New Shows Are Struggling

Sorry to be an echo but... prices are outrageous right now. The current system seems to have producers setting extremely high prices across the board and then lowering prices as it closer to the performance. Discounts are available for folks who are able to buy tickets at the last minute. I appreciate folks want to make as much money as possible but the process creates some consequences.

Since I come from out of town, planning a trip costs a fortune. There's probably folks willing to bet on TKTS or Rush tickets... but with the cost of hotels currently so high I'm not excited about coming to New York to roll the dice. I think this trip I have in November will be the last one I plan for a long time.

The high prices recently have been definitely part of why shows that open recently are struggling. I usually do rush/lottery. always have, always will (as an NYC local, it's fair to just come back next time or lottery into oblivion). Rush/Lottery was $30-$45 when I first started, now it's looking like $40-$75 post pandemic, which is ridiculous in most cases (especially the shows with $79 standing room... WHAT?). I also think we get a massive wave of great shows every few years (ex 2015, 2017, 2011, 2007) and outside of those it can be a bit quiet. They need to figure out a way to make theatre simultaneously profitable for performers, and accessible for a wider audience so that there are longer running shows (hopefully with some newer actors too!)

Agree with what others have posted. I'd add that as much as I'd like to see Samuel Jackson in The Piano Lesson, I've seen two strong regional productions before. So with high ticket pieces, revisiting a play just because of one actor is something I am less likely to do.

Updated On: 9/15/22 at 10:58 AM

And even the other "cheap" options are proving to be more expensive or less reliable. For instance, it's becoming more common to see Audience Rewards tickets at 1,000 points + $78 (like The Piano Lesson) rather than the usually ~$50-60 range. I've also been waiting for Leopoldstadt to release online Audience Rewards tickets (even at the above rate) for a while now

Inflation has affected everyone and it sucks but prices will fall eventually. However, I think that Broadway didn't raise prices all that much when it re-opened last Fall. It was a crazy time, people were scared, lots of uncertainty, they just wanted to get people in the door again, etc.

But, the 22-23 season has more than made up for that. High prices and very little discounts. Prices have risen steadily for many years so the prices won't be going down. I think a lot less people will be buying tickets in advance and more people will be relying on rush, lottery, the cancellation line and TKTS. Perhaps that's why the lottery is hard to win nowadays? Advanced sales are in the toilet but I guess they are just waiting for people to get with the program. But, without a refund guarantee, it's not happening.

Updated On: 9/15/22 at 12:50 PM

I'm currently in the process of trying to recreate in November a trip that I'd originally planned for this past June, but which got scrapped due to COVID infection.

For June, I'd purchased all of my tickets in advance, and most of them with a discount.

Now, the prices for the same shows have risen dramatically and there are very few discounts to be found. Consequently, I've only actually booked two of my seven slots so far. Most of the shows I'm looking at have a lot of availability at ridiculous prices. These prices, combined with the strong resistance to ticket refunds due to COVID infection that I encountered in June, have made me reluctant to buy at this time.

Also, as someone else mentioned, I've noticed that Audience Rewards points don't seem to be worth as much - if anything at all - for the current crop of shows.

Updated On: 9/15/22 at 02:18 PM

You cite 2 shows, but I bet their advances are a hell of a lot better than Kimberly, K-POP, Topdog, Ohio State, and Gabriel Byrne. There’s a lot of product in the market this fall, and we might see scary grosses for more shows than usual.

Beyond that…

yes, buying habits & sales timelines have changed post-pandemic, but the good news with supply & demand is that the prices can always drop. I do not think ticket prices are exclusively the problem: it’s also interest and choosing how to spend your time. As we saw last season, the “traditional theatre buyer” has changed & diminished drastically.

I remain curious & scared about what the Covid situation could be this fall/winter.

Updated On: 9/15/22 at 03:33 PM

bwayphreak234 said: "I only made one trip this year earlier in May. I did seven shows in 4 days. That's it for this year. With things the way they are, I can't swing a second trip."

Prior to the pandemic, my husband and I visited 3-4 times per year and typically saw 5-6 shows per visit. Now, we're trying to plan for November and the last time we were up there was October 2021 for the reopening of Phantom.