To think these theatre prices are outrageous?

I am not the poster, but I am still curious WHY you are "just am opposed to £500 theatre tickets."

Do you just oppose to every luxury price in general, or is it specific to the one show you want to see (and you have paid for cheap tickets anyway)

Agree with you that this is too expensive. The only thing I think that should be legislated against though are add on fees. I wonder how much of the ticket price actually goes to the theatre and the cost of the production.

I've read all your posts and just been confused when you just say "I understand why, it's still bad."

A private organisation is charging £500 for a theatre show. It's what they want to do and what they've decided to do. I assume for the most part we all believe in free will and being allowed to make our own destiny?

If you had a business would you want to be dictated to what is a "fair" price or would you reasonably do what most people do and set the price in a way where you maximise your profit and be rewarded as much as you can for the work you put in delivering that service?

All I can say is - don’t go to London then? Go and see a local show. My am-drams group has regularly been lauded as the closest thing to London without actually being there. We charge £19 a ticket to see our current show, and I promise it’s just as good.

That's would get on my wick more

Then just don’t buy the tickets?

Nobody is being forced into buying theatre tickets or making charity donations.

No you don't understand supply and demand.

If there enough people like you who think £500 is too expensive, the demand is not there and the price will come down. I wouldn't pay £500 either but that's neither here nor there, there are clearly others who would. Theatre tickets are a finite product. They can't just add more seats or expand the theatre.

And do many people are here will jump on you for that. It's nearly as ridiculous as the theatre ticket prices. Id be more pissed off if there was a £250 charity donation built in tbh. I detest being arm twisted in making donations to things I don't choose

Totally agree with you OP. The prices are insane.

It means anywhere outside London @takeharry

Theatre is often cheaper in provincial cities. We regularly see great shows for aboit £30-50 in Nottingham. Less choice tho obvs.

why is it "ridiculous"?

Because you don't want to spend that amount? Then.. don't?
you didn't anyway 😂

It's not an essential, it's a luxury, there's nothing "ridiculous" of something having a premium price.

Why do you think luxury items should become cheap exactly?

I don’t know if anyone else has said this but I’m fairly certain that the £500 tickets are half ticket half charity donation. So while yes, you need to be able to afford £500 for 1 ticket (which is kinda insane) £250 of that is going to charity.

I’m going tomorrow (definitely not for £500 each) and can’t wait. I don’t think I paid much of a premium for our stalls seats for LOJ.

It's all relative anyway. We are going to see Kenneth Branagh, Helen Hunt, Alfred Enoch and <gasp> Bill Pullman at the RSC on Friday. £34 tickets.

I just want to tell someone haha! but what I mean is, there are all kinds of prices. Thank goodness someone will pay top dollar for sone shows.

So what’s the answer? Demand Leslie Odom Jr takes a lesser wage just so more people who can only afford tickets costing, say, £300 or less can go? No, that’s not how business works.

Op that is very steep agree. I know people like to get out but thats too much

I'm with you OP, that's crazy pricing, especially if there are two of you going I would never pay that much and would just wait until someone less famous was in it.

Normal prices….

I think that was the OPs entire point?

You are immeasurably rude. Telling people they need to learn about economics? You need to learn about manners.

The £500 are special charity tickets, £250 goes to the charity. Sort of thing a wealthy person/corporation would want to support.

If you want to go then just go on a night that he isn’t there?

I do absolutely get your point @takeharry - £500 is outrageous on the face of it but people will pay it if they personally think it's worth it.

DP & I recently went to go and see Cynthia Erivo in Dracula and paid £130 each for seats towards the rear stalls. I baulked at the price but decided to go ahead anyway as a) we had the money as it was a holiday treat & b) it was a unique experience on a short run - like blink and you've missed it thing. We went to a cheaper show the night before at 'only' £40 each but the month before I went to see High Noon at the Harold Pinter with my DS and paid £100 per seat for the very decent view & worth every penny. We paid over £75 each to see Witness For The Prosecution at County Hall and although a good show, you're paying for the location but I felt that it was overpriced.
The fact is that it's expensive to run these shows at all when you factor in production, wages, design, venue hire and restoration costs. Bringing up kids meant that we were short of cash so I relied upon things like kid's week promotions and sales and could often only afford the balcony seats. As money became more available as the kids became adults we bought better seats but in those early days of the cheap (deeply uncomfortable) seats the kids got a love of theatre.

Now would I pay £500 to see Hamilton with an original cast member? Probably not but then again I will pay more to see something unique like Dracula.
Incidentally, the top price seats for Dracula was £275 which I couldn't justify paying BUT an hour before doors opened we were randomly upgraded to top seats because they were unsold that night (slow Wednesday). So basically we paid half price for top seats because they didn't want to have a gap in Cynthia Erivo's eyeline - we were thrilled and so grateful.
I have to say that Hamilton came on tour to our city last year and the prices started at £85! We didn't go.

I've been to quite a number of shows in London and I don't think I've ever paid more than £35 a ticket. But we're always way up in the gods. Of course the best seats are much more expensive. I certainly wouldn't pay £500 but I guess some people will.

Google tells me:
Staging a new West End musical typically costs between £5 million and £15 million, while plays cost between £1 million and £3 million. Weekly running costs can exceed £300,000, and up to 80% of new productions fail to recoup their initial investment

What part of 'the provinces' don't you understand?