Book of Mormon's prices

[PopAria]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 2:37pm

Who will pay $477 to see Book of Mormon?

Isn't there some kind of human rights law against charging that much for a broadway show?

for a show without a star that's so crazy.

http://m.nypost.com/p/entertainment/prices_set_for_record_book_9MZPoeMwsA1YEfMV94PGwK

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 3:52pm

Just glad I did standing room before the wait got really long.

What is up with his potshots at NWS. Whether you like the shows there or not, they aren't cheap productions. And I bet he will be there for Hoffman.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 4:04pm

my guess is "Mormon" will be the first show to have half the mezz. as premium seating. That'll be the $250 seats, the $350-$500 will be the entire orchestra and the $150 seats will now be the rear mezz except for the last two rows which they'll keep at $69. Still surprised they haven't upped the price of lottery seats & SRO. West Side Story had SRO at $40 I believe and some shows' rush/lottery seats are near $40 as well.

[binau]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 4:11pm

I think that this show absolutely justifies the need for 'premium prices' because otherwise the scalping would be INSANE (I imagine it is insane as it is).

But I just hope that the people paying $475 to see this show (which appears to be happening every week)) are indeed the "1%" who can afford it, and not people blowing all their savings. This is not going to encourage regular theatre going for those that can barely afford to pay...

I'm glad that people are choosing to spend their money on this original American musical and not say Mamma Mia...but it cannot be healthy for the 'Broadway economy' :P for one show to be taking so much of the share of $$$.

Updated On: 11/23/11 at 04:11 PM

Posted: 11/23/11 at 6:05pm

I am SO SORRY you were forced to pay so much for tickets to Mormon. It's appalling. Wait- who forced you? Want to be outraged I've got a hospital bill here that would frost your uterus. Theater is a luxury.

[tkts]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 8:33pm

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was able to walk up to the SRO line at 5:45pm and have a ticket in my hand at 6:10 for $27. Long ago in April.

[binau]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 8:36pm

I bought two front row centre Mezz seats for $84 each (including taxes) back in the day. It's pretty funny. (waiting for someone to one-up me and say they were comped).

Updated On: 11/23/11 at 08:36 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 8:44pm

I've seen it twice....once for 137 and once for 27 sro. BOTH were worth it. I guess I got lucky that I wasn't there the day they held a gun to your head forcing you to buy premium seats.


If NO ONE purchased tix at those prices, they wouldn't keep selling them at that price.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 8:48pm

I did standing room on Saturday for the 8pm show. I got there around 2pm and had a great standing spot in the center of the orch.

If you have the time, it's totally worth the wait to only spend 27 bucks to see the show, especially with how high the ticket prices are right now.

[shrekster224]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 9:04pm

I have the same story as dramamama. It was worth it both times, 137 and 27. It's a great show, and we should be happy that a Broadway show is getting this much hype. No one's forcing people to buy the most expensive tickets, and there are even cheaper options. There will come a day when it starts going on TKTS.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 9:29pm

We should all be outraged that so many people have $500 to spend on a theater ticket.

I'm not blaming the MORMON producers; the prices they are able to charge are just a symptom.

The appalling part is that people who have a grand to throw at a couple of tickets aren't spending some of that money on higher taxes. Yes, I'd rather they spend the money on theater than on, say, sports cars, but that doesn't change the principle.

And let's don't pretend that premium pricing doesn't affect what we actually see on Broadway. As a rule, people who spend that kind of money are expecting spectacle--falling chandeliers, helicopters and the like--not thoughtful works of art.

[Pippin]

Posted: 11/23/11 at 9:37pm

I don't think "spectacle" is the right word. They are paying premiums to get into the shows of the moment That no one else can get into because they are priced out. It's also the prestige factor. They can say that they got into one of the hardest to see shows in NYC, because money is not an issue for them. "The Producers" was one of the first, if not THE first to have a high premium price, and there were no helicopters or chanderliers in that. Same with The Odd Couple. The draw was the actors, not special effects. Mormon is also not a spectacle, just a show of the moment, which will eventually fade and the next show will come along and take it's place.

In the meantime, hardly anyone is paying premiums for an actual spectacle show, Spiderman.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 12:01am

well I paid 1/2 price for the fifth preview and then $27 for SRO about a month later. Will never pay full price under my current financial situation.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 12:05am

I paid about 50 bucks for the rear mezz when it was in previews, and I'm glad I only paid that much. I didn't think it was the second coming, but it was fun. I don't think it's anything really to write home about though.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/24/11 at 2:54pm

Pippin, I was speaking in general and of course you are right that there are other appeals, including star power. But ticket inflation really began in the 1980s; I don't think it's a coincidence that as prices soared, Broadway came to be dominated by spectacle-based poperettas.

Of course, a show with big stars can forego the spectacle (and not every show with special effects is a hit), but as I'm sure you know, there are only a few stars with true box-office draw in any season (even if we count shows such as MORMON, where the writers are the stars).

And, yes, WISH YOU WERE HERE was famous for its on-stage swimming pool 60 years ago, but as I said, I was speaking in general.

Pippin, I also agree with your point about the prestige afforded the "show of the moment". But do we really want houses full of rich people who attend just because it's the "thing to do" that season? (My point is not that rich people are bad, but that theater is best when it plays to a cross-section of the community. Yes, I know posters here are experts at finding discounts, but they aren't the general public.)