Book of mormon raises prices AGAIN - Page 2

[Kad]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:17am

And who is responsible for all these shows going up, and employing all involved? They don't sprout on their own like flowers.

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:22am

Broadway may be alive, but it's certainly not well. We shall have to agree to disagree about that.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:26am

My problem here is that (and it happens every single time) all other shows will follow suit. Even the little plays that have two people nobody has ever heard of will be charging $175 a ticket and people will say Broadway is in the toilet because nobody is going to see these shows.

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:33am

I don't think other shows will automatically follow. What was Fences charging around this time last year for a ticket? I remember people whining about those premiums too, but play prices this year didn't skyrocket accordingly. In fact, with Normal Heart's $26 rear mezz deal & discounts on everything else, plays were downright cheaper than usual.

Mormon is an exceptional circumstance, and if you didn't hop on the Mormon Train before it was an exceptional circumstance, that's partially your fault. Broadway is a guess and predict game for audiences just like producers, and if you want to wait until a show is the most hyped thing ever to finally buy a ticket, that's on you, mate. I paid $60 for preview tickets & went back once a week ago for SRO. Get on the ball and look for discounts & you'll find a way to not suffer these premium prices.

Updated On: 6/13/11 at 11:33 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:36am

You're absolutely right. I paid $69 to sit front row center in the mezz with the discount code I had because I KNEW that wasn't going to last for long. I've been at this game for a long time now so I'm good at predicting what will happen and I do predict other shows will follow this new pricing once they see people are willing to pay it. It's been said for years now and will continue to be said for years that there's going to come a point where it's just going to be "too much". But the more prices go up the more I wonder how true that is..

[Katurian2]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:46am

Yeah, I don't know if it will ever happen. I work in midtown, and while I walk to the office or lunch every day, I can frequently overhear tourists talking about buying tickets through concierge desks and such for (what we all consider to be) ridiculously elevated prices. It's really not catering to those of us who frequent Broadway, and more to the tourists who only come for one or two shows every 5+ years. Kind of a reflection on the shows themselves, which are increasingly catering toward that crowd as well in their content and style.

I don't think there will ever be a 'tipping point' for commerical shows like Mormon, but shows that cater towards more 'experienced' or local audiences such as 'Normal Heart' or 'Jerusalem' or other smaller shows have more obligation to cater to more seasoned and frequent ticket buyers, that coupled with the smaller demand and they have a more extreme limit.

Updated On: 6/13/11 at 11:46 AM

[finebydesign]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 12:44pm

"Actually, union minimums have gone up continuously over the past decade, so the actors, musicians and crew are making more money. And do you think Nikki M. James isn't renegotiating her contract as we speak?"

Union minimums have gone up because the cost of living has gone up. What shows like this are doing is basically price gouging. The cost of living did not go up in the last month that significantly.

These prices are just plain rude and they certainly draw a line in the sand of who can actually see them.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 1:04pm

I can understand a certain amount of irritation, but I don't think it's accurate to call it price gouging. There is a breathtaking amount of competition in terms of entertainment options for visitors to New York City; if the prices get too high, people who would otherwise be inclined to see The Book of Mormon can and will make different choices. And it's not as though it's a necessity of life anyhow.

Also, if you have more time than money, you can see the show on the cheap, as has been discussed at length elsewhere.

[PitPro2004]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 1:09pm

"What shows like this are doing is basically price gouging. The cost of living did not go up in the last month that significantly.

These prices are just plain rude and they certainly draw a line in the sand of who can actually see them."

Thank you. Could not have said it better.

Price gouging after patting themselves on the back on tv. That was my sole beef to begin with.

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 1:12pm

Are they giving 10% of their earnings (tithing) to the Mormon church? :)

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 1:47pm

"These prices are just plain rude..."

Are they also uncouth?

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 2:32pm

Ticket prices have gone up again because older mom's of tourist families are indeed willing to pay that kind of money for a Tony Award winning musical.

[anyanyanyany]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 5:42pm

when a show flops does someone bail out the producers? does the public offer to buy tickets anyway? does the union offer to take less money? no, the producers are the only one who eat the bill. why shouldn't the producers be the ones to collect the profits also?

and keep in mind they could easily sell their lottery and standing room tickets for double the current price and they didn't as far as i know raise those (admittedly, it might be a pr problem if they did though)

[fanadu1996]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:13pm

SUPPLY AND DEMAND. If you can't afford it, you can't go. Simple as that. OBVIOUSLY people are willing to pay the $175, so to the smart (and lucky) producers of BOM, I say, CONGRATS!

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:21pm

Do not waste time trying to develop & nurture future theatergoers as no one will be able to afford tickets except the very rich im the not to distant future.

It is a shame people are being priced out but there it is.

The suits are ballyhooing the faxct that Broadway had the highests groses blah blah blah. Well if you continue to jack prices up to the stratosphere year after year grosses will go up

Jordan hit it on the head. Other shows will follow suit and more & more decisions will be made about which shows to see & which not as people prioritize. This will hurt broadway in the long run but they seem hell bent on self detruction so go to it guys.

[fanadu1996]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:30pm

^that's why we have lottos and rushes. Broadway has always been expensive, it's the nature of the beast. These producers have $15-20, sometimes $70 million dollars to make back, and they want to do it in the shortest time possible. Not to mention, these shows cost $400,000 + a week just to cover the expenses.

[PortalGamer]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:31pm

Its a hit show ! What do you want them to do I would do the same. And yes if Nikki M James is not reviewing her contract she would be stupid. These producers get no government funding and they have a hit. 1/3 broadway shows close they need to cover those costs as well. I actually would more likely be going now to the show because its more expensive.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:34pm

Yeah, I've been waiting for them to raise prices before I go back again, too. I really want to see this new X-MEN movie but I'm not going to insult the theater by paying $13. Hopefully they'll raise their prices so I can go soon.

[fanadu1996]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 6:36pm

I guarantee Nikki had a Tony clause in her contract. All leading and supporting actors do. X amount for a Tony nomination, X amount for a Tony win, meaning, she just got 2 raises.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:19pm

Roxy, there will always be theater that isn't $150. There will always be future theatergoers who will drift towards the theater they can afford. There was theater long before Broadway and there will be theater long after the collapse of the world economy.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:22pm

Dollypop was just bitching about when Shakespeare raised prices at the Old Globe to TWO shillings and how he thought nobody would ever pay that much.

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:27pm

This is NOT price gouging. No one is forcing anybody to but tickets to Book of Mormon. The people who buy at these prices do so voluntarily. Clearly, they value that seat at least however much they paid for it.

[philly03]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:34pm

"My problem here is that (and it happens every single time) all other shows will follow suit. Even the little plays that have two people nobody has ever heard of will be charging $175 a ticket and people will say Broadway is in the toilet because nobody is going to see these shows."

I agree 100%... hate to bring it up again (I'm over it, I promise) but something like WONDERLAND obviously learned they would not be getting the full $125 they set at ticket prices - they had a code on their website for anyone to buy at $70 each! Some producers can get away with it, others can't!

Wasn't it just 5 years ago that the norm ticket price was $110? A $65 in 5 years is pretty bad, since a ticket in 2001ish was, what $100?

I'm not complaining, I very much understand the financial business aspects of the thing, but if they spike that much I question how much of an audience will remain... (there will always be an audience, however)

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:51pm

I still remember when the Phantom national tour stopped in my city for the first time and the most expensive floor seats were $49. And that was for the VIP seats. The balcony was like $11.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/13/11 at 11:52pm

Shows like Book of Mormon are the exception to the rule. Most shows cannot get away with charging so much for tickets regularly- and they don't, or if they do they are stung badly. But Mormon is an extremely in demand ticket, with patrons willing to shell out whatever it takes to see the show. People are paying twice or triple the amount through brokers or independent sellers.

In time, Mormon will no longer be the show to see and its prices will drop.