To think these theatre prices are outrageous?

It's shocking that a bag of sugar used to be 7½p & now it's £1.10!
Things have gone up. Overheads etc etc. If nobody buys those tickets, they'll rethink it but somebody probably will. As stated elsewhere, when tickets come on sale, there are much cheaper ones available. I'm an opera fan & always look longingly at ticket prices that are well within my budget when they come out but don't go for other reasons.

100% this. My daughter is going and is paying nowhere near these prices

That doesn't make it right.
It's like "dynamic pricing" for Oasis tickets. It's blatant profiteering. The arts should be accessible for everyone.

if you’re prepared to wait a while, there are £30 tickets available for Paddington in the new year. We also did well for years using the Kids Week offer for the summer holidays but again you need to be prepared to book well in advance.

Yes, theatre is unaffordable. I have looked at booking Paddington , events in the Albert Hall and prices are just ridiculous. Shame

Yeah, because it's not really a "debate" is it?

The OP starts a thread with a perfectly valid point that theatre tickets are prohibitively expensive but is just shouted down by patronising posters saying it's just "business" and how dare anyone question market forces?
The usual kind of "debate" you get on here.

Yeah, I don’t think this kind of debate is for you @cloudtreecarpet

😂😂😂

Our local theatre (Norwich)is hosting a talk with Gordon Buchanan my DD suggested we could all go - until she discovered tickets were £36 each with no concessions whatsoever. We had to pass. £252 for a couple of hours entertainment is just too much.

I was desperate to see him but by the time I knew my availability- the prices were like this. I’m an ex West End performer myself and it’s even more a bitter pill knowing how little the chorus cast are on when people are paying such prices. I hope you have an amazing time. He’ll be incredible for sure- as will all the amazing cast

I personally wouldn't pay that but there are some wealthy theatre goers in london and the SE who will!! I take my daughter to see a fair few west end musicals and with a bit of research i usually manage to get reasonably priced tickets

There's a basic fact about ridiculous prices, and that is that eventually people will get sick of them, and will become unwilling to part with absurd amounts of cash. Of course, that applies to more than just theatre tickets. One thing that irritates me is when those who are trying to sell me something seem to think that they're doing me a big favour by allowing me to buy it. Nope.

What is the capacity of the theatre with the £500 seats?

I grew up in London & my parents didn’t have a lot of money but we always went to West End shows and sat in the cheapest seats. I have so many amazing memories of this and I do fear that it’s now unreachable for many families. It used to be that the ROH was the most expensive and now it’s cheap by comparison… I know the productions cost a lot and no one is well paid but I feel sad about it!

Its just not worth it.

I have been to Broadway so I recognised your terms. Some people won’t have understood those so I think it’s fair enough for them to ask without eliciting a sarcastic response.

So you think you’re a mind reader and you know other people’s financial positions, what they genuinely choose to spend their money on that brings them joy and satisfaction? Tell me - what are the Lotto numbers for today?

And yes, it’s been clear on this thread that some people don’t understand about capitalism, market forces and supply and demand. Also there is a lack of understanding from some that A-list stars won’t work for the Equity minimum, in some scenarios.

Yes, some of us don’t live in the UK. I’m American, so I used American theatre terms.

Orchestra = stalls. Mezzanine = the first raised level above the orchestra, basically dress circle-ish. Balcony = the level above the mezzanine.

You could have Googled that in four seconds, but sure, let’s all pause so the seating chart can be translated into British.

Then stop quoting me. You said what you said. It was as clear as day.

I’m not. I will often sit right at the back. I’ve never had my enjoyment impinged by this. I’d much rather see 4 shows from the back than just one from the front.

You are not being unreasonable, prices for all theatre shows and gigs are really pretty ridiculous these days. It's like only the very wealthy are entitled to enjoy anything these days.

But putting something like this on MN is going to get you flamed, criticised & pulled apart because most posters like to pretend they are super wealthy & earning big bucks so of course they can afford the prices.

Oh and people like to explain "market forces" & "business" to you like you're some kind of idiot.
MN AIBU is nothing if not predictable... 😂

What theatres have mezzanine and orchestra please (and what are they?). I’ve never seen those mentioned in any of the theatres I’ve been to in the West End or regional theatres - are they just different names for the balconies? I know some have different names for what I would normally call the dress circle.

I believe what @GeorgeMichaelsCat is saying is that those really cheap seats have awful views, which they do. @cardibachmay be thinking of the next level up in pricing.

Do you understand what ‘sounds like’ means? It means that to me it sounds as though you might not have. I have at no point said you haven’t or are lying. Please stop.

It is what they are like to me.

This sounds like someone who hasn’t tried the cheaper seats.

I think you were pretty clear in dismissing my experiences.