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.

So if every seat cost £30 you'd choose the back row of the upper circle?

I paid £222 for 2 fairly crappy tickets from Letters Live. I thought it was a lot. I could’ve bought standing tickets for £22 each, but I’m not standing up all evening.

No but that doesn't mean they're rubbish or not worth it.

I didn't say it was. It's a societal problem to solve. The government should be making the arts more accessible.

Should the government subsidise designer clothing too, just so we can all have some? Or tickets to theme parks, or sports cars? There is plenty of affordable theatre outside the West End.

The Arts are accessible, they're just not free.

Travel to London immediately puts it out of reach for many around the country. We could not justify the price of rail/coach travel ON TOP of expensive tickets.
Luckily many of the touring shows come local to either Sunderland Empire or Newcastle Theatre Royal. Tickets still cost a lot say 60-80 but we dont have anything else to pay except a couple of quid for parking. So although still expensive still way cheaper, by £££, than going to London.

That's your choice, I'd have got the standing tickets and used the rest of the money for other things.

I think you’ve misread my post. I’m not complaining, I’m suggesting that theatre is expensive and its not something people have imagined or exaggerated.

i don’t think you or anyone else would suggest £350 per person for an event isn’t expensive- it would be for football or a concert- but I have not suggested that’s incorrect.

I’ve worked in theatre and know how expensive it is. That said, in those days (20 years ago) most Cameron Macintosh shows only needed to sell out a few shows a week to break even- I know because I worked on the calculations

That's a bit like saying it's not worth borrowing a visibly used book from the library or buying a used copy on Ebay. Ideally I'd rather buy all my books new, but that doesn't mean buying on Ebay isn't worth it.

I'm not saying they're rubbish - I'm saying that we shouldn't accept that only wealthy people are able to afford a seat in the stalls on a Saturday night.

We certainly shouldn't be encouraging people to stop complaining, stay in their lane and book the cheap seats.

Mine for a Lesley Odom were about £80. The most I’ve ever paid for West End but still less than everyone is closing for everything.

Me too. If I’m paying more than £100 for my ticket you bet I won’t be standing.

Surely it’s simple supply and demand. Everyone can’t afford a decent seat because there simply enough. Something needs to determine who gets the best seats, and that’s always going to be price.

Same as housing, and most other things in short supply. Some people always have to be priced out when there aren’t enough to meet demand.

They aren’t all wealthy people. They could have saved up for those £288 tickets (e.g Paddington), could have been gifted them, or be an average earner like myself who values the theatre and could easily afford that price (once a month).

The point is the cheaper seats are good. Better for a musical, I’d argue. Would I like them cheaper? Sure. But I’d still sit right in the upper circle. It’s better.

I’d still be in the upper circle. It’s just better for musicals.

Why shouldnt we? We're talking about the West End yes, it's not like there isn't plenty of more affordable theatre available even in London. Do you think that we also shouldn't accept that only the wealthy can experience meals in a Michelin starred restaurant, or the the Royal Enclosure at Ascot?

Yes, I mean there have been lots of examples of affordable seats on the thread. A seat being higher up doesn't mean the show isn't accessible if you have a non-restricted view.

We go to the theatre a lot and usually don't buy expensive tickets, but we have access to various pricing options that isn't accesible to most people. Seat fillers, cheap tickets offered by a theatre charity (only for people on our London estate), offers for local residents, carer /companion tickets for disabled people, individual budgets for disabled children from our council (can be spent on a range of activities but we mostly spend on theatre). We live in London so don't have to worry about accommodation or travel costs, and it takes about 20 mins for us to travel so we don't have to pay for a meal out before hand, so the theatre can be quite a cheap trip out.

Absolutely this. I’ve taken my kids to shows before and they hated the seats because they feel like it’s too far away from the stage. It’s not much fun sitting right up in the gods. Saying it’s affordable if you compromise means it’s not affordable.

My children want to go and see Wicked but the seats in the circle which are the furthest away I would choose were still £150 each. For us as a family of 4 £600 is just too much.

I’ve had slip seats for Hamilton before, they were £20 each. It was worth it at the time but it was uncomfortable leaning forward and having only a bench to sit on so those seats aren’t for everybody.

The point is the arts shouldn’t be exclusive like hospitality at ascot. How do we grow the next generation of creatives if their parents can’t afford to take them to good theatres? This has always been a problem, but as the gap between rich and “normal”
has widen its exasperated

and fwiw I spent a lot of 2019 in the Hamilton queue and met Americans who were there because broadway was so expensive- $800 seats- that they got a flight to London and saw it here, made a holiday of it.

but I’m sure even if it was £800 a ticket you’d all be arguing we should just get on today tix and stop complaining!

Yep probably not the back row (but we were back row for Matilda a few years ago and could see/hear everything. DC were pre-teens at the time. But my preferred seats are circle/balcony.

Both Wicked and Paddington have stalls seats at £350 each.

But I don’t feel they are too far from the stage. Neither does DD. And we both find it fun in the gods. DD is an adult and still chooses seats in ‘the gods’.