result of these laws but London is much better value for money. 

 

 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 6:20pm

On the UK site, many commenters have been expressing their unwillingness to pay £60 (about $87) to see Ben Platt this summer in a world premier musical in the intimate Menier Chocolate Factory.

I'm not dismissing that this indeed is a significant increase from Menier shows in recent years, but I was thrilled to get a seat at that price.

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:36am

I’m wondering if someone on this board can explain in detail why costs in NewYork have gone through the roof.  There have been tons of articles but reasons are never forthcoming. Historically, unions have been the scapegoats and while I understand that argument I assume other forces are at work here. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:37am

I go to London at least twice a year, sometimes for months at a time. The money I've saved seeing shows at London theatre rates compared to what I would have paid if I'd waited for some plays and musical's inevitable transfer to Broadway generally pays for my airfare each trip!

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:39am

Theater is for the elite. A sad state of affairs. Can Mamdani do something?

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 08:39 AM

[Ensemble17591322022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:57am

Dreamboy3 said: "I’m wondering if someone on this board can explain in detail why costs in NewYork have gone through the roof. There have been tons of articles but reasons are never forthcoming. Historically, unions have been the scapegoats and while I understand thatargument I assume other forces are at work here."

Yes unions (and there are so many, involved in basically every part of production except for casting)!are a massive part of it but also the marketing costs. 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:59am

How do unions etc. play into the stratospheric prices for something like the return of Leslie Odom Jr.? Surely pure greed plays a role too.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:20am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "How do unions etc. play into the stratospheric prices for something like the return of Leslie Odom Jr.? Surely pure greed plays a role too."

Yeah, unions wouldn’t really have any role in something like that. Odom Jr. wouldn’t be part of any sort of “favored nations” salary clause, so it would be between his team and the production. LOJ is a very business savvy man - some of that HAMILTON money from the earlier days is what helped to finance PURLIE VICTORIOUS and the subsequent proshot. He knows his worth and the prestige his name lends to the production, so I can imagine that he commanded quite a bit of salary with some points on the back end. I can imagine the same will apply in London. His upfront salary won’t be as high, but if ticket prices go up because of him, the points on the back end will buttress that.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:25am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Theater is for the elite. A sad state of affairs. Can Mamdami do something?"

Cmon Jay. There are ways to get affordable seats for most people. Go to TKTS for discounts in the 20-50% range. There are rush tickets available for shows on the day of a show (Granted there is limited ones available). Buy your tickets at the box office and save yourself around $20 in fees. Really Jay. You want a politician to get in the business of controlling entertainment prices - OMG. Sure, we all would love seats to be cheaper, but it is really not any different than trying to buy ticket for some top pop/rock star concert.

Let me add one more thing Jay. If theater is for the elite like you say, there sure is a lot of elite people that post on this board. They don't just go to one show a year, they go to quite a few. Then you have the people that post they are coming to NYC from out of town and "bragging" they are seeing 5 shows in 4 days for example. 

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 09:25 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:29am

My reply to the topic:

Theatre has become even more financially elite than it was even 10-15 years ago when I started going more frequently. The accessibility of discounts has become more scarce, with most shows switching to a dynamic pricing model that benefits them since it gambles on the consumer to not be paying attention to price changes based on supply and demand. Even subsidized services like TDF have jumped up. I remember in high school when I got a ticket to CATCH ME IF YOU CAN for $42.50, and now a Broadway musical is $20 more in price.

My trips to London are fantastic because I can clear a large amount of shows for half the cost or less. My most recent trip in January before my neck surgery, I got in 7 shows in 3 days for a rough total of about US$350 - and that included the big ticket shows like Paddington and Hercules. (I also got Mincemeat, Devil Wears Prada, Woman In Mind, Oh Mary, and High Noon).

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:40am

Casual theater goers, or first timers, aren't aware of the hoops they need to jump through to get a semi-reasonable price. They just glance disbelievingly at the outrageous figures and move on. Never to return.

It's not outrageous to suggest the Mayor of NY might intervene in tourist/economic/social/educational matters. It was just a question.

I’m jealous, quizking. Sounds like a great trip, very well planned. 7 shows in 3 days? I tip my hat.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:42am

Exorbitant ticket pricing for celebrity-driven or other “event” shows have little to do with unions and everything to do with the fact that people will pay it. 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:49am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Casual theater goers, or first timers, aren't aware of the hoops they need to jump through to get a semi-reasonable price. They just glance disbelievingly at the outrageous figures and move on. Never to return.

It's not outrageous to suggest the Mayor of NY might intervene in tourist/economic/social/educational matters. It was just a question.

I’m jealous, quizking. Sounds like a great trip, very well planned. 7 shows in 3 days? I tip my hat."

Ok Jay. Should the Mayor of NY get involved with the price of sporting events in NYC (Yankees, Rangers, Knicks, US Open etc.) Tourist come to see sporting events in NYC. I find it hard to believe many casual theater goers or first timers have never heard of TKTS. My goodness, it is heavily advertised and is in the middle of Times Square. Of course, it is outrageous for the Mayor of NY to have anything to do with the price of entertainment. Seeing a Broadway show is not a life-or-death thing, it is for entertainment. 

 

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:54am

quizking101 said: "My reply to the topic:

Theatre has become even more financially elite than it was even 10-15 years ago when I started going more frequently. The accessibility of discounts has become more scarce, with most shows switching to a dynamic pricing model that benefits them since it gambles on the consumer to not be paying attention to price changes based on supply and demand. Even subsidized services like TDF have jumped up. I remember in high school when I got a ticket to CATCH ME IF YOU CAN for $42.50, and now a Broadway musical is $20 more in price.

My trips to London are fantastic because I can clear a large amount of shows for half the cost or less. My most recent trip in January before my neck surgery, I got in 7 shows in 3 days for a rough total of about US$350 - and that included the big ticket shows like Paddington and Hercules. (I also got Mincemeat, Devil Wears Prada, Woman In Mind, Oh Mary, and High Noon)."

Great trip. I have read "Paddington" is wonderful.  I have been to London several times and have enjoyed seeing shows there. Like you said, much cheaper which is nice when you make the expensive trip there. I have seen things like "Hamilton", "Singing in The Rain", "War Horse", "Harry Potter" and "The Play That Went Wrong" for example in London.

 

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 9:56am

Art transcends mere "entertainment".

[Kad]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 10:03am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Casual theater goers, or first timers, aren't aware of the hoops they need to jump through to get a semi-reasonable price. They just glance disbelievingly at the outrageous figures and move on. Never to return.

It's not outrageous to suggest the Mayor of NY might intervene in tourist/economic/social/educational matters. It was just a question.

I’m jealous, quizking. Sounds like a great trip, very well planned. 7 shows in 3 days? I tip my hat."

I don’t know that the mayor has much actual power to formally intervene here on his own and I’m not sure what intervention would even look like in this case. He’s used his considerable soft power to back cheaper ticket initiatives for the arts. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 10:16am

Agreed. I think he has limited power to directly address ticket prices. He could extend the theatre tax break or create an arts endowment.

Re: My London Trip - 7 shows in 3 days is actually really easy to plan. Considering a few shows each day have matinees on nearly every day of the week, it’s easy to just go on TodayTix, use the date sorting, and decide what and when you wanna see it.

Admittedly, my Oh Mary triple in London was probably the best workout I ever got in my life. (Paddington at 2-5, Oh Mary 5:30-7, High Noon 7:30-9 - about a 10 minute walk between theatres)

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 10:35am

Dreamboy3 said: "I’m wondering if someone on this board can explain in detail why costs in NewYork have gone through the roof. There have been tons of articles but reasons are never forthcoming. Historically, unions have been the scapegoats and while I understand thatargument I assume other forces are at work here."

I never fully understood it myself but a friend told me renting Broadway theaters are pricey!!! So in addition to the unions, I think the theater owners take a big cut of the weekly nugget.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 11:28am

I didn't read through the whole thread so apologies if this has been said, but unions aren't just the actors unions but include stage hands, the people building the sets, the electricians, etc. which can add up, especially in upfront costs or if anything breaks.  Rent is also quite pricey, though I'm not sure how it compares to the West End.  The cost of labor in general has gone up quite a bit over the years.  But as a benchmark, the minimum pay for Broadway actors is about double the minimum for West End actors. And there are also government subsidies in the West End that help keep ticket prices low.

The other thing is that for buzzy shows (or for something like LOJ's return to Hamilton), shows know they can raise prices and people will pay them.  Part of this is that even if they kept prices affordable, scalpers would buy them up and sell them for double/triple on the secondary market, so the shows may choose in part to raise the prices to begin with so that at least they get the revenue rather than a scalper.  And that's in part because the US doesn't have as strict laws about resellers and what they can price tickets at (I think there's a cap on how much tickets can be marked up in the EU for resale).

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 11:30am

Zeppie2022 said: "Should the Mayor of NY get involved with the price of sporting events in NYC (Yankees, Rangers, Knicks, US Open etc.) Tourist come to see sporting events in NYC. I find it hard to believe many casual theater goers or first timers have never heard of TKTS. My goodness, it is heavily advertised and is in the middle of Times Square. Of course, it is outrageous for the Mayor of NY to have anything to do with the price of entertainment. Seeing a Broadway show is not a life-or-death thing, it is for entertainment."

Professional sports are heavily subsidized by state and local governments, which often cover most or all of the cost of new facilities. (I don't know much about NYC's arenas and stadiums, but both the Orioles and Ravens stadiums in Baltimore, where I live, were fully paid for with government money.) I know there are (or were) tax credits for Broadway shows, but I doubt that amounts to very much in comparison. The equivalent would be for the city to build new Broadway theaters, or municipalize existing ones, to be rented at minimal cost to productions.

Note that I'm not endorsing this idea; in fact, I think corporate welfare is pretty disgusting. I'm just pointing out that cities across the country have paid billions of dollars to reduce the costs of professional sporting events, so it's not absurd to suggest that NYC do something about the costs of live theater.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 11:30am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Art transcends mere "entertainment"."

You do understand Broadway theater is a business. The first responsibility of any show is to pay back their investors of their show. The investors don't give a damn about whether everybody can afford a ticket to their show. There are plenty of other ways to be exposed to the "arts" than a Broadway show. Go to the Museum of Modern Art for example, cheap tickets for seniors and students. Go to a jazz club like "Birdland" and see a show, tickets are under $100 even with food minimum. Have you ever heard of "Armory on The Park"? Dance and music performances for well under $100. There are things out there Jay. You just can't be so narrow minded and explore the great things NYC can offer.

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 11:30 AM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 12:07pm

kdogg36 said: "Zeppie2022 said: "Should the Mayor of NY get involved with the price of sporting events in NYC (Yankees, Rangers, Knicks, US Open etc.) Tourist come to see sporting events in NYC. I find it hard to believe many casual theater goers or first timers have never heard of TKTS. My goodness, it is heavily advertised and is in the middle of Times Square. Of course, it is outrageous for the Mayor of NY to have anything to do with the price of entertainment. Seeing a Broadway show is not a life-or-death thing, it is for entertainment."

Professional sports are heavily subsidized by state and local governments, which often cover most or all of the cost of new facilities. (I don't know much about NYC's arenas and stadiums, but both the Orioles and Ravens stadiums in Baltimore, where I live, were fully paid for with government money.) I know there are (or were) tax credits for Broadway shows, but I doubt that amounts to very much in comparison. The equivalent would be for the city to build new Broadway theaters, or municipalize existing ones,to be rented at minimal cost to productions.

Note that I'm not endorsing this idea; in fact, I think corporate welfare is pretty disgusting.I'm just pointing out that cities across the country have paid billions of dollars to reduce the costs of professional sporting events, so it's not absurd to suggest that NYC do something about the costs of live theater."

The US Open tennis tournament had a 1.2-billion-dollar impact on NYC in 2025. Over 750,000 visitors came to the three-week event with hotel occupancy up to 95%. Restaurant revenue during this period went up 25-30%. In addition, the USTA pays NYC over 5 million dollars a year to rent the Flushing Meadow facility. Ticket prices are not cheap but once again the USTA is looking to make a profit from this major event. The money the USTA makes supposedly helps fund junior tennis programs and other things to promote the sport.

As for the sports teams you mention, I agree. Baseball teams like the Orioles do not make a significant profit for the city. While they provide revenue to the city every year, most of that is offset by funds for building and maintaining the stadium. Even with government helping to pay for the stadium costs, I do not think they should be able to dictate ticket prices. I have been to Camden Yards a few times (love Boog Powell place) and find the seat ticket price very reasonable. Last time I was there was 2018 so don't know if that has changed.

 

Updated On: 3/13/26 at 12:07 PM