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Original poster

To be so flabbergasted by the price of tickets to Harry Potter And The Cursed Child

68 replies

EverySongbirdSays · 06/05/2016 22:12

I knew it would be expensive but BLIMEY CHARLIE! it's eye-poppingly eye watering expensive. The thing is to see it you have to see it in two parts and they are charging a full price West End ticket for each part.

In my case, it's ok as I'm not paying all of the cost of the ticket, it's right by my birthday so birthday treat is covering part of it and as it's just me and a friend it's completely affordable.

But it got me to thinking how utterly unaffordable it is for normal average families even those earning a good salary.

So for a family of 4 it's : £260 and a family of 5 : £325 for one day out, 2 days if you see it split

As it's in London for anyone outside the Home Counties this is before transport and hotels.

Is it naive of me not to think that this is quite normal ? I do think they are fleecing people a bit based on the name and splitting it in to two parts. I'm just glad I'm not paying full price, I wouldn't be able to justify it frankly.

OP posts:
ParadiseCity · 06/05/2016 23:10

I don't think it's going to be that good. I don't think you can top the book series. Almost all my favourite characters were dead by the end and a play isn't long enough to get to know and love a new one.

It's going to be like the Joey spin off from Friends.

forkhandles4candles · 06/05/2016 23:14

I spent far too long on the website trying to find cheaper restricted view seats. All gone. Ah well. I doubt it is that good.

Original poster
EverySongbirdSays · 06/05/2016 23:14

If it's not good I'll be genuinely devastated. The 4 or 5 big characters from the book though plus their offspring.

OP posts:
PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 06/05/2016 23:14

Why is it in two parts? Just because it's very long?

Most plays would have been re-jigged and cut to make them a sensible length, you wouldn't generally be allowed to just make it even longer!

Original poster
EverySongbirdSays · 06/05/2016 23:18

, you wouldn't generally be allowed to just make it even longer!

Well isn't that the story of the books from Book 4 onward Grin

OP posts:
LarryStylison · 07/05/2016 00:02

Yay! I'm going on Thursday/Friday August 18th/19th! Anyone joining me?

Original poster
EverySongbirdSays · 07/05/2016 00:08

OMG Larry I'm going THE DAY BEFORE YOU on the Wednesday Shock

OP posts:
PerspicaciaTick · 07/05/2016 00:25

We live not far from London - we simply can't afford to do shows as a family although I would dearly love to.
I really wanted to go see Matilda - but I couldn't justify such huge expense.

DeadGood · 07/05/2016 06:23

"Well DeadGood what I mean by hotels is that if you're a mad Potter fan and you don't live in the capital or the home counties the cost of going to see it (already expensive) goes up by at least 100% what with trains etc. Yes, the theatre don't care about this but if it wasn't already the price that it is, adding in these wouldn't push it out of the reach of affordability for most."

I know what you meant, but it has nothing to do with the prices of the tickets, you know?

It does sound expensive but is it going to be a big production with whizzes and bangs? If so I can understand it. And it would be a shame to cut the story short so it could all be seen in one go - you'd still miss out that way.
Maybe they should offer a family ticket though, that would help.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 07/05/2016 07:59

We're going in May-17, so only a year to wait Grin seeing both performances in one day. We are commutable to London, so no hotels or anything.

We paid £65 a ticket which isn't that extortionate in comparison to other shows, we paid about the same to see The Cumberbatch in Hamlet (stealth boast, stealth boast) - the difference is normally dh and I go alone to the theatre - whereas this time we're taking the 3dc, and it's 2 performances. So £65 x 10 basically.

I remember the scramble to buy these tickets, and once you got onto the website (I hadn't managed to pre-register) every date I was clicking on was sold out, literally selling out before your eyes. In the end I just grabbed any available Saturday I could find. Oh well - I think it'll be good, and we're all big HP fans. Will book a meal between performances, and have a little walk around.

LottieDoubtie · 07/05/2016 08:12

It is expensive- good theatre tickets in London ARE that's just a fact.

The theatre is a business though, they don't have a 'responsibility' to make it affordable to families it's supply and demand. If there wasn't the demand the tickets would be cheaper.. I'm going in October and because of the cost I'm going alone - I cannot wait Grin

Trills · 07/05/2016 08:19

It is very expensive - but I bet it'll be full.

coralpig · 07/05/2016 08:28

We are going November 5th. It's eye wateringly expensive but so are all London shows and Harry Potter is very special to us. I hope it's worth the price but I don't think it's as silly expensive as other west end shows. The Book of Mormon cost over £90 a ticket. It was superb but unbelieve. We are lucky in that dh's sister lives in London so we have a place to stay but, as we don't go out drinking, we think it's worth the cost. It's upsetting that costs are so prohibitive to big families but these shows have to pay an awful lot of people so I don't think it's too unreasonable to demand such a large amount of money.
I must say that I was a bit disappointing that the script of the play will be released before it finishes its run. I hope there aren't many spoilers on the internet before we watch.

Unicow · 07/05/2016 08:33

It's no more expensive than other shows or concerts. Most events of this type are £50 - £100+ It racks up quickly because it is two shows.

SellFridges · 07/05/2016 08:46

We're going October 8th. We're in the cheap restricted view seats (which is fine as we are adults). Very excited!

ForalltheSaints · 07/05/2016 08:56

West End Theatre is expensive. No surprise.

Greydog · 07/05/2016 08:58

Looking at ticket prices for a football match, i don't think these are expensive -

newpup · 07/05/2016 09:05

My Dh has treated our family of four to tickets, my teenage DDs are huge Potter fans. It is expensive and we will have to get transport and two nights hotel accommodation as well but nobody forced us;-) It is a treat and we are looking forward to it although we have to wait until April 2017 as that was the first available date we could make, it had to be in the school hols!!

dumdedah · 12/05/2016 10:02

For those bringing their children, what age are they?

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 12/05/2016 10:09

Ours are all 8yrs+ dumdedah.

descalina · 12/05/2016 10:35

The cheapest tickets are £15 per performance so £150 for a family of five for both parts. I think that's pretty reasonable! You don't have to buy top price tickets....

Personally I'm really pleased it's in two parts as I always found the films disappointing because they just couldn't fit enough in. At least this way they have time for a decent story.

EastMidsMummy · 12/05/2016 10:40

Premium live entertainment is eye-wateringly expensive. We try and take our three kids to the West End when we can, but they are growing up to believe live theatre is all about looking down on the top of people's heads from a long, long way away...

CrotchetQuaverMinim · 12/05/2016 10:47

I thought it was all sold out for the next couple of years after the initial publicity several months ago, so I never even thought about trying to book tickets!

maybe I'll look into it. I don't mind not top-price seats, if they have any. Do they do day tickets or something, or how are people still managing to get seats? Or is everyone booking for years from now? I have no idea what I'm doing next summer!!

Napnah · 12/05/2016 10:48

I was horrified to see the prices of tickets.

I think its actually quite immoral.

JimmyGreavesMoustache · 12/05/2016 11:08

I bought terrible seats for dd1 and I - I think they were £15 each, so £60 in total for the two performances.

For context we paid £60 per seat to see Mary Poppins in Manchester

we are staying in a premier inn overnight afterwards which we got a good deal on - it's in Wembley which is not exactly a tourist hotspot, but superfast into town on the tube.

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