Why are Broadway tickets for SIX so expensive?

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 10:32pm

I've been hoping to get tickets for Six, and I've been entering the digital lottery, but I'm just curious as to why orchestra tickets are so expensive. Nearly all of orchestra seating (up to row M, including on the left and right orchestra) is priced for "premium seating" at $499. Other than Hamilton, I've never seen any other Broadway show with prices so high - most other premium seats are between $200-300 (I think), and at least in the past, the premium seats would be maybe to row E or F, not all the way to row M and definitely not all the way across the side orchestra. Is there a particular reason why Six's prices are so high and why so many seats are premium priced? Are they likely to stay at this price permanently or is this just because they're in previews and maybe it will just be the first couple of months of their opening? I really want to see it, but I don't want to pay $200 for crappy seats, and I definitely can't afford $499.

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 10:38pm

Because people are willing to pay it.

The prices have been going down to about half that price the day before the performance if still available.

I thought that when I looked in the spring seats were $349 but I could be remembering that wrong.

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 10:46pm

Where have you seen the prices going down the day before? When I'm looking today for tomorrow's matinee and evening shows, they still show as $499, and I went yesterday to the box office in the morning to see if they could sell me tickets for less than $499 for the evening show yesterday (there were three tickets available, all priced at $499 each in the orchestra and none of them beside each other - they probably were not going to sell those single seat tickets the day of at $499) and they basically said, "That's the price, either pay it or enter the digital lottery, the price is what it is and it doesn't get discounted."

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 10:50pm

Capitalism. Seems like people are paying $499 for most seats.
This also means that if SIX sells cheaper tickets in advance, scalpers will most likely snag them and resell those at $499+ prices.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 11:05pm

It has an avid fan base that wants to sit in the orchestra and is willing to pay top dollar for it. I’d recommend either waiting until you win digital lottery or sit near where I did (MEZZ, Row E, Seat 6). Reasonably priced and you won’t be annoyed by the more avid fans in the orchestra and you will be glad you didn’t overpay. Perfect view.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 11:05pm

Also, tickets have been on sale for 5 months, and, for a long time, there were plenty of $49-$159 seats available for early in the run. They started charging $499 only recently, and before that, I believe $299 was the highest price. If you wait to buy tickets for a wildly popular show, you're going to end up paying more. That's just how the business works.

Updated On: 10/1/21 at 11:05 PM

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 10/1/21 at 11:06pm

Over the past week I was stalking TM and the prices were changing but maybe that was something they were only doing for the first two weeks of previews? I have no clue what power the box office staff have/don’t have, but I definitely saw seats last week go from 499, to 249, then mysteriously 179 and listed as accessible for deaf/hard of hearing/low vision (and this was not a partial view seat, etc.). 

But I’m looking at the performance for Tuesday of next week and those $500 seats are now $279.

Updated On: 10/1/21 at 11:06 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/2/21 at 1:32am

It just might be easier to see next summer once it loses Best Musical at the no-joke 2022 Tonys.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/2/21 at 5:44am

Jordan Levinson said: "It just might be easier to see next summer once it loses Best Musical at the no-joke 2022 Tonys. "

How stiff do you think the competition will be? I’m so curious 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/2/21 at 6:59am

Yikes…$521.75 inclusive of fees.  That’s $6.52 per minute for this 80 minute show. And I thought The Music Man prices were ludicrous.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 10/2/21 at 11:57pm

I saw this in previews Feb 2020 and it was a lot of fun, but not THAT fun. I've seen both the OBC of Six and Hamilton. Let me tell you Six, you are no Hamilton.

Is this a new phenomenon for all shows or just a money grab for a show that is a teen girl sensation?

Updated On: 10/3/21 at 11:57 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 12:23am

Supply and demand, and variable pricing...they know there will be lots of traffic to buy tickets with reviews coming out. The price will go down if there is not an audience for that price point.

The premium price drops to $279 starting the first week of January (and all the other price points are lower too). My guess? They know there will be dark days ahead and want to earn as much as possible now.

[ren598]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 1:35am

I saw it in Boston for $25 at A.R.T. and then again on a Norwegian cruise for free. I wasn’t particularly impressed either time. Really not worth those prices for a show that’s 80 minutes with no intermission.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 3:54am

^I never understand this argument...length of performance or whether it has an intermission being held in consideration of price: their rent is the same, actors, musicians and tech people get paid the same, so tix are always going to be comparable to any other successful productions. As far as premium prices, I dont think any show is worth that....and the greed of how many seats are considered "premium" is ridiculous.

[stagemag1615582571]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 5:42am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Supply and demand, and variable pricing...they know there will be lots of traffic to buy tickets with reviews coming out. The price will go down if there is not an audience for that price point.    The premium price drops to $279 starting the first week of January (and all the other price points are lower too). My guess? They know there will be dark days ahead and want to earn as much as possible now."

Traditionally, early Jan is slow. Post-holiday slump.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 1:37pm

stagemag1615582571 said: "Traditionally, early Jan is slow. Post-holiday slump."

Yes, and I have a feeling it will be especially so this year with COVID. I question any of the shows opening between January and mid March this year...

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 10/3/21 at 4:17pm

A quick look shows that the top ticket price for SIX in London on any given day is £75 - or like $100. I appreciate how much more affordable the West End typically is. On the other hand, I don't know why Hairspray was so darn expensive! I need to find a book on how the financial side of the West End works...

Anyway, pardon the interruption.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/21/21 at 1:02am

WHO is paying these prices?!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/21/21 at 1:42am

Broadway = humans with lots of disposable income.

The average annual household income of the Broadway theatregoer was $261,000 in 2019.

There's your answer. Ticket prices also reflect the demand which is huge for Six. 

[LexiGirl]

Posted: 10/21/21 at 12:05pm

I was sickened at seeing at least a dozen empty center orchestra seats around the 4th and 5th rows on Sunday. I usually like that area, but when I went to buy tickets, I noticed scalpers bought them all up and posted them for resale at $2500 per seat. I’m guessing they were able to return the tickets due to the generous return policy, leaving so many prime seats empty which made me very angry because: (1) things like that will kill the return policy, and (2) I really wanted one of those seats! At least I was able to grab a seat when they released additional tickets in the first few rows on the aisle in right orchestra before they raised the price another $200.

[starcatchers]

Posted: 10/26/21 at 11:39pm

SFFrontRow said: "I saw this in previews Feb 2020 and it was a lot of fun, but not THAT fun. I've seen both the OBC of Six and Hamilton. Let me tell you Six, you are no Hamilton.

Is this a new phenomenon for all shows or just a money grab for a show that is a teen girl sensation?"

Well, that's like comparing apples and...something very drastically different from an apple. 

[Aroberts3]

Posted: 11/1/21 at 9:06am

Has anyone had luck buying tickets from the box office day of or a couple days out for a “more” reasonable price? I.e. not $500….do they release house seats? Planning a last minute trip next week and would really like to see this. I’ll be keeping my eye on Ticketmaster to see if anything pops up..

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/1/21 at 9:09am

I found a second row center seat for Tuesday for $179.

[52889j]

Posted: 11/1/21 at 10:03am

I also find $49 for SRO insulting.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/1/21 at 11:56am

Saturday night, I saw there were $50 and $70 orchestra seats on StubHub just minutes before showtime.