Staggering cost of panto tickets!

[MeMeMeMeOw]

Tried to book panto tickets yesterday for December, Boxing Day, hardly any left and £180 for me, a friend and two kids. Probably put the price up because it is Kevin Clifton!

£211.95 for 4 tickets to ours in Glasgow the weekend before Christmas.

I loathe Panto but I think a small local one is likely the best option for children . Theatre tickets are expensive now .

My son was involved that panto last year in York except it wasn't Kevin Clifton. Evie Pickerill was fantastic and it was one of the funniest pantos I've seen if that is any consolation.

I've just looked back and for Boxing Day (going on Boxing Day was the only way ds could come home for Christmas Day) it cost us £100.50 for 3 tickets which I though was fairly good value considering the other panto in York was more expensive for worse seats. I did go for the 2nd price range not the top.

Boxing Day is always very popular. You will get a lot of family and friends that day for reasons the same as we went. If I were you I'd go for the yellow tickets rather than red or orange.

It's how the theatres subsidise the rest of the year.

Tough times to be a theatre.

I got half price ones on Black Friday last year.

I meant to add, the "name" (not Kevin Clifton) was rubbish though! The three less well known actors supporting him had a hard task to do propping him up.

We booked straight after last year's one as it was brilliant. Going this year. Can't wait. Not sure how much it cost for two adults and two kids (my teens aren't interested just youngest two). It may have been around £100.

I always book a local amateur one. They’re great and a lot less expensive.

I think it is quite unusual for Evolution to use a name such as Kevin Clifton. The two names they had last year were both musical theatre trained & then the Dame & villain were local but pro.

No idea who kevin Clifton is and I wouldnt pay £80 to see panto, let alone £180.

Small local theatre all the way here, and you can buy a decent brew to take in with you! Funds the work they do in the local community for the rest of the year.

We use to go every year to the Panto, but stopped 2 years ago when the prices started to get too much. Many theatres seem to be getting some kind of ‘celeb’ into their pantos in the hope to draw more people in but that just means the price rises for tickets. I would be happy to see a Panto with no ‘celebs’ in it altogether.

Obviously many are struggling including business like theatres but sadly it’s just not something I can justify spending on anymore for a couple of hours entertainment. Know a few family/friends who don’t go anymore for the same reason.

Needlenardlenoo

It's how the theatres subsidise the rest of the year.
Tough times to be a theatre.

Yes, in Ireland but went to the theatre for the first time in years and at the end the organisers of the musical came out to tell everyone to tell their friends, that they operate on huge losses and didn’t get funding this year. Essentially going is supporting local if you can afford only obviously

He used to be a professional dancer on Strictly, now married to Stacey Dooley.

In the industry awards Sheffield Panto won the best panto in the entire country last year so the standard is good. It is not a highly commercial enterprise and they employ a lot of talented, more local musicians, dancers and crew.

Also Sheffield Theatres do a lot of work in the community as well.

We go every year and it’s about £40 a head, I think it’s good value for what is always a brilliant show.

Small, local Panto here is still £22 a ticket!

Oh no it isn't!!

I loved it at the Panto so looking forward to going again this year.

They've always been expensive - well since we've had kids -- we manged once at a big theater, once at a small local one - school trip and then summer at Bultins where they put them on as part of entertainment.

Rest of time we often did cinema trips instead though increasingly there we don't bother partly due to price or stick to much more reasonable art center.

There tend to be chaper days - early december/January - and local ones tend to be cheaper as well. Boxing day always going to be one of the more expensive days so near £200 can easily believe.

I don't even get any discount! (waiting til contracts are signed to buy tickets as well so they are going fast)

We go to the York panto - not the one with Kevin Clifton the other one - and they do a really good family ticket deal - which seems weird to me because who goes to a panto without kids! But I've noticed its only as you click through that you get offered the deal . So whether other theatres are similar I dont know ? Just to stick up for Kevin Clifton though we saw him in Chicago and he was very good !

@tinyspinya local theatre group do one in January. It's only about £5 each. Not as slick as the professionals but still fun and affordable

Kevin Clifton is in Sheffield this year but the panto is the same as was at one of the York Theatres last year.

Which one do you go to? Theatre Royal or Opera House?

I get to go for free every year!

Mind you, I do have to take 250 screaming children with me😅

It's so weird, isn't it, when they get a celeb in - one who is a presenter, gameshow host, reality show star or whatever, rather than one who is known as an actor - and then charge more because of this non-actor in a prominent theatrical role?!

It's the same with books 'written by' celebs when the said celeb had no input at all in the actual book - except possibly contributing "Maybe something about ponies?" The public would much rather spend money on a novel that they are led to believe has been written by somebody from TOWIE than one acknowledged as being written by a skilled, experienced writer!