Jersey Boys Raises Prices — Page 2

Interesting article about the great tourist year it was in the city this year.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/12/27/new.york.tourists.reut/index.html

That, combined with the fantastic year it was in the financial industry with record bonuses, and there will be no shortage of people who can afford and are willing to pay these new prices.

130 bucks! Holy poop that's alot of dough. I remember when I first took a trip to NYC while in high school back in '98 we got orchestra tickets for like 60 to 80 dollars. It's amazing to see how much things have changed in my short lifetime.

There will always be people willing to pay top dollar for a hit show. And don't forget about all those corporate people who are on expense accounts, so their companies pay for the tickets, not the person individually. The day will come when ticket prices are $200, then $250. There are plenty of wealthy people who don't care how much a ticket costs. Its really a shame, because shows that are not mega-hits will really suffer. Ticket prices really should be regulated somehow because its obvious that pure greed has taken over. Its really a disgrace that JB is charging $130 for partial view. While I might be willing to spend the money to see a "must-see", I would never accept anything less than center orchestra, in the first 10 rows. Why would anyone be willing to spend that kind of money on mezz or partial view orchestra when for the same money they could sit in great seats? There really should be gradations in price ... like in the old days, when front orchestra was the top price, rear orchestra less, and same for mezzanzine. Can you imagine spending almost $100 to sit in the last row of the balcony? I wouldn't.

"Pure greed? Try supply and demand. Most Broadway shows never make their money back - how is it greed to try to pay your bills, so you have money and investors available to produce the next show?"

It is greed, plain and simple. Shows that aren't making their investments won't raise prices, because they know that higher prices will erode the audience even further. The only shows that do this are the big hits. How many underperforming shows do you know of increasing their ticket prices (I don't mean the usual year-end price-gouging either)? Those are the shows that are offering major discounts. But when a show is a hit, the producers get greedy and jack-up the prices (literally too...didn't this practically annual gouging start with The Producers?)

the price raise is ridiculous!

The greed whining is from people with no money who feel entitled to see Broadway shows. I feel their pain, but frankly, Broadway has always been an elitist hobby.

If it wasn't elitist hobby already, it soon will be

Pretty soon it will be the haves & have nots. This will only speed up the closing of struggling shows. Instead of a theater goer seeing JB & another, they will see JB & nothing else

Anyone want to hazard a guess how long this proce will hold before another general round of price hikes. I say no more than 18 months

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Updated On: 12/28/06 at 07:47 PM

Mr. Roxy - that is of course not true. Broadway is doing an all time booming business:and that is extending to multiple shows, not just JERSEY BOYS and a couple of others. It wouldn't matter if plays like COMPANY and LITTLE DOG LAUGHED were charging 40 dollars for tickets, they would still have problems selling out. There will always be certain in demand shows that can charge a premium. And those in demand shows will always be the "main" show tourists want to see.

By your analysis, HAIR would have killed off Broadway in 1968, because it was the only mammouth hit in a season of also rans. Premium seating has always existed: in 1968 it was just called "scalpers."

And there will always be "struggling" shows: the good news is that in our current Broadway environment we have ten shows waiting in the wings for every Broadway theatre.

If you want to talk greed - go to the Unions who keep driving up production costs. When you look at how few Broadway shows ever turn a profit, I don't blame producers for raising ticket prices when they have a chance to make money.

And it isn't greed - as has been said countless times through this thread - it is called "supply and demand." If you don't want to pay the prices - don't. If enough people stop paying them, the increases will stall. But as long as there are people who are willing to pay - I don't begrudge producers for charging any price they can get.

Stop complaining about prices and look elsewhere if you can't afford to see JERSEY BOYS - Off Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, regional productions: affordable theatre is everywhere. And for the true theatre lover, the best experiences are rarely found in a Broadway house.

Margo Channing says Off Broadway is dead, and she should know.

Umm Margo Channing is a he...

And when people finally realize that JB's is BEATLEMANIA with a slight book and people singing offstage for the lead they can still get $60 at the TKTS booth.
Sorry I just didn't get this show.

LOL! You aren't really that far off base. I don't really get it either. It was enjoyable but it is rather like a Lifetime or Hallmark movie of the week.


The greed whining is from people with no money who feel entitled to see Broadway shows. I feel their pain, but frankly, Broadway has always been an elitist hobby.

I disagree with that. I saw Ethel Merman in "Hello, Dolly!" and it cost $7.50 for an Orchestra ticket. I was far from being "elite" way back then since I was just a kid.

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It was a Sunday matinee. No half price tickets back then. I paid for it myself as I had a paper route back in the day.

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It was my first Broadway show so I didn't know about discounts. I remember walking up to the box office and getting the ticket about 30 minutes before the show began. I went 4 more times including the final performance. I will try and find the stub but for some reason I remember it being $7.50 each time I saw it.

Ticket Prices hit $17.50 in 1977, according to

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/print/p-1960-1979.html

Ticket prices hit $17.50 -- the top price for a weekend night performance to see Liza Minnelli in "The Act."

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