I saw the matinee yesterday as my first time back since the original cast and it was a similarly electric experience From the moment the curtain rose, you could feel the energy from the entire cast ripple through the audience. Each number landed with such precision and joy, and the chemistry onstage was palpable.
What really stood out were all the little unscripted moments that made the show feel alive: Leslie exchanging playful glances with the ensemble, quick winks, and spontaneous laughter that pulled the crowd right in. Those small interactions gave the performance such warmth and made it feel like a truly unique experience.
By the final curtain call, the theater was buzzing, and now I'm trying to see him in the show one more time.
Thanks for the heads up! I'll drain my life savings right away!
I don't get how Lin Manuel Miranda, supposedly a champion of the working classes, the ordinary man and woman, can justify such impossible prices. Can Usnavi afford this? The celebrated diversity of this show, to portray the real America, the average Joe etc. Hm, can we revoke the Kennedy Center Honor?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/16
Because this
Does it need to be a business, binau?
Is Leslie's return for love of the show, or for a big fat check?
Actual question, as I genuinely can't fathom how high some of these prices are.
Do ticket prices reflect a fair cost/profit?
It's like a grocer charging a hundred dollars for a can of beans, just because he can.
Stand-by Joined: 7/5/25
Featured Actor Joined: 9/25/24
Did anyone check ticket prices when he was first announced back in April because tickets were under $200. What were you expecting in the weeks leading up to his return/throughout the run?
Broadway Star Joined: 3/8/22
Leslie Odom is a working actor. It's very strange to ask someone if they are taking a job because they care or if "it's for the money." Of course he wants lucrative gigs and there isn't anything wrong with that. Seems pretty normal to want to book a well paying gig. I don't see what the problem is.
I wasn't trying to shame him, just wondering if this is why the prices surged. At least that way there would be some logical reason for it.
Featured Actor Joined: 3/29/25
Jay Lerner-Z said: "I wasn't trying to shame him, just wondering if this is why the prices surged. At least that way there would be some logical reason for it."
Ticket prices were much lower prior to his run, so yes, this is probably the reason.
And you may not be trying to shame Odom (although I'd say you "big fat check" remark in #7 falls under that heading), you certainly seem like you're trying to shame Miranda in post #3.
Well, in that post, perhaps I was. Look, the main target of my ire is late-stage capitalism.
If we're all the radical leftists that binau paints us as, shouldn't we all agree that something is very wrong?
Featured Actor Joined: 3/29/25
Jay Lerner-Z said: "Well, in that post, perhaps I was. Look, the main target of my ire is late-stage capitalism."
Really? I don't think we've ever seen you comment in that vein here.
{sarcasm}
The term "late stage capitalism" doesn't even do this outrage justice. If it was any other corporation grossly over-charging, there would be no disagreement. But because it is a show we love, and are proud of, there is. What good is sparking a newfound love of musical theatre, if simultaneously, they are shutting a whole generation out of attending?
Featured Actor Joined: 3/29/25
Jay Lerner-Z said: "The term "late stage capitalism" doesn't even do this outrage justice. If it was any other corporation grossly over-charging, there would be no disagreement. But because it is a show we love, and are proud of,there is. What good is sparking a newfound love of musical theatre, if simultaneously, they are shutting a whole generation out of attending?"
It has been on Broadway for 10 years and has had multiple touring companies around the world. It was just in movie theaters and has been available to stream for more than a year.
Anyone who wanted to see Hamilton at a better price has been able to do so for a very long time.
But if they absolutely must see Odom in his return engagement, they are going to pay a premium. That's how scarcity/limited opportunities tends to work.
Surely there are better targets than this for your ire about late-stage capitalism.
Broadway Star Joined: 3/8/22
A lot of kids get into musicals through Tiktok, YouTube, or when I was young, VHS and CD. Tickets for shows were much cheaper then but I still couldn't afford $30 to see Phantom or whatever. That didn't stop me from growing up and becoming a show queen.
I just think there are better areas to angry about capitalism, such as and especially healthcare.
Let them keep prices the same and let the scalpers reap the benefits. Why do we never protect the scalpers?!
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