To think that West End shows are not all as overpriced as some on here say?

[Carla786]

I definitely think that people are being priced out by col and this is very unfair. But I also think some posts on here about how unaffordable West End theatre is are exaggerated.
The Globe offers standing room for as low as £5 or £6. OK, it's not ideal as most of us would rather sit down but it does at least mean a lot of Shakespeare & some others is affordable if you're prepared to stand.

Then as to West End musicals : I think an issue here is that pps who cite them as unaffordable are trying to take a whole family, 2-3 or maybe more kids, as well as them & DP. This will be a lot harder than going on your own or with one other person, especially if trying for an Xmas show (though booking in advance might slightly lessen). It does vary based on show too : the most popular will of course be more likely to be sky high.

COL has obviously increased a lot, but I also wonder how affordable West End was in the past for family trips. I was born early 2000s and my mum was able to get a lot of cheap tickets very high up just for me & her. As a child her family didn't really do musicals or plays. In the 70s-90s, were big shows a lot more affordable for family trips?

So I suppose I'd say that I agree prices are too high for a lot of families, and this is wrong : but I'd also caveat that I think there are lot more affordable options than some posts on here imply.

The "good " seats for jesus christ Superstar were about £370 !

As others have said it’s so much cheaper and easier if you live in or near London. I’m in Scotland and will sometimes pick up cheap tickets on the day etc. when I have already travelled to London for something else, but if I want to see a particular play on a limited run, booking travel/accommodation at the last minute negates any savings on the ticket prices and then some.

Aw, that's a bit harsh! 🤣 I do like it but I also think it's been wildly overvalued.

I can see plenty of unrestricted view stalls tickets selling from £98 - £202 at various dates.

Paid £25 for National Theatre at the Southbank - all seats had good views as it’s a modern theatre. Always look at the view for restricted - sometimes it’s fine and other times like Titanique for £35 you got a view of a pillar in the middle so that’s a no!

I got cheapish tickets for Paddington thru Virgin experiences. Matinees can be cheaper too. Just worth shopping around of going on Today’s Tix to see what offers there are.

We don’t go as a family of 4 though - just in twos- that is a prohibitive cost for us.

I just had a look at Paddington tickets, the ‘best’ ones are £270! Over a thousand pounds for a family of 4 for couple of hours show seems insane.

Of course things were cheaper in the past, but it’s not unreasonable to expect them to have risen broadly with inflation. If a show cost £12 in 1990, that’s roughly £30 today’s money so I can completely understand why people are feeling ripped off paying many times that for a ticket. The performers aren’t working many times harder, the show isn’t suddenly many times longer.

Gosh, do you suffer from narcolepsy?

The backs of the seats are so small and with little room on either side, you must've literally just slumped your head forward.

I'd love to be able to sleep this easily! 😁

Cabaret, Romeo and Juliet, and some of the Studio Ghibli shows (Spirited Away/ My Neighbour Totoro) are some that have exceeded £300. There will be more that exceed £175, and it's not really relevant that you can find a ticket for £38 for a single seat at the last minute away from your pals on a monday afternoon in at the back of the upper circle 😅 That's a crap compromise.

You seem to be insisting that West End shows are reasonably priced if you shop around and accept poor tickets/ restricted views/ going at an inconvenient time etc. (Whilst also admitting yourself that one you wanted to see was overpriced).

It should be accessible for everyone to go to the theatre on a Saturday night to see a show they actually want to see, from a seat that actually has a decent view.

It's not.

@GrueyTwoey We thought Oliver was first class. Simon Lipkin is outstanding.

We tend to buy mid price and never top price. Always mid week and never matinee. Good seats for us are adjacent to expensive ones!

Cheap tickets are also available by booking as soon as new tickets are released, months in advance. That’s what I do.

The cheap seats aren't rubbish.

I totally agree op. Haven't rtft but generally my train ticket costs more than my seat ticket in the west end.

But. I don't mind 'restricted view' (rarely actually restricted). I buy my tickets the day they are released.

DD makes full use of the under 25 scheme (which I also did in the early 2000s) at the National Theatre where her ticket is usually £5. She is also a member of the youth scheme at the ROH.

In the past we have splashed out on good seats - front of the stalls for Charlie and the chocolate factory in the West end on Xmas eve, but in general the seat makes little difference. We also own theatre glasses!

I would far rather the West End, or pre West End, than touring Rep. And our local theatre costs more than London cheap seats anyway.

The point is that good seats shouldn't be so ridiculously expensive that it prices out so many people.

Why are people arguing that it's OK for the theatre to be so expensive?

Everyone should be able to afford a decent seat. The arts should be accessible to all and not only from the corner of the upper circle.

Just seeing the show and the incredible talent are the treat for me. I don’t need luxury as well. I actually think for musicals the various circles are better than the stalls for seeing choreography etc.

I'm looking forward to it already, it'll probably be October as my summer London trip is gigs, though I'll see something at the Globe as it's cheap and walkable from where I stay.

Which shows cost £12?

Which theatres make you not see much in the cheap seats? I’ve never encountered that and I’ve been to a lot of theatres.

I did that for A Little Life.
It cost me £22 and was phenomenal.

Seconded.

Bullshit.

The theatre doesnt have to be so cheap that anyone will go to it any more than Taylor Swift does. Or a meal at a fancy restaurant.

People tend to save up and pay for the things they value and not for things they don't.

I wouldn't spend more than a fiver a head to take my family to the football, we watch at home or not at all. Doesn't mean I expect Premier League tickets to be cheap enough to tempt me though.

The well known West End musicals are asking the price of a day's work on minimum wage for not very good tickets
This is rubbish @Holtome I saw Cabaret with Redmayne and Buckley for £30 and my tickets were fine. More than fine. Perfect view.

@DreamyJade It's because a) there are more wealthy tourists willing to pay, and b) The government do not subsidise the arts anywhere near as much.

The way we are going, the arts are being gradually eroded and becoming the pastime of the wealthy.

Because the theatre owners have overheads to cover and want to make profit, like any business. It’s not their problem some people can’t afford or justify the ticket prices.

Yes, booking in advance helps a lot.