Cheaper to see a west end show then a broadway show

[winston89]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 2:27pm

I have looked at the prices on ticketmaster.co.uk for west end tickets. And converted them to dollars. And I wondered why is it tha tits cheaper to see a west end show than a broadway show?

[Weez]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 7:16pm

Because God is on our side. :3

Seriously though, I have no idea. In the cases of the big musicals, there's only actually a few pounds difference. Plays are usually cheaper to see than musicals, and we do have more plays over here.

Maybe the exchange rate is borked again. *shrugs*

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 5:24am

I believe that original reason was that costs are/were significantly lower overall here (by as much as a third), which was reflected in the ticket price, but they are starting to creep up. Six years ago, the top price for a musical was £37.50 ($74) Now it's nearer to £60 ($118!). Not an awful lot cheaper than Broadway...

HOWEVER we do have a better pricing structure - whereas some Broadway shows have only two or three different seating prices, a West End show could have six or seven. So if you can't afford the top price, you can still see the show, albeit from a slightly more distant (and usually more uncomfortable) seat.
Updated On: 1/25/07 at 05:24 AM

[dgjbear]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 5:37am

Maybe Broadway is more unionised, so the cost of putting something on is more expensive, which is then translated into ticket costs? Its a shame really as most people wont take a risk on something edgy if they are paying £60/$120, they will go for something safe.

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 6:24am

At this moment one pound is worth two dollars so all you have to do to calculate the dollar cost is double the price. I just paid 60 pounds for a ticket to Spamalot - 120 dollars. That's higher than I have ever paid on Broadway, even for the best seat at a hit show. There are no bargains in London for an American.

[K2503]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 7:17am

Even with the exchange difference there are many deals on-line. I bought yesterday 4 x £50 ($100) seats for half price to see Mary Poppins. They also had a top price Spamalot ticket for £35 ($70) - You just gotta shop around! At least we see Broadway Shows "cheaper" now! Never pay scalpers or full price!

[Mark_E]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 10:26am

Yeah you really do just have to shop around for london tickets. Loads of the shows can be gotton for half price on the day and most shows do the cheapest tickets for around £15-£20.

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 10:54am

The British simply have a far more theatre-driven culture. If you look at their movie ticket prices over there and converted them, you'd see films cost anywhere from $20-$30 to see, which would be far more expensive than here. Theatre, which is also subsidized with gov't funding in many places there, is simply more a part of their every day ritual than it is here where theatre has become this once a year "event" for most people. And if our damn US dollar wasn't so horribly weak over there at present, ticket prices would be even lower!

[Piercemn]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 1:03pm

Both Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins cost me L49 in London, but I was in the 11th row for Mamma Mia and in the middle Mezzanine for Mary Poppins, so they were great seats and I didn't mind.

I got good seats at tkts in Leicester Square, though too. Third row center for Journey's End on a Saturday night, tenth row center for Telstar on a Friday night, and fifth row center for Dirty Blonde on a Thursday night. There don't appear to be too many bad seats in those theatres, either.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 2:20pm

Isn't it cheaper to put up a show in general over there? And wouldn't that have something to do with it? I know on Broadway the American Musical, Cameron Macintosh talked about how it costs several million dollars less to put up a show in the west end. Is it still like this? I would think that would have an effect on ticket prices.

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 2:56pm

Cam Mackintosh mentioned it was less money to mount Phantom in the West End then Broadway. I forget the actual amounts.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 3:23pm

I believe he said that a show that would cost him $7-8 million in London would be upwards of $13 million in the US.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 3:31pm

^That's right. That is his reasoning for always opening shows in London first.

[rflpfl2]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 3:34pm

It is cheaper to do shows in the UK.

Mainly because they don't have the same (if any) union rules and such. So it's good for the audience members- bad for the crew.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 1/24/07 at 3:45pm

That is his reasoning for always opening shows in London first.

Right. Which is what I would think would be a big reason for a difference in ticket prices.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 1/25/07 at 7:58am

Which is what I said in my first post But that doesn't explain the fact that face-value ticket prices are no longer cheaper in the West End, there are probably just as many bargins around for Broadway shows as in West End... However, we do have a wider range of prices (so the average price may be a little less) which helps, as well as a stronger publicly funded sector, so theatre of some kind is always within reach of almost everyone. Providing you can afford to travel to and stay in London