CHORUS LINE Tickets - $301.25. DISGUSTING!- Page 3

[sally1112]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:17am

Hedwig- "And such is the business we call show...'

[KChenowethfan]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:52am

I bought a ticket for seat A8 in two weeks and paid the full price and that was after much debate, and am still hoping its not partial view like it was when I saw Sweeney Todd. I never saw the original cast, so I justified this to myself in that way. No regional theatre near me, for whatever reason, has done the show either.

But I agree with FindingNamo. Regional theatre is where it is at. I usher at various theatres around DC so see some shows that way. In other cases, I subscribe and see about 20 shows for around $400.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 1:38pm

"Regional theatre is where it is at."

Absolutely. There are so many great opportunities for those of us who love theater to see great shows for WAY less than $100 a seat. I'm still glad that the money from all those $300 premium Broadway tickets is going into the show's coffers, and not benefitting sleazy ticket resellers like in the old days. How nice of those tourists and businessmen to make the creation of big flashy musicals and all those big union salaries financially viable.

I'm planning on seeing A Chorus Line, and I most certainly won't be paying $300 or more for my tickets. Some weeknight this winter I have no doubt that my half price tickets will be waiting for me at the TKTS booth.

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 1:43pm

Broadway does indeed have a Kid's Week. Not sure exactly when it is but think it's at the beginning of the year (January/Feb) although I could be wrong. Most of the shows participate. Wish I had more info but you can always check the net.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 2:08pm

I went to see High Fidelity last night and kinda laughed at the people who went up to the Box Office and bought the most expensive seats when they could've done lottery and had seats in the front row for $20...especially since there were not enough people for the lottery to sell all the tickets.

[Bal]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 3:28pm

Corine, she was being sarcastic. You, however, are being condescending.

The thing that bugs me about premium seats is that way which seats ARE and AREN'T fluctuate.

For instance, I went to Spamaot when the original cast was still ding their thing. I paid for A-101, which was a premium seat, because sevral of the performers were my very favourites. To me, it was worth it to be able to interact with them onstage.

My best friend bought B101 for the regular price.

About a month later, Spamalot's producers (or whomever) introduced the system that has the 'winning' seat rotate.

I paid two hundred and fifty dollars. My friend paid a hundred. She got it. I nearly cried.

I do find it amusing, though, that seat prices are apparoaching the weekly-salary for an actor in regional or Off-Broadway theatre.

jeez!

[billynj]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 3:35pm

Being the theaters and places like Madison Square Garden charge what ever they want to charge for tickets.. its a amazing that some of you believe there should be a LAW against selling something you lawfully own to a willing buyer...

I will support a ticketing law the day the theater or MSG let you return a ticket because you no longer want to attend a show ..or in the case of Barbra Streisand they hold the best seats off sale until the week of the show, after the promoter and all thier friends have cherry picked the tickets. I should be able to return the bad seats and buy the better seats that they HID for 3 months!


I think Elliot Spitzer said it the best in 2001

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2001/jun/jun06a_01.html


STATEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL ELIOT SPITZER REGARDING CHANGES TO THE STATE’S TICKET RESALE LAW




"The bill passed by the Legislature today is a good first step toward updating the ticket resale laws in New York State.

Our ticket resale laws have needed reform for many years. This is the only market in which the government does not regulate the initial price of a product, but then imposes limits on the resale price of the product. In addition, New York State’s laws are becoming even more obsolete with the proliferation of out-of-state and Internet ticket resellers. I believe that our resale price controls should be eliminated, and that we should let the free market determine prices."

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 03:35 PM

[sundaymorning6am]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 3:43pm

let's just put it this way:

as long as there are still people dumb enough to buy tickets at that price [kind of like the people dumb enough to pay $300 for jeans, $1500 for a purse, etc.], the producers will continue to sell them.

that statement has probably been said on this thread before, and it's stupid to continue such a thread after that's already been stated because that's the bottom line.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 4:20pm

I think out of the many sickening comments I've already read on this subject, the most absurd has to be the comment that theatre is some sort of priveledge for those who can afford the absurdly high prices. The comment was made by the appropriately named "Flaunt It." What I have to say to you, Flaunt, is if you had any idea about the history and origins and rich traditions that the current theatre, no matter how absurd, are descendant from, you would realize that theatre IS for the masses, was created for the masses, and is an art form created for the purpose of passing down stories from generation to generation. I dont believe anywhere in Aristotles poetics is there a chapter on the cost and location of premium seats in the amphitheatres. And YES, it IS SAD that theatre has gotten to the point that it is at, and even more disappointing for a show like A Chorus Line, a production with no major stars, no costly sets, and originally devised at the PUBLIC theatre, to be seemingly leading the way in charging absolutely overpriced, outreageous ticket prices. The only thing that i can possibly feel towards your comments, besides the thought that you must be some sort of f-ing moron with zero taste, is the slight happiness i can take in the fact that you admit to saving your money for months on end to spend it on premium seats for the trainwreck glitzy disaster that was "The Boy From Oz."

Oh, and Rath, you can stop with the endless posts about producers needing to pay the bills. Outside of the fact that i can't really bring myself to feel the pity and empathy that you do towards these millionaires, mostly connected with some sort of capitalistic monopolizing enterprize like clearchannel or the like, I can't really see your point that the bills on a Chorus Line are so staggeringly high. What, exactly, are the expenses here?? Is Michael Baresse making 100,000 a week and i just dont know about it. Because if he is, here here to what Namo said and bring on the lap dances and reach arounds.

[billynj]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 5:18pm

funny how no one want the regulate the price of jeans or purses but somehow peolle think the govet should protect you from stubhub and the like....


anyway its all the fault of Starlight Express, it was the first show to go over $100.00 per ticket....and that show was a train wreck!!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 5:34pm

Stating facts does not amount to pity and empathy, just because you don't want to face reality, Theatreboy.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 6:13pm

STARLIGHT EXPRESS? That played back in the late 80s when the top price was $50.

THE PRODUCERS was the show that ushered in the $100 ticket plateau. Tix for it had been $90 during previews, but the day after it opened with across the board raves, it raised the price to $100 and announced the formation of the Broadway Inner Circle, which was owned the the show's producers and offered premium seating for the show for $480 per ticket (this was the first time premium seating had ever been tried on Broadway).

And I guess I should mention that technically NICHOLAS NICKLEBY was the first show to charge $100/ticket (back in '81 when the top price was $35), but that was a special 8 hour marathon event -- no other show at the time attempted to follow its lead (unlike 20 years later with THE PRODUCERS -- when it went to $100, so did almost every other musical on Broadway).

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 06:13 PM

[kelzama]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 6:37pm

There's a sucker born every minute.

As long as there are suckers willing to pay top dollar, the rest of us can wait til the prices come down, or til we get a raise and become suckers ourselves.

[billynj]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 7:05pm

MargoChanning your wrong - Starlight express had $100 front mezzanine seating and they were considered the best seats because of staging if i find more info i will post it ...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 8:22pm

As I said, the $100 ticket plateau didn't come in industry-wide until 2000 with THE PRODUCERS (which also ushered in premium seating). If STARLIGHT EXPRESS had a few seats at that level (which I don't recall if it did), it doesn't change the fact that prices remained at $50 or less for every other show on Broadway at the time (and didn't hit $100 until over a decade later). And as I pointed out, NICHOLAS NICKLEBY charged $100 for ALL seats six years before STARLIGHT EXPRESS even opened.

STARLIGHT's pricing of a handful of seats had zero impact on the industry at large at the time. Whereas, THE PRODUCERS proved to the industry that there was a huge market that was willing to pay nearly $500 for a popular show, and directly lead to nearly every show on Broadway setting aside over a hundred center orchestra seats per show for $200 - $400.

If you want to blame any show for today's runaway prices, blame THE PRODUCERS, not STARLIGHT EXPRESS.

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 08:22 PM

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 8:23pm

Billy, I cant find *anything* that supports your STARLIGHT EXPRESS statement. AFAIK, Margo's right: THE PRODUCERS was the first play to break the one hundred mark.

And let's face it, guys: a producer's first love is to his investors. Instead of waiting for a show to pay itself off in a few years, which used to be the norm, now investors want return RIGHT NOW!, which necessitates the "premium" tickets scam.

[billynj]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 9:38pm

correct it was only 3-5 rows that were $100 but it was an ungodly prices compared to the other show were half as much

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 9:43pm

who really buys $300 seats? i mean i would consider my family is sort of rich, but they would never even dream of paying that kind of money for orchestra seats

anyways, i agree they shouldnt be charging that much, but others have said, the producers are trying to make money, so yeah...

i havent said anything everyone else hasnt.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 9:46pm

The system sucks, and I don't see it changing anytime in the near future. The advice I give to people visiting from out of town is, if you can't find decent regular-priced tickets before you get here, bring your laptop and make sure your hotel room has an internet connection. 2-3 hours before every performance, all of those great center orchestra seats that were $301.25 are released for the regular price of $111.25. Hop online, do a search and these tickets will be there. Buy them and hop on over to the theater.

Updated On: 10/8/06 at 09:46 PM

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 9:48pm

really? wow, i might try that, Wanna Be A Foster
thanks!

ill try either that, or maybe my family will just go to the box office, and see if there is anything left, they usually have SOMETHING

but i will keep that in mind

CHORUS LINE has just become my new obsession today

:)

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:20pm

For some reason, I believe thee Producers Premium tickets were 999 dollars. When Lane and Broderick returned, I tried to go with my grandma, and we couldn't get seats, naturally. So, we tried Broadway Inner Circle and the toal was $2,100 with all of the fees and such. Naturally we didn't buy those and didn't go.

[billynj]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:47pm

another reason these high priced premiums will stay is corporations can write off the full cost of the ticket because that is what the box office is charging (300)...you cannot right off more than the face value for tickets...so if a big company goes thru a ticket broker and pays the same (300)they cannot write off more than the face value of the ticket (say 100) they cannot deduct the services fees(200) as an entertainment expense.

wall street loves the vip treatment and they can write it off

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 10:50pm

Stop complaining. Shows take a lot of money to run these days. Those mirrors aren't turning themselves. Nathan and Matthew were (reportedly earning) $100k + during their second run, plus a cut of the weekly take. They had to charge a lot of money.

Do I like it? No. Do I agree with it? No.

It's just the modern generation. Sometimes you just have to suck it up....or see it SRO.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:08pm

I'd rather blame Cabaret for breaking the $100 barrier than The Producers. The Roundabout is supposed to be a not for profit organisation (yet they pay their execs $300,000 a year!)

And no, Michael Beresse is not being paid $100,000 a week. The premium seats exist because people will pay for them. If not sold, they go up on the day of the show at the now-regular $111 orchestra price.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/8/06 at 11:12pm

Just rent the movie!