Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 11/27/16 — Page 2

Can't believe that anyone was stupid enough to part with that amount to see a show, the worst part is the pure greed of the producers. Yes yes yes I know about supply, demand etc, but come on!

As I so eloquently declared in my earlier post: "I know, I know, supply and demand, blah blah blah"

At a certain point it begins to border on immoral. Just because they CAN, doesn't mean they should. They could probably charge £500 or more for Harry Potter tickets in London if they wanted to, but they don't.

Also, yes, people are willing to pay that much, but these people are all probably filthy rich (or financially irresponsible). It's just another step in the direction of the gross exclusionary elitism to which Broadway is already prone. Like I said, it's just a sad situation that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Oh, Hello seems to be doing pretty incredible for a play - over $618k and beating Color Purple's gross is pretty impressive for a holiday week when tourists usually flock to musicals over plays.

BroadwayConcierge said: "It’s an outrageously high ticket price—but people bought those tickets. It’s supply and demand. You can’t slam Hamilton for capitalizing on high demand.

"

I think many may be focusing on the wrong thing here. Hamilton didn't set the price -- the market is setting the price. That's how it always is. I just was in London where there is a nice new production of "Half a Sixpence". The chat boards were all over the price the producers set -- too high they all said. And within a week of the show opening, they were proven right -- now every performance is being offered at the London TKTS at a 47% discount.

So what's that got to do with Hamilton? It's the same thing -- just because a producer puts a price on the ticket doesn't mean it's going to sell.

So in Hamilton's case you have the other question -- if folks are actually paying SOMEONE $1000 a ticket for the show (and I think we'll ALL agree that there are people who are doing that -- lots of them) -- where should that money go? Should it go to the producers and the creatives and the actors? Or should it go to the ticket brokers and the speculators and the StubHubs?

In fairness -- I'll concede that not everyone will have the same answer to this question. And we can kick that around for a while -- but THAT is the question.

It reminds me of the old joke -- A man is standing on the street corner with a jar of pencils. He has a sign that says $50 a pencil. A woman comes up to him as says -- "I bet you don't sell too many at that price." And the fellow responds, "I don't have to."

mullein said: "love Hamilton, but with these ticket prices $3mil is nothing to be proud of."

I don't understand your logic here.

No sympathy for people that willingly pay that much for a show. They sell those tickets out, good for Hamilton. Hope the money will go towards similar risky and high quality projects in the future.

"Hope the money will go towards similar risky and high quality projects in the future."



There was nothing either risky or high quality about it. It was the surest bet in years. Heaven help us all if we get more like it.

JBroadway said: "At a certain point it begins to border on immoral."

From another perspective, though - one that I'm sympathetic with - it would be immoral for the producers to do anything other than what they're doing. Their obligations are to investors, not ticket buyers, and the primary obligation is to maximize profits.

neonlightsxo said: "mullein said: "love Hamilton, but with these ticket prices $3mil is nothing to be proud of."

I don't understand your logic here."

I don't quite get it either. I wonder how many $998 tickets In Transit could sell. :)

Big claps for DEH and GC1812 for continuing to do well in the grosses

"There are movies that need to be seen"

There are?

"and stamps that need to be collected.

I'm collecting them. I recommend the songbirds in snow. They're very pretty, and they don't intone obnoxious drivel about having one's shot about a million and one times.

"so look in the mirror."

I'm with the Countess Aurelia on this one. "Not in the glass. It lies."

But thanks for the advice and kind words, Matt.

re Hamilton prices...

are memory spans here so short that most of you do not recall that the increase is a reaction to scalper prices? Is it possible that you folks think it is better for the money to end up in the scalpers' pockets instead of people who make theatre (not to mention who make cheap tix available to high school kids in remarkable numbers)? Does the part this pricing strategy plays in chilling scalping evade your noggins?

re After Eight, it has forfeited the legitimacy of anything it has to say on this subject.