Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Seating/Pricing Thread- Page 61

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 6:56pm

Honestly, I would be pretty mad if I hadn't been on the positive end of the pricing. Imagine paying $299 for a ticket because you are from out of town, went through the verified fan and all the BS, and then the person next to you paid 20 and got a ticket yesterday. It's not a fair system at all and you aren't even paying for views, a seat row behind my $40 one and off to the side is $165, but for an objectively worse view.

[Nycat63]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:03pm

(Insert Clever Name) said: "Honestly, I would be pretty mad if I hadn'tbeen on the positive end of the pricing. Imagine paying $299 for a ticket because you are from out of town, went through the verified fan and all the BS, and then the person next to you paid 20 and got a ticket yesterday. It's not a fair system at all and you aren'teven paying for views, a seat row behind my $40 one and off to the side is $165, but for an objectively worse view."

Yup, I fully expect I will be this person.  I've resigned myself to it somewhat...

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:04pm

Where are your seats?

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:10pm

I paid $299 per part for B1 in the orchestra in June. Along with the high price comes the certainty that I'll actually have a ticket and a great seat, but will be frustrating if I see $40 per part seats near my area pop up on the site for my date and I am past the return period. This is the most I've ever spent on a show (and hopefully ever will), but have been able to justify it because it is the highest anticipated show I've ever had. 

Updated On: 5/7/18 at 07:10 PM

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:14pm

I feel those seats are premium seats that seem like they should stay premium, front and center seems like you are in some of the best seats in the house, but I personally prefer mezz/dress circle. In my opinion row a dress/mezz are the best seats in the house.

Updated On: 5/7/18 at 07:14 PM

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:16pm

I get it, but when there are 300 seats at a reasonable price per show, you can either spread the wealth around or shove everyone up in the balcony. Plus, it happens all the time with lottery and rush seats. $10 front row seats for Hamilton with tickets averaging about $500(?) two rows behind.

I've also recently read an article about dynamic pricing for shows. It happens on planes, hotel rooms etc. and there has been talks about it happening for theatre tickets. I personally think in this case it is being done to deter scalping by allowing someone to scoop up a ton of affordable seats at once and place them on stubhub.

Regardless of what it is, I think that most people simply buy their tickets and go to the show. I certainly know this is true for several of my friends with sets of tickets to Cursed Child. You'd have to be following pretty closely/ really shopping around to know the difference.

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:19pm

hermionejuliet said: "I think it just means that the producers are spreading the affordable tickets around the theatre which is amazing. Most producers limit their cheap purchase ahead tickets to the last two rows of the theatre or partial views.

There's nothing like a fantastic seat to a show, and apparently about 60% of theatre goers to Cursed Child are first time theatregoers. Hopefully, they continue to do this and grow theatre fans along the way."

They're spreading the cheap seats all around the theater, and they're also spreading the expensive seats all around. I wish they would just let us choose our seats from a chart like a normal production, so we can see what's available at that point in time and make an informed decision  

This nonsense of releasing seats in dribs and drabs is just infuriating!

 

Updated On: 5/7/18 at 07:19 PM

[Nycat63]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:19pm

(Insert Clever Name) said: "Where are your seats?"

Orchestra Row L 1 and 3.  I'm very happy with the seats, it's just that if I had the luxury of waiting/taking the risk, it seems I could get similar seats for far less.  But I'm out of state, need two together, have only one day of my trip for HP because we've filled up the rest with other shows, and am coming the week after the Tonys, so I can't really roll the dice. I normally never buy premium tickets for anything, but for a number of reasons was pretty limited to the $299 seats for this show if I wanted to actually see well and enjoy it. 

I'm still checking from time to time since I'm within my return window still, but I don't think anything better or as good but cheaper will pop up until much closer to the date.

And I did participate in all those verified pre-sales, never getting a code but spending all sorts of time stressing out, only to have an abundance of options later at the premium price point. I'd love to have that time back!

So it goes.  This may be my last theater trip with my daughter for a long time because she's going to college in a year, so while it burns me a bit, I'm trying to be grateful to even have this problem.

 

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:20pm

Exactly, but I digress, I feel like this seating system has helped me get cheap seats in a good spot before Tonys, which is everything i wanted.

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 7:29pm

hermionejuliet said: "I've also recently read an article about dynamic pricing for shows. It happens on planes, hotel rooms etc. and there has been talks about it happening for theatre tickets. I personally think in this case it is being done to deter scalping by allowing someone to scoop up a ton of affordable seats at once and place them on stubhub."

That isn't how dynamic pricing typically works. It just means if there are less seats available, the price goes up. And if there are more seats available at a given time than there should be, they reduce the prices. When Sara was in Waitress, all of the orchestra seats close to the stage were pretty much premiums, but then as the show got closer, if they were unsold, a single row of premiums would become regular price. Conversely, if premiums were getting close to sold out, the price could go up.

Potter seems to not be doing this, but actually trickling tickets out at all levels at all times, so that you might always have a better chance at regularly-priced seats at all price points. The scalping deterrent is you don't know how many seats will be released yet for the same date and when, so trying to make a profit is less assured.

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 8:16pm

Agreed. It isn't easily followed dynamic pricing, but the Orchestra seat that went from $199 to $130 to a last minute $40 this weekend does follow that pattern to the extreme.

There's also the fact that you can't see a variety of tickets but simply "best available" - so really they could be frequently changing prices of some tickets without anyone knowing based on any number of factors (for example how often a date is search or how well tickets are selling that day).

It isn't easy to track and that along with trickling does seems to be the deterrent in this case (leaps and bounds ahead of other popular productions)

And while I'm not following the box office numbers religiously - I'm gathering the method is working just fine for profit.

[greenifyme2]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 8:19pm

I agree that the way they are selling tickets for this show doesn’t make any sense, but for those of you who spent $199-299 on a premium Orch seat- rest assured, you will not regret a single penny. It really is quite an incredible show.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 8:39pm

I saw the show last week and was aghast at how bad the American cast was. I wasn't wowed by all the London cast when I saw it two years ago, but at least no one stood out as bad. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when a totally clueless imposters of McGonagall and Snape were on the Lyric stage. It seemed as if they received little to no direction and had only read the first paragraph on their character's wikipedia page before being shoved onto the stage. The text is no Stoppard, and terrible performances made it seem worse. I don't remember the London cast playing for even half as many cheap laughs that actually murdered the momentum of some scenes. The renovated Lyric is a sight to see, but what is going on inside is not just as impressive as what the magnificently decorated lobby and corridors suggest. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 8:42pm

Dancingthrulife2 said: "I saw the show last week and was aghastat how bad the American cast was. I wasn't wowed by all the London cast when I saw it twoyears ago, but at least no one stood out as bad. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when a totally clueless imposters ofMcGonagall and Snape were on the Lyric stage. It seemed as if they received little to no direction and had only read the first paragraph on their character's wikipedia page before being shoved onto the stage. The text is no Stoppard, and terrible performances made it seem worse. I don't remember the London cast playing for even half as manycheap laughs that actually murderedthe momentum of some scenes. The renovated Lyric is a sight to see, but what is going on inside is not just as impressive as what the magnificentlydecorated lobby and corridors suggest."

Wrong thread for a review.

[(Insert Clever Name)]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 8:44pm

^^^ try the previews thread

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 9:18pm

Back to the matter at hand, there's a lovely pair of seats in Row H for $130 tomorrow on Ticketmaster if anyone needs them.

[Notreallysilent 2]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 9:29pm

I just returned another ticket (sad I know ) it is for June 20 $40 per part row d of the balcony. They are up now on the website

[Notreallysilent 2]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 9:29pm

I just returned another ticket (sad I know ) it is for June 20 $40 per part row d of the balcony. They are up now on the website

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/7/18 at 10:25pm

This past Sunday I finally used the ticket that I had bought during the first presale in October. It was a $199/part ticket and I was in Orch G25.

Between that time in October and now, I had seen it once in London and three times on Broadway, none of which I spent the same or more than that G25 ticket.

I guess I should have returned it but it was a pretty good seat so I didn't mind keeping it. If it was in the balcony of further back in the orch, I think I would have.

The London website doesn't allow you to pick your exact seat either (you can only select the general location - stall, dress, grand, balcony - and the price band) so I never expect being able to select my exact seat here in Broadway. I don't think that they would ever allow you to but it would be nice to know the general location (orch, dress, balcony).

[ebizzle]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 10:49am

Currently holding a $20 per part ticket for tomorrow orchestra row H! PM ME IF YOU WANT IT

 

edit: ticket has been claimed 

Updated On: 5/8/18 at 10:49 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 11:53am

macnyc said: "They're spreading the cheap seats all around the theater, and they're also spreading the expensive seats all around.I wish they would just let us choose our seats from a chart like a normal production, so we can see what's available at that point in time and make an informed decision

This nonsense of releasing seats in dribs and drabs is just infuriating!"

^ This. I'm furious that I paid $299 and others are now getting neighboring seats for half that or less. It's shady.

[Nycat63]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 12:19pm

Lot666 said: "macnyc said: "They're spreading the cheap seats all around the theater, and they're also spreading the expensive seats all around.I wish they would just let us choose our seats from a chart like a normal production, so we can see what's available at that point in time and make an informed decision

This nonsense of releasing seats in dribs and drabs is just infuriating!"

^ This. I'm furious that I paid $299 and others are now getting neighboring seats for half that or less. It's shady."

I agree it’s not a great system for those of us who come from out of town and plan our trips around theater (ie, true theater lovers who don’t live in or near NY).  It’s fantastic for locals and for tourists who may luck in to tickets while they are there, but could otherwise take it or leave it.  For the rest of us, it’s painful. However, if this system has actually resulted in fewer secondary market/scalper tickets that’s still an overall win - imagine if none of us could get tickets other than from stub hub - much like the $850 crappy Hamilton seats that many had to buy just to get in.  I figured that would be my fate after I had no luck with the presales. 

But I do wish they would have come up with some compromise.  At least let those of us who bought in advance for $299 return tickets a couple days before the show if we find cheaper seats, and sell them to the cancellation line for whatever price they deem appropriate.  

[LxGstv]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 12:25pm

Lot666 said: "macnyc said: "They're spreading the cheap seats all around the theater, and they're also spreading the expensive seats all around.I wish they would just let us choose our seats from a chart like a normal production, so we can see what's available at that point in time and make an informed decision

This nonsense of releasing seats in dribs and drabs is just infuriating!"

^ This. I'm furious that I paid $299 and others are now getting neighboring seats for half that or less. It's shady."

I will agree that the slow release of seats is incredibly frustrating, as well as not being able to see what’s available... at the same time, I don’t understand the frustration of someone paying less than you... price points have been announced way before tickets went on sale... if you paid $299, you were also paying for peace of mind of having a ticket... not everyone can afford $299 however, and this whole “how dare someone that paid $20 be seated next to me” mentality is a bit elitist and narrow minded... also, having to look daily for cheaper accessible tickets isn’t fun, I’ll never understand why someone that already paid a lot of money for tickets would subject themselves to the search...

If you can’t afford $299 tickets, but brought them anyway, that’s a different and very personal problem...

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 1:51pm

LxGstv said: "I don’t understand the frustration of someone paying less than you... price points have been announced way before tickets went on sale... if you paid $299, you were also paying for peace of mind of having a ticket..."

Not so. The price points that were set for various locations in the house when the tickets went on sale were subsequently thrown out the window at random. I was not "paying for peace of mind", I was paying for a ticket in a section of the house that was originally designated as "premium"; now, seats adjacent to mine are being sold at less than half what I paid. 

LxGstv said: "this whole “how dare someone that paid $20 be seated next to me” mentality is a bit elitist and narrow minded... "

It's not elitist, nor is it about who is "being seated next to me". Again, the price points were set when the tickets went on sale and there was no indication then that the same seats would later be sold for considerably less money. They sent out emails and created this whole lottery system that made you feel like you had one chance at this, and you could only select seats that the website offered as "best available" for your date. Fast forward a month or so down the road and suddenly they're dumping a whole pile of tickets into the system at prices far less than what those who bought early were led to believe could ever be possible.

If you bought what was presented by a real estate agent as the only available house in a high-demand neighborhood and discovered a month later that there was suddenly a whole slew of similar options on the same block for half what you paid, would you feel misled at best and ripped off at worst? And if so, would it be "elitist and narrow minded" of you to feel that way? It's not about the person moving in next door to you.

Updated On: 5/8/18 at 01:51 PM

[LxGstv]

Posted: 5/8/18 at 2:33pm

Lot666 said: "LxGstv said: "I don’t understand the frustration of someone paying less than you... price points have been announced way before tickets went on sale... if you paid $299, you were also paying for peace of mind of having a ticket..."

Not so. The price points that were set for various locations in the house when the tickets went on sale were subsequently thrown out the window at random. I was not "paying for peace of mind", I was paying for a ticket in a section of the house that was originally designated as "premium"; now, seats adjacent to mine are being sold at less than half what I paid.

LxGstv said: "this whole “how dare someone that paid $20 be seated next to me” mentality is a bit elitist and narrow minded... "

It's not elitist, nor is it about who is "being seated next to me". Again, the price points were set when the tickets went on sale and there was no indication then that the same seats would later be sold for considerably less money. They sent out emails and created this whole lottery system that made you feel like you had one chance at this, and you could only select seats that the website offered as "best available" for your date. Fast forward a month or so down the road and suddenly they're dumpinga whole pile of tickets into the system at prices far less than what those who bought early were led to believe could ever be possible.

If you bought what was presented by a real estate agent as the only available house in a high-demand neighborhood and discovered a month later that there was suddenly a whole slew of similar options on the same block for half what you paid, would you feel misled at best and ripped off at worst? And ifso, would it be "elitist and narrow minded" of you to feel that way? It's not about the person moving in next door to you."

But here’s the thing, they never showed what section was designated as premium... we all made assumptions based on the traditional model, which obviously doesn’t apply here... I would say that there are premium tickets for this show, not premium sections... so much so that they sell tickets in the balcony for premium prices as well!

Also, during every release period, they made the announcement that more tickets would indeed be available closer to showtime... at the time, no one really knew what that meant, if they would do more verified fan sales or what... now we know they are just randomly releasing tickets and changing the prices... so in a way, everyone that got tickets way earlier, myself included, were indeed paying for peace of mind of knowing we have tickets, because at the time we didn’t know that they would release more.

I’m not a fan of this system either, and it does feel a bit shady, but it appears to have stopped scalpers to a certain extent... I don’t see a lot of tickets on stubhub for it. And the reality is they can only offer those 300 accessible seats if some people are paying premium prices.