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Original poster

"Elitist" theatre ticket prices

119 replies

KenAdams · 04/04/2023 22:34

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65160984.amp

Sir Derek Jacobi has said that theatre prices are becoming elitist. I'm inclined to agree.

Prices are eye-watering now and I'm in the Midlands! Restricted view seats for £60! Some London shows are ridiculously priced.

Are you finding the same where you live?

Sir Derek Jacobi at the Olivier Awards

Sir Derek Jacobi warns of 'elitist' theatre prices - BBC News

The star, who picked up an Olivier honour on Sunday, says he's "shocked" by some West End tickets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65160984.amp

OP posts:
Nigvor · 04/04/2023 22:36

It's cheaper than gigs, a lot of the time.

But everything is more expensive now than Before.

Kendodd · 04/04/2023 22:37

If you think that's bad have a look at how much Black Pink or Taylor Swift's tickets are. Fans should go on ticket strike and just not buy them.

LadyKenya · 04/04/2023 22:38

Yes going to the theatre can be very expensive, if you want half decent seats.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Theatre
BabaBooPuffinsRock · 04/04/2023 22:38

The theatre industry was nearly wiped out by Covid. They've got to run their business in the way that means they can survive. Everything's more expensive now.

Mycathatesmecuddling · 04/04/2023 22:39

£16-£36 where I am and we get quite a lot of good productions round as well (North Wales)

We use to go to the theatre in Birmingham when we lived in the midland but we go more often now we are in Wales because its cheaper and we don't have to negotiate Birmingham City centre traffic and the parking is free now

Original poster
KenAdams · 04/04/2023 22:40

Kendodd · 04/04/2023 22:37

If you think that's bad have a look at how much Black Pink or Taylor Swift's tickets are. Fans should go on ticket strike and just not buy them.

Oh don't get me started on concert ticket prices, that's a whole other thread! I wanted to take DD to see Taylor Swift when we're in the states. £1k for a pair of tickets BEHIND the stage.

OP posts:
Hbh17 · 04/04/2023 22:41

I love Sir Derek, but he should know that ticket prices vary hugely. Some regional theatres do special reduced rates for residents of local postcodes.
And West End theatre is very expensive to stage - if you want quality, then you have to pay. I went to "Guys and Dolls" last week, and there were lots of happy young people there. It was worth every penny, and things like pop concerts and sports events can cost an awful lot more than the theatre!

MargaretThursday · 04/04/2023 22:47

If you shop around then you can get tickets a lot cheaper. Things like kids' week brings the prices down for a family, and you can often get tickets for £20-£30 even in the West End if you wait for offers. Yes, they might not be the best tickets, but you can still go, and actually, as someone who normally sits up in the gods, it's absolutely fine. Occasionally you might not catch a bit of the action if it's very high or right at the front of the stage, but we're talking about little bits.

And it depends on the priority you put on it too. We don't spend much on holidays, haven't ever been abroad, but often go to two or three shows over the summer. That's our choice. Other people may choose to go for a 2 week all inclusive abroad. That's their choice. It's not them being elitist, just choosing to spend their money differently.

mrsnec · 04/04/2023 22:47

I was thinking of taking my children to the theatre for the Easter pantomime. It was cheaper to go to a bigger city 2 hours away than to our local theatre even though its the same company. And the cheaper one is a more impressive cast. I was surprised they were advertising tickets from £13 though which turned out to be low back bench seats! I've never known that before. But I was happy to pay £22 For the best of a bad bunch. Having said that looking at taking DD to see the Wizard of Oz in the summer. Prices for that are eye watering!

thespy · 04/04/2023 22:49

£200 plus for a seat in the stalls at a west end show is definitely getting elitist - if you wanted to take a family of four you are looking at 1k for a night out in London if you factor in train tickets / food / drinks at the interval etc. but - and name changed for this just in case - I took DD to see The Accidental Death of an Anarchist last night at Hammersmith Lyric & paid £54 each for good seats - compared to what I have recently paid for Frozen and Matilda it was an absolute bargain - especially considering how good it was!

Theatres local to us are more like £30 Pp with good concessions for U25s and other categories which feels "fairer" and more accessible to more people.

Having said all of the above everything I've been to in London recently has been packed out - if they are getting bums on seats at those prices night after night I'm not sure what to think. It seems extraordinary to me.

VonWeasel · 04/04/2023 22:54

If in London you can usually get tickets for the Royal Opera House from £9. The seats are up high or along the side but if you book in advance you can still choose a relatively decent spot for not much. Have done it many a time. I think a lot of people assume that it is expensive to go there (well it can be!) but I wouldn't call it prohibitively expensive. It's a magnificent venue too.

roh.org.uk

MMMarmite · 04/04/2023 22:57

It can't be cheap putting on a production through - building maintenance, heating, lighting, front of house staff, the highly skilled cast and backstage staff, their rehearsal time, sets and costumes. And since many productions flop, you need the good ones to make a profit to counterbalance that. Its hard to blame them for charging what they can.

piedbeauty · 04/04/2023 22:57

And drinks at the theatre too! Two standard glasses of wine and two single house vodka and cokes - how much this evening in Milton Keynes?

£37!!!

Fml

twolilacs · 04/04/2023 23:00

He's not wrong. I have a keen ballet dancer in the family and would love to be able to take her to see the Royal Ballet at the Opera House in Covent Garden more often. The ticket prices are eye-watering, not helped by their 'Friends' scheme either. If you pay a considerable fee up-front to be a 'Friend', you get priority booking opening before the great unwashed get a chance at the cheaper tickets. By the time general booking opens, you are looking at a minimum of £70 per ticket, going up to £170. Opera tickets, so I hear, are even more expensive. Add on the price of train tickets, and a reasonably-priced meal (McDonalds or Nandos) and for two people you are looking at the best part of what I earn in a week.

We have to make do with seeing performances live streamed in the cinema.

Houseplantmad · 04/04/2023 23:04

I go to the theatre a lot in London and rarely pay more than £20-25 per seat. Maybe slightly restricted view in some cases but generally fine.

KnittingNeedles · 04/04/2023 23:06

We are going to the touring production of The Mousetrap in Glasgow in about 4 weeks, the tickets ranged from about £13 to about £44.

Cheaper than gigs. Cheapest seats for Sam Smith at the Hydro in Glasgow are £41.50, cheapest Olly Murs is £38.60, cheapest Michael Buble is an eyewatering £86.85.

So theatre is elitist, and Michael Buble at twice the price is not elitist. OK then.

Coxspurplepippin · 04/04/2023 23:09

Some theatre is definitely elitist - Mark Rylance in Jerusalem springs to mind, the irony.

There's good value theatre to be seen in 'the provinces', thank heavens, and good value music away from the stadium tours.

Original poster
KenAdams · 04/04/2023 23:12

KnittingNeedles · 04/04/2023 23:06

We are going to the touring production of The Mousetrap in Glasgow in about 4 weeks, the tickets ranged from about £13 to about £44.

Cheaper than gigs. Cheapest seats for Sam Smith at the Hydro in Glasgow are £41.50, cheapest Olly Murs is £38.60, cheapest Michael Buble is an eyewatering £86.85.

So theatre is elitist, and Michael Buble at twice the price is not elitist. OK then.

Who said concert prices weren't elitist?

OP posts:
AchillesElbow · 04/04/2023 23:17

Ticket sales across the board are still significantly down on pre covid - I think it’s about 20% - so it will be a case of charging as much as possible for the elite shows that sell well. There is strong demand for some shows while others prove difficult to sell.

kittenkipping · 04/04/2023 23:17

I am lucky to go to theatre quite often. And in a cheap area. But recently I paid for us to go as a family for an "unseen" show- one I've never seen but reviews said was good- and I cried afterward for the loss. It's not a problem for me to spend money on the theatre and we will go without cinema, take away, gym, meat or alcohol for a month- absolutely worth it. But our monthly "luxury" budget is fixed at x amount and the experience of spending all my months luxury on that crap meant I'm much less likely to risk it ever again. And I'm one of the privileged who have a luxury budget. I'm led to wonder, if it wont only have an impact of elitism for viewers but also the degradation of theatre as a whole- whilst fledging shows are too expensive to risk (it used to be fine if you caught a bad un- funny even! ) but now fewer will break through and we'll be left with an elitist, but also stagnating pool

TeenLifeMum · 04/04/2023 23:20

We love the theatre and so do our dc but it’s expensive. Hamilton was over £500 for us all (3dc) and phantom of the opera is cheaper at £65 a ticket but we’re up in the gods. I imagine it’s expensive to put on a show though so it’s not going to be cheap.

Motheranddaughtertotwo · 04/04/2023 23:21

I live in London and find prices ridiculous. I don’t want a restricted view and I can’t go during the week, I rarely spend less than £75 per ticket.

UsingChangeofName · 04/04/2023 23:34

Theatre prices vary enormously.

Prices are eye-watering now and I'm in the Midlands! Restricted view seats for £60!
I'm in the Midlands too, and regularly go to the theatre for under £25. I know you can pay over £50, but those aren't the so called restricted view seats, and there are plenty of seats for less, for most shows, with excellent views.

I don't think theatre has gone up - in fact, I think, in comparison with the rise in the cost of living generally, seeing shows at the theatre seems to have been a lot cheaper since covid than it ever was before.

If I compare with going to a gig, theatre is excellent value, as it is compared with some sporting events (though there is a wide variety of sporting events, just as there are a variety of theatre tickets).

BeckyBeehive · 04/04/2023 23:41

I'm going with a friend to see Mrs Warren's Profession next week at Malvern. It was a 2 for 1 offer on tickets so not too bad, £22.50 instead of £45 for 3rd row stalls. I'm much pickier these days about what shows I go to. Used to go to the theatre a lot but can't usually justify the expense now. And yes I agree with Sir Derek, theatre has become elitist.

Feemie · 04/04/2023 23:43

VonWeasel · 04/04/2023 22:54

If in London you can usually get tickets for the Royal Opera House from £9. The seats are up high or along the side but if you book in advance you can still choose a relatively decent spot for not much. Have done it many a time. I think a lot of people assume that it is expensive to go there (well it can be!) but I wouldn't call it prohibitively expensive. It's a magnificent venue too.

roh.org.uk

I’m glad they’re still doing this. I went all the time when I lived in London, though I stopped buying standing tickets after not realising quite how long Don Carlos is when you’re on your feet throughout…

But you could get very decent seats for £25, if you didn’t mind an early start and the inevitable opera bore alongside mutttering about nothing being as good as Callas.

The £10 seats at the NT, too.