The Addams Family tickets

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 7:40pm

Hello everyone,

I'll be in New York late March/early April. I *really* want to see The Addams Family. I've been looking at the ticket prices online, and they go as high as $385 per ticket! That is crazy!

Why is that? Do you think they'll go down when previews start? Maybe even appear on the tkts board?

Looking forward to your replies,
Jake

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 7:47pm

Being a relative newcomer, you are probably not aware of rules re complaining about high ticket prices.Alledgedly I am the only one who complains about them.See that it does not happen again.

By the way, I agree but these are probably premium tickets. Still absurd but it is what it is.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 7:53pm

It seems unusual, are you looking on ticket broker sites? That might be it.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:13pm

Oh, don't get me wrong! I don't mind paying for my tickets.

Theatre --for me-- is a vice, and I know it does not come cheap.

I just wanted to know if there is some sort of typical behaviour regarding ticket prices during previews. Maybe what I'm about to proffer is not a very good example, but I remember Cry-Baby tickets being a flat 59 dollars during previews. I know that is not a usual trend.

I guess what I wanted to know is if there is a high demand for this show.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:25pm

There are tickets for all performances at $51. Just go to ticketmaster and you can get them there.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:26pm

There are 'premium' seats available for just about every produciton these days. If they don't sell by a certain date they release them for regular sales.

But, there are PLENTY of regular priced tickets. (Of course, I don't know what dates you looked at.) And no, usually there isn't anything SPECIAL with pricing during previews....although I personally think there should be.

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:27pm

My sister bought four tickets through ticketmaster the other day, so you may want to call ticketmaster.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:33pm

I had a hell of a time finding a single seat for the last week of April in the orchestra (eventually settled on F) so maybe it is selling well (or they're holding back seats. But yea, what you're referring too are premium seats.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 8:48pm

I guess I am the only one who looks at the cheapest tickets first?

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 10:14pm

As another poster suggested, not sure where you saw $386.50 unless it was a broker site. Looking at Ticketmaster, the price scale appears to be as follows:

Weeknights/Wednesday matinees:
Orchestra $126.50
Front Mezzanine $91.50
Mezzanine $51.50

Weekends:
Orchestra $136.50
Front Mezzanine $96.50
Mezzanine $56.50

Premium Seating:
Previews (All?): $200
Weeknights/Wednesday matinees: $200
Sat/Sun matinees: $250
Fri/Sat evenings: $300

[ArtMan]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 10:30pm

Jake7, depending on how good a seat you want....as the dates get closer go on playbill and broadwaybox. If the show does get a discount it will appear there. You can buy your ticket with the promo code. It beats standing in line for hours at the half off. I am also waiting for Adams Family and/or Promises Promises for first week in May. But I am "thrifty"(aka cheap) and do not spend over $100 for a ticket.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 10:40pm

Jake, there is NO WAY you should have to spend that kind of money for this show. If nothing else and you're willing to risk it, go to the box office the day of the show and you'll be able to get a decent single at full price (i.e., NOT premium). And not to throw any rain on your parade, but the advance notice from Chicago hasn't been all that great. Maybe Jerry Zaks will be able to work a miracle, but, at that point, no one is going to know for sure. DO NOT SPEND $385 for a single seat! Hope this doesn't sound dictatorial, but I live near NYC and have been through this with more "highly anticipated" shows that I care to remember. Whatever you do, good luck!

[Upland]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 11:10pm

You should definitely be able to get tix in the $126 - $136 range. I saw the show in Chicago and have bought tix in NY for $136.50 a piece.

[Deckard]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 11:15pm

i think you just go to the box office at the Lunt theatre and get a regular priced ticket. That is what Im going to do. You don't have to pay those crazy high prices

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 11:17pm

Super random, but walking by the Lunt today, I saw all the equipment inside the lobby/entrance for load in! It got me excited!
(When does the b.o. officially open?)

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 11:25pm

The box office opened back in December, sometime around the 14th I think. The box office is probably not open on Sundays yet, which would explain the equipment in the lobby.

[KirbyCat]

Posted: 2/14/10 at 11:28pm

Ooooh, gotcha. I was wondering why everything seemed so dark in there, so close to opening! Thanks!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/15/10 at 1:59pm

I found a $126 ticket in the first row for a Tuesday performance.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 2/15/10 at 2:24pm

Front row? I saw GO FOR IT.

Saw the show twice and liked it overall. Plus, seeing it up so close would be pretty cool.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 2/15/10 at 4:16pm

I just got a ticket for The Addams Family and paid $136.00, I have been looking for a couple of weeks now and been opportunist to when a decent seat comes up, I managed to land one at A107, ok a bit close to the front, but the view is central.

But how do you go about getting a decent ticket without paying premium prices?

What I mean somewhere central 1-6 rows behind premium customers.

I have been looking at A Little Night Music and Promise, Promises and so far been offered rubbish seats by there handler.

I thought I look at American Idiot as soon as these went on sale, I would not of thought the phone would be going mad on the day of the release, but when I looked through the on-line handler, still got offered crap seats, so bidding my time when decent seats come along.

Do producers have a big area for premium tickets initially, like 15 rows, then reduce accordingly when they cannot shift them to regular price tickets, then that doesn't work shift them through the internet offers, then when all else has failed dump them at tkts?

[averagebwaynut]

Posted: 2/15/10 at 7:08pm

The difficulty of finding seats in the first 12-15 rows center or within, let's say, 4-6 of the center aisles is partially about premium seats, but it's as much about house seats (and on some shows, like "American Idiot" or "Addams", American Express seats) as anything else.

Figure it this way...12 rows of 14 seats center (most theatres) is 168 seats. Add the first 4 seats on either side center aisle and that's another 96 seats = 264 seats.

Now, figure that most theatreowners take around 50 house seats for each performance, including those for certain charities like BC/EFA, Actors Fund, etc (that number may be reduced for special theatre parties, but in general, that's the "regular" number). Most big musicals have house seat contractual requirements and needs that likely land between 120-140 seats per performance (that includes stars, authors, title page creative team, press, producers and an allocation for everyone who works on the show backstage -- cast, crew, orchestra etc). You're already at 170-190 seats right there.

If the show has done an Amex offer, anywhere from 20-40 additional seats may be tied up for each performance for Amex. Not all will fall into the parameters described above but at least a handful typically will.

Then add premium seats which, at a minimum, are probably 30-40 for weeknight and Wednesday matinee performances and 50-70 for weekends.

By this point you're likely at 220-300 seats tied up before the general public has even tried to buy a ticket.

Then let's imagine that they're holding the front row off sale for a lottery or a rush offer of some kind. That's another 10-16 seats or so.

All of the above explain why if you try to buy tickets through regular channels on the first day a show goes on sale, you're likely to get no better than row O or P in the center, or perhaps a closer row but only on the side in a seat numbered 14 or 16 (or 13 or 15).

As for how one might be able to buy a seat in a better location, all of the strategies you suggest may work, but it depends on the show. Very few shows will ever allow for a truly great seat to be sold at TKTS or at a steep discount. There are always exceptions or instances where people get particularly lucky, but I daresay that any show that does indeed dump prime seats at such a steep discount generally won't have such tight ticket availability to begin with.

More reliably, shows that can't sell all of its premium seats (a far more frequent occurence even for reasonably healthy shows), you may indeed periodically find locations moved from premium to regular and if you're fortunate enough to be looking at that time, you might grab one. There is no set time, unfortunately, when shows start downgrading premium seats so it's hard to know.

Your best bet, as many already know, is via unused house seats that are generally released 98 hours prior to a performance. That's always a good time to look if you're willing to pay full regular price for a good seat. On hit shows, most (if not all) of those house seats may get moved from regular into premium so they still may not be available at regular price until much closer to showtime (if they haven't then sold as premiums). But more often than not, shows do release at least a few house seats at 98 hours prior to showtime for general sale so that's probably your best bet.

Wish I had an easier answer for you but in the words of Bruce Hornsby "that's just the way it is, some things'll never change".

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 2/16/10 at 12:54pm

Does anyone know how well the show is selling?

[Fosse76]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 11:05am

"The box office opened back in December, sometime around the 14th I think. The box office is probably not open on Sundays yet, which would explain the equipment in the lobby."

They won't move those out of the lobby just because the box office is open. I know, because they were in there when the box office was open.

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 2/17/10 at 1:55pm

I broke down and bought my first ever premium seats for this show in May. BUT, my premium seats were only $250. I don't know where the over $300 price came from. This is one of seven shows I am seeing in May. SO excited and can't wait!