I don’t really like these people, but they say Ok things about the play. Complaints about the price and two intermissions, but hints on where to get discount tickets. Full Price tickets now are $ 89 0r $ 99.
I listen to maxamoo for two reasons: to hear about off the beaten path productions going on in NYC, and to chuckle at how they talk about them. Some of the regulars on it aren’t that bad, though. And they know their theater scene damn well.
They are a bit annoying but seem to know their stuff or at least their tastes 🙂 I totally got the sense of how ‘into’ the playwright they were. Wish they would have said about the discounts before i paid the horrendously big full prices. And by the way 89 where? All the ones i saw were 99. I still haven’t figured out what exactly about this justifies these prices and given the prices i am not surprised there are still plenty tickets available and everyone is having to make efforts to promote it. Hopefully good opening night reviews will boost sales but i think they should have started much lower with the prices.
But yes, definitely good it is being talked about and in complimentary terms.
Really? oh my… I wouldn’t pay this in London ever but there are also rarely 1 price only performances, regardless how small the theatre, or when in small venues the prices are smaller too. I am finding out NY is so much more expensive than i ever imagined 😦 But i wouldn’t call this cast ‘big name cast’ really. Eg in London you’d have to have Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart to charge these kind of prices…
I know that there have been many, many cutbacks in the subsidies not-for-profit theaters receive in the UK, but they still receive far more subsidies and grants than US theaters do. Theater prices here are always higher than they are in the UK.
That said, podcasts like maxamoo tend to highlight a lot of avenues for day-of discounts, alternative ticketing, ticketing programs, and other ways of finding discount tickets. Their target listeners are young people living in NYC (who are already pretty broke to begin with), so they don’t usually pay more than $60 for a show and they tend to plan out which shows they see every 4 months or so.
This is why zoe kazan tweeting about the Roundabout’s $25 tix for under 35s was kind of a thing. Many theaters have those programs for young people, but as soon as you age out you really have to do your research.
The US as a whole doesn’t really value this kind of culture. I believe it is part of the anti-intellectual strain in our society. So everything gets reduced to a capitalistic tendency. I’m constantly having to justify theater’s value in terms of its economics rather than its impact on thinking and expression in society.
Some places do try to give back when they understand that their art isn’t accessible to the people they really want to see it. Thus the increased importance of digital streaming, discount programs and ticket lotteries. The catch, of course, is to make digital streaming economically viable.
It’s sad as here most subsidies are being cut as well. I can’t imagine the kind of person i would be without tje exposure and how bereft kids are without growing up with it too. Sad times.
If you check Roundabout’s tweets, they had a link to Today Tix. I think that must mean it is reputable. They offer two options it seems. First, a lottery for same day tickets at $25. Second, same day tickets at $79. Now, I know this won’t help you in planning your trip, you would have to purchase a regular ticket for a particular performance obviously. You could use it while you are in NYC, to see additional shows at a lower ticket price.
Another thought about US ticketing is that many US non-profits have begun to deal with more “dynamic pricing” like the for-profit theaters. They have one price that they max out at, but if the seats aren’t being booked at full price in advance, the pricing will go down the closer it gets to showtime. That’s why discount ticket places work with these theaters and the closer it gets to the date, the more discounted seats they’ll release. Or they’ll do a lottery for remaining seats on the day of for $20 tickets. At some theaters you can walk up to the box office an hour before curtain and, if there are seats remaining, they’ll sell them at a deep discount. They’d rather get some money for that seat’s real estate than none, because after curtain time that seat is wasted.
It’s all very capitalistic. Seats are commodities that have a hard sell-by date or they go to waste.
But ultimately, if we want to guarantee a seat in advance and avoid being shut out by an unexpectedly popular show, we pay full price or close to it.
I’d say those ticket prices are breathtakingly high, compared to like Germany. Right, our theatres do get a lot of subsidies, but then again theatre is affordable for (almost) everybody. Even the renowned big straight theatres in Munich (with up to 2000 seats) offer tickets that start at around 10 -15 € and there are always special reduced prices for those who work at a theatre (like spoiled me). What surprised me the most is that the prices for the previews are as high as the actual shows. I only found tickets for 99 $ + tax = 107$. Had to pay those prices when one flies that far on a certain date and must make sure to have seats to certain performances.
At the regional theaters throughout the US, preview tickets are lower priced and the preview period is shorter. But at the institutions that can ask it, they’ve started to charge the same for previews. It’s all about what the market will bear in the location of the theater.
Just for comparison, the tickets I bought for another Mike Bartlett play at ACT (a San Francisco theater with an exceptional national reputation and a very large theater), I paid $65 for my mezzanine seats. The top ticket price was $110 for the very best seats, then $85, $65, and the lowest $25 for the upper balcony.
The play I’m seeing in their theater the same size as the Laura Pels, the tickets are $90 at the top end and $40 at the lowest.
In my mid-sized city (1 million people in the greater area), the top ticket price for a show at the priciest theater company is $38.
But a 2,000 seat theater has a bloody nose section. so the experience, IMO , is worth less – but it is still worthtwhile, if that’s what you can afford.
[Edited}I went to the theater a lot in New York, but not to everything and not to every hot ticket. For a number of seasons I had subscriptions to more than one, sometimes three, theater companies. As a result, I paid discount prices for a lot of, mostly Off-Broadway, but a lot of Broadway, and I would say the tickets cost in the $ 56.00 or under ranger. I also saw plays I might not have chosen on my own, but felt really lucky to get to see. Like LLL, they were limited run plays that routinely moved to Broadway or extended on Broadway. Aside from subscriptions, or when I had fewer of them, discount tickets would become available, and I can;t recall exactly how – but usually, I received mail or emails with offers, as did my friends. Sometimes they got different offers for the same show and dates at different prices. Seat quality varied. Many of these plays would not appeal to a mass audience – but sometimes, there could be a surprise. If there was something I especially wanted to see on Broadway, I would buy tickets – but not right away. In NY, because of the theater scene, charitable organizations have theater party fundraisers – a higher price for the ticket, but a hot ticket, good seats and something involving food and drink afterwards or before. A portion of it ( [ETA} NOT the seat, usually) is tax deductible. The most I ever personally paid to see a show was in the $ 300 range and – get this – I don’t remember what show. I saw The Book of Mormon for under $ 100 in great Mezzanine seats, but a family member who wanted to put a family theater party together that everyone would like, paid much more than that – way more- for Priscilla Queen of the Desert – which was definitely missable. I saw everything at Lincoln Center or its Broadway theater for $ 25.00, then it went up a little ( the membership for Lincoln Center Theater has a waiting list.) But there are people, many people, who must see everything at whatever price, and , as soon as possible.
Think of the cost for the space in New York. Think how much more expensive it is to house your creatives. Think of the millions spent to mount some of these large productions. A $ 34.00 ticket is not going to meet all the costs.
Like everything else, one has to shop.
I agree that it makes little sense to charge the same ticket price for a preview. It’s a pig in a poke and not really fair.
The podcast annoyed me because I really dislike the ubiquitous habit, now practiced by all ages, of ending every declarative sentence in a question.
Armitage Agonistes 
A little artsy pretentious, but good that they’re talking about LLL.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I listen to maxamoo for two reasons: to hear about off the beaten path productions going on in NYC, and to chuckle at how they talk about them. Some of the regulars on it aren’t that bad, though. And they know their theater scene damn well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😃
LikeLike
They are a bit annoying but seem to know their stuff or at least their tastes 🙂 I totally got the sense of how ‘into’ the playwright they were. Wish they would have said about the discounts before i paid the horrendously big full prices. And by the way 89 where? All the ones i saw were 99. I still haven’t figured out what exactly about this justifies these prices and given the prices i am not surprised there are still plenty tickets available and everyone is having to make efforts to promote it. Hopefully good opening night reviews will boost sales but i think they should have started much lower with the prices.
But yes, definitely good it is being talked about and in complimentary terms.
LikeLike
$99 is actually incredibly cheap for NYC, especially with a cast like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really? oh my… I wouldn’t pay this in London ever but there are also rarely 1 price only performances, regardless how small the theatre, or when in small venues the prices are smaller too. I am finding out NY is so much more expensive than i ever imagined 😦 But i wouldn’t call this cast ‘big name cast’ really. Eg in London you’d have to have Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart to charge these kind of prices…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know that there have been many, many cutbacks in the subsidies not-for-profit theaters receive in the UK, but they still receive far more subsidies and grants than US theaters do. Theater prices here are always higher than they are in the UK.
That said, podcasts like maxamoo tend to highlight a lot of avenues for day-of discounts, alternative ticketing, ticketing programs, and other ways of finding discount tickets. Their target listeners are young people living in NYC (who are already pretty broke to begin with), so they don’t usually pay more than $60 for a show and they tend to plan out which shows they see every 4 months or so.
This is why zoe kazan tweeting about the Roundabout’s $25 tix for under 35s was kind of a thing. Many theaters have those programs for young people, but as soon as you age out you really have to do your research.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am glad there are at least some discounts for under 25s. Makes me sad culture to be so expensive It would certainly outprice me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The US as a whole doesn’t really value this kind of culture. I believe it is part of the anti-intellectual strain in our society. So everything gets reduced to a capitalistic tendency. I’m constantly having to justify theater’s value in terms of its economics rather than its impact on thinking and expression in society.
Some places do try to give back when they understand that their art isn’t accessible to the people they really want to see it. Thus the increased importance of digital streaming, discount programs and ticket lotteries. The catch, of course, is to make digital streaming economically viable.
And the capitalism circles round. . .
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s sad as here most subsidies are being cut as well. I can’t imagine the kind of person i would be without tje exposure and how bereft kids are without growing up with it too. Sad times.
LikeLiked by 2 people
If you check Roundabout’s tweets, they had a link to Today Tix. I think that must mean it is reputable. They offer two options it seems. First, a lottery for same day tickets at $25. Second, same day tickets at $79. Now, I know this won’t help you in planning your trip, you would have to purchase a regular ticket for a particular performance obviously. You could use it while you are in NYC, to see additional shows at a lower ticket price.
LikeLike
Thanks 🙂 I am glad to know it is more flexible than it looks. Given distance i will be planning in advance as otherwise too risky.
LikeLike
Another thought about US ticketing is that many US non-profits have begun to deal with more “dynamic pricing” like the for-profit theaters. They have one price that they max out at, but if the seats aren’t being booked at full price in advance, the pricing will go down the closer it gets to showtime. That’s why discount ticket places work with these theaters and the closer it gets to the date, the more discounted seats they’ll release. Or they’ll do a lottery for remaining seats on the day of for $20 tickets. At some theaters you can walk up to the box office an hour before curtain and, if there are seats remaining, they’ll sell them at a deep discount. They’d rather get some money for that seat’s real estate than none, because after curtain time that seat is wasted.
It’s all very capitalistic. Seats are commodities that have a hard sell-by date or they go to waste.
But ultimately, if we want to guarantee a seat in advance and avoid being shut out by an unexpectedly popular show, we pay full price or close to it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’d say those ticket prices are breathtakingly high, compared to like Germany. Right, our theatres do get a lot of subsidies, but then again theatre is affordable for (almost) everybody. Even the renowned big straight theatres in Munich (with up to 2000 seats) offer tickets that start at around 10 -15 € and there are always special reduced prices for those who work at a theatre (like spoiled me). What surprised me the most is that the prices for the previews are as high as the actual shows. I only found tickets for 99 $ + tax = 107$. Had to pay those prices when one flies that far on a certain date and must make sure to have seats to certain performances.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ditto
LikeLiked by 1 person
At the regional theaters throughout the US, preview tickets are lower priced and the preview period is shorter. But at the institutions that can ask it, they’ve started to charge the same for previews. It’s all about what the market will bear in the location of the theater.
Just for comparison, the tickets I bought for another Mike Bartlett play at ACT (a San Francisco theater with an exceptional national reputation and a very large theater), I paid $65 for my mezzanine seats. The top ticket price was $110 for the very best seats, then $85, $65, and the lowest $25 for the upper balcony.
The play I’m seeing in their theater the same size as the Laura Pels, the tickets are $90 at the top end and $40 at the lowest.
In my mid-sized city (1 million people in the greater area), the top ticket price for a show at the priciest theater company is $38.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But a 2,000 seat theater has a bloody nose section. so the experience, IMO , is worth less – but it is still worthtwhile, if that’s what you can afford.
LikeLike
Well, but, it is still off-Broadway.
LikeLike
[Edited}I went to the theater a lot in New York, but not to everything and not to every hot ticket. For a number of seasons I had subscriptions to more than one, sometimes three, theater companies. As a result, I paid discount prices for a lot of, mostly Off-Broadway, but a lot of Broadway, and I would say the tickets cost in the $ 56.00 or under ranger. I also saw plays I might not have chosen on my own, but felt really lucky to get to see. Like LLL, they were limited run plays that routinely moved to Broadway or extended on Broadway. Aside from subscriptions, or when I had fewer of them, discount tickets would become available, and I can;t recall exactly how – but usually, I received mail or emails with offers, as did my friends. Sometimes they got different offers for the same show and dates at different prices. Seat quality varied. Many of these plays would not appeal to a mass audience – but sometimes, there could be a surprise. If there was something I especially wanted to see on Broadway, I would buy tickets – but not right away. In NY, because of the theater scene, charitable organizations have theater party fundraisers – a higher price for the ticket, but a hot ticket, good seats and something involving food and drink afterwards or before. A portion of it ( [ETA} NOT the seat, usually) is tax deductible. The most I ever personally paid to see a show was in the $ 300 range and – get this – I don’t remember what show. I saw The Book of Mormon for under $ 100 in great Mezzanine seats, but a family member who wanted to put a family theater party together that everyone would like, paid much more than that – way more- for Priscilla Queen of the Desert – which was definitely missable. I saw everything at Lincoln Center or its Broadway theater for $ 25.00, then it went up a little ( the membership for Lincoln Center Theater has a waiting list.) But there are people, many people, who must see everything at whatever price, and , as soon as possible.
Think of the cost for the space in New York. Think how much more expensive it is to house your creatives. Think of the millions spent to mount some of these large productions. A $ 34.00 ticket is not going to meet all the costs.
Like everything else, one has to shop.
I agree that it makes little sense to charge the same ticket price for a preview. It’s a pig in a poke and not really fair.
The podcast annoyed me because I really dislike the ubiquitous habit, now practiced by all ages, of ending every declarative sentence in a question.
LikeLike