| Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| as i've stated plenty of times if i have to pay full price for a ticket i almost always go day of show and try to score premium seats for regular orchestra prices. or i hope to get comped or i go with a group. i just looked at the availability of seats for HEDWIG. all i'm seeing are 300 dollar seats. almost all of the orchestra is premium. so i checked for a date in may. same thing. it occurs to me that i was only looking for the 10:00 show on a saturday and maybe those are priced outrageously high because ... uhhh... anyway, is it usually this bad? most of the orchestra priced at premium? and they aren't holding seats either. almost the entire orchestra is available. now, don't get me wrong i love HEDWIG, but it's a punk rock show not THE PRODUCERS. are they charging these prices based on NPH's name alone? are the engagement dates that firm - as in no extension? i don't get it. it's also worth noting that if i know they aren't holding back seats because almost the entire orchestra was available that means almost the entire orchestra was available as in those seats haven't been sold. or have things just gotten this out of hand and i don't know it because i don't usually buy advance tickets? | |
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| Note there are Hedwig discounts now - Tickets just $69 | |
| Posted by: | UWS_JIM 09:57 am EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| on Broadwaybox. | |
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| re: Note there are Hedwig discounts now - Tickets just $69 | |
| Posted by: | AverageBwayNut 12:15 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | Note there are Hedwig discounts now - Tickets just $69 - UWS_JIM 09:57 am EDT 03/17/14 |
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| But the discount is only for 10 weeknight performances and only in "select mezzanine and balcony" -- not the locations or the performance Enoch10 was referring to. And someone else has already remarked that the selection of discount seats was pretty limited/poor. That's in line with the offer "Raisin in the Sun" was doing as well, and perhaps suggests they are selling better than we're giving them credit for. | |
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| Ah okay, it was very new discount, just wanted to make people aware... nmi | |
| Posted by: | UWS_JIM 12:38 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Note there are Hedwig discounts now - Tickets just $69 - AverageBwayNut 12:15 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| nmi | |
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| This is the first season where the discounts are non-orch | |
| Posted by: | dramedy 12:27 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Note there are Hedwig discounts now - Tickets just $69 - AverageBwayNut 12:15 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| I think it started with glass menagerie only offering a discount in mezz. Then bridges did it also ( I think it later opened the discount for orch). Hedwig raisin and think another show this spring is mezz only. At least if /then, bullets, all the way and Aladdin all offered orch discounts which were side orch but ok seats that I bought | |
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| re: This is the first season where the discounts are non-orch | |
| Posted by: | Ann 01:47 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | This is the first season where the discounts are non-orch - dramedy 12:27 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| Sounds like they are really expecting this to be a huge seller. From Harris' TV fame? Maybe the advance is great, but I'm guessing some TV fans are in for a shock. | |
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| re: NPH and Hedwig | |
| Posted by: | SuzanneR 03:20 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: This is the first season where the discounts are non-orch - Ann 01:47 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| "... I'm guessing some TV fans are in for a shock." Absolutely ... I think they may even suffer some bad word-of-mouth from people who go just for NPH ... | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | houselightsout 08:19 am EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| I don't get it either. Who has $300 to throw away on a two-hour show? I sure don't. I love theater and a big part of the reason I moved to NY was to be able to see Broadway shows. But with pricing like this I'll have to find a new passion. It's so hard for me to believe they charge these prices and people pay them! But, you know, more power to them and all that. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | AverageBwayNut 11:02 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| Not particularly. As near as I can tell -- as a numbers nerd who loves the business of Broadway -- they're priced comparably to many shows on Broadway these days, and especially for star-driven limited engagements like Denzel (the rumors I've heard say they can extend but they will have to re-cast). Whether that's right or fair is independent of whether it's good business. On a business level, it's supply and demand. If they overreach with their pricing, I'm sure they'll find out very quickly. But the show has been on sale since last Fall so I have to believe their sales are healthy and especially on the weekends, they can get away with pricing their premiums at $300 or more and selling a lot of them. I will say that for most Broadway shows these days, it's the first 12-15 rows center and the first four seats on the side aisles that are premium. In response to your post, I went on Telecharge and looked at May 3, 10 and 17 at 10pm and that seems to be the case for Hedwig as well. Not "almost the entire orchestra". Also, I didn't understand the assertion that "they aren't holding seats either. almost the entire orchestra is available." For those three shows I looked at, there were maybe 10 seats left at regular price (in orange) and maybe another 20-30 premiums available (in blue). Everything else was greyed out -- meaning it's either been sold or is being held until closer to the performance (as house seats or what-have-you). If they really had lots and lots of seats available, I'd agree with you 110% that it would be very stupid of them to expect to sell all of them at $300. But that doesn't seem to be what they are doing. They seem to be well sold (at least for those shows) and that's why they've jacked the prices (though thankfully not to Mormon-esque proportions). Of course, I got my seats at plain 'ole full regular price through Amex last October so I can't complain. :-) | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 11:49 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - AverageBwayNut 11:02 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| well, isn't that interesting? we're getting different screens. i just checked for 10 may and all those blue seats i saw earlier- almost all are now grayed out. that means they are holding seats back. and there are only 6 seats in the 144.00 range, none together. you did go all the way in, right? to the point where you actually choose the seats? because if you don't you'll see a whole bunch of orange seats that aren't actually available. if you did, then the screen i saw looks radically different than what you saw a little while ago. the screen i saw definitely looks different from the screen i'm looking at now. if there was a glitch in the system and what i saw earlier shows what they've actually sold they're in a world of hurt because i'd say less than 10% of the orchestra was sold. curiouser and curiouser. of course the $300 seats now showing as available are the ones farthest back. the best seats (closest to the stage) which i could have purchased an hours ago are grayed out - that whole front section - and won't be sold until the less desirable ones in the back are gone. i understand the logic of this which doesn't stop from thinking of them as swine. well, it will be a group for me or nothing. no way i'm plunking down 600 bucks to see HEDWIG again. i saw it enough in earlier incarnations to practically have it memorized. i'd love to see this spin on it but not for that much money. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | AverageBwayNut 12:12 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - enoch10 11:49 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| Yep, I did go all the way in and I saw nothing resembling what you're describing. If what you saw earlier shows what was actually sold, then you're right that they're facing issues with that many unsold seats. If what you saw earlier was a glitch and what shows NOW is correct, though, I'm not sure how you can say definitively that they're doing massive holdbacks. It could also mean the seats are simply sold. I understand your inclination to presume the most cynical/capitalistic/nefarious interpretation, but if it was indeed a glitch, there's no way for us John/Jane Q. Publics to know definitively what it means. Time will tell, I guess. I do wish them well. I'm a very big fan of the show. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 03:15 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - AverageBwayNut 12:12 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| it looked to me like there were two blocks. they're selling the back block first - typical. swinish, but typical. i really do think there was a glitch and i saw what has actually been solid for the 10:00 show that night. the tickets that were grayed out were the typical seats that would be held back for any performance and, more convincingly, the other seats that had been sold were scattered including a couple that looked like 3 seat sales. like i said, all total 10% couldn't have been sold. i'm sure they'll be long gone before 10 may but i have to wonder if (and i guess it's a big "if", i don't know) they do extend we won't see prices drop - from ungodly to just painful at least. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 12:25 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - AverageBwayNut 12:12 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| with a show like this, I think there is a bet hedging that may make sense. I think there is a part of the audience that is waiting to see how NPH is before buying, and if there are some of these seats that could be sold at premium, they do not want to sell them at the regular price. Figuring they will be sell-able at that price later on. Could it be a miscalculation? Sure. Could it be brilliant? Sure. That's why it is a bet. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 03:33 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - ryhog 12:25 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| i don't there's any doubt that's what they're doing. the sad thing is it is probably a bet that will pay off. even if the production starts out with bad word of mouth, which i kinda doubt will happen but you never know, if it is a genuinely limited engagement you'll have enough industry folks and their hanger ons and the i've-got-to-see-everything-and-i-have-the-money-to-do-it crowd to scoop up most of these tickets at premium prices. i will say this, though. if i can't get myself in any other way i'm not as doubtful as i was that my usual procedure of getting an unsold premium ticket for normal full price on the day of show won't work and that's the only reason i was a looking anyway. if world of mouth generates even more of a buzz that won't work. I'm more interested in seeing what the older manhattan money folks who tend to be first in line for any "event" are going to think. i was talking to the spouse about this and he reminded me they didn't have any problem with AMERICAN IDIOT and HEDWIG is a far superior piece to that in pretty much every way in my book. we'll see. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 04:08 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - enoch10 03:33 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| If NPH's performance becomes a must-see in this, then the combination of him and the show will send this into the ionosphere. If not, the prices may come down to the stratosphere. Regarding the "older manhattan money folks" - two points. First, the limos lined up on Jane Street. Second, it is worth remembering that today's older manhattan money crowd came of age at a different time than the stereotypical one. The rock and roll and the drag queen don't send them packing. Hard as it may be to believe, Hedwig takes place over a generation ago, and JCM turned 50 last year. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 04:46 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - ryhog 04:08 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| i don't remember any limos at jane street or at the squeezebox. honestly, i don't. and i was at jane street a lot. fried but there. i remember celebrities showing up toward the end but they were mostly younger and not the kind to be pulling up in limos. i'm sure the limo folks came in some number but when i think of those audiences those aren't the folks i remember. they're crowded out by more colorful characters, some doing colorful things. it's not the 50 year old whippersnappers i'm talking about. it's their parents with either a) their faces surgically pulled so taut it's a marvel they can blink or b) the kind you have to wonder what exactly it is they're doing with their mistresses or c) both. there is still a pretty sizable contingent of what was once referred to as the blue-haired matinee ladies with tons of money and they show up for things, especially event type things with movie stars, on a consistent basis. but, as i said, that demographic either enjoyed AMERICAN IDIOT or didn't dislike it vocally enough to do it any damage. and, i guess, if they're walking into something about botched sex change they aren't expecting THE STUDENT PRINCE. now if you will excuse me i have to go do penance for ageism now. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 05:08 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - enoch10 04:46 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| I wasn't talking about the 50 year olds; I meant the 65-70 year olds who are still younger than most of the singers referenced in the show. One of the big errors some folk make is in not realizing/accepting that the grayer generation is not as old as we used to think. :-) If someone is 70, remember they were 20 when the Beatles arrived. The monied crowd for Broadway shows is not the 90 year olds who were alive when Student Prince premiered. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 05:59 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? A: Not particularly. - ryhog 05:08 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| >> If someone is 70, remember they were 20 when the Beatles arrived. well, can't argue with the math. | |
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| Not if they're selling. | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 10:56 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| And Enoch10, this isn't directed at you in particular, but I am sometimes surprised when others are surprised at the notion of paying full price. Yes, I use discounts and do what I can to see shows more cheaply, but I also recognize the a seat has a market value that fluctuates, and that sometimes I have to pay more to get the seat that I want at the time that I want for the show that I want. Producers- including nonprofit producers- do what they reasonably can to create more revenue, including creating false impressions of limited availability, or hiking or dropping prices to meet perceived demand conditions. Not unlike a pastry shop selling the bread for 1/2 price in the evening, or a restaurant not taking reservations for peak walk-in hours, driving those who want a reservation to make it at an off-peak time. Everyone manipulates to make money. Sure, a sky-high priced ticket bought in advance might be more reasonably priced day of, or it might not be available. That extra money is your insurance that you'll get what you want. Waiting is your risk. The producer's risk is that, put off by high prices and a perception that tickets are hard to come by, people won't make the effort. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 09:29 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| I got an orchestra seat for $140 something when tickets became available to the public. It's in Row D side orchestra. Probably too close. I feel bad for young people who will want to see the show. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 03:49 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - lowwriter 09:29 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| i'm not talking about full price. i'm talking about premium. what's different about this (only kinda different i'm sad to learn) is that premium is almost the entire orchestra and full price is relegated to far sides. the other conversation is a far side seat costing 150 bucks but that conversation i'm not having. it would just depress me. i will say this, though. rising prices are hard to fight. putting movie stars in very limited runs at exorbitant prices - not so much. let them try pulling this two or three times in the same fall or spring season, where you have too many at the same time (and it is a question of when not if), and somebody's going to be out whole bunch of money and it won't be the schmuck with a ticket in his hand. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | AverageBwayNut 11:23 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 03:49 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| It's not "almost the entire orchestra" -- more often than not, it's the first 12-15 rows center and the first 4 seats on the center side aisles. That's roughly 270 seats or so (on the high side). In many theatres that is barely half the orchestra or less. Of those 270, at least half are likely production or theatre owner house seats so they're not available to us commonfolk but they're also not (necessarily) sold as premium. So let's say the average premium inventory is 130 seats -- that's maybe 10-15% of the house. That actually seems pretty reasonable -- yes, not affordable, not fun for us average consumers, but reasonable. As for them trying this two or three times in the same fall or spring -- it's been tried! Heck, it's been going on for years! Sometimes it gets us Pacino in "Merchant of Venice" or James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave in "Driving Miss Daisy" and sometimes it gets us Kathleen Turner in "High". Sometimes we get Chris Rock in "Motherf*cker with the Hat", Robin Williams in "Bengal Tiger" and Ben Stiller in "House of Blue Leaves" all in the same season (none of which I liked very much). Sometimes we get Tom Hanks in "Lucky Guy" or Bette Midler in "I'll Eat You Last" and sometimes we get Alec Baldwin in "Orphans". It's a new world, Golde. A new world. To borrow from Hedwig, "whether we like it or not". | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 04:34 pm EDT 03/18/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - AverageBwayNut 11:23 pm EDT 03/17/14 |
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| what date are you seeing pricing like this for HEDWIG? that was the point of the post because i can't see any date where you have that many seats in the orchestra for less than premium prices. my other point was at some time the field is going to get too crowded ( i didn't give a number because i don't know what it is) and when it does somebody is gonna get burned. sorry if i wasn't clear. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | AverageBwayNut 11:34 pm EDT 03/18/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 04:34 pm EDT 03/18/14 |
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| I see what you meant, Enoch10 -- sorry if I am the one that misinterpreted. But I think it isn't at all surprising that NOW, after the show has been on sale for 6 months, you're finding that the bulk of what's left in the orchestra is premium (though I saw a thread today on the other chat board that some seats were released in early April so maybe check again?). I was simply clarifying what's become pretty standard in terms of where premium locations fall -- which is maybe half the orchestra or less for most shows. So if seats outside those parameters aren't available anymore through Telecharge, they likely aren't holdbacks (because shows don't usually do holdbacks in lesser quality seat locations). Rather, they are most likely already sold -- which bodes well for the show, but obviously makes it harder for a last-minute shopper. As for overcrowding, don't get me wrong, I agree in principle. But it's still not going to stop. And in truth, more often than not, the shows seem to fail not so much because of competition but because the shows themselves just aren't that good, or aren't well cast with this or that star. When the shows are good and the stars are well cast, there seems to always be enough room for everyone to sell lots of tickets, no matter how many shows are on. When the shows aren't great, even being the only new game in town often isn't enough to help them survive. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | nyc23 09:08 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| I have found it thus far impossible to find an orchestra seat under $300 for my April trip. I am not one that routinely bemoans high ticket prices; however, I am amazed at Hedwig's lack of ticket availability and incredibly high premium markup. Great for the producers if tickets are really that hot, but I am suspicious. Will it be a popular show? Probably, but I'll wait and see whether regular priced tickets will appear over the next few weeks - especially for preview performances. | |
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| re: Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? | |
| Posted by: | FrenchDip 09:02 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
| In reply to: | Aren't The HEDWIG Tix Outrageously Expensive? - enoch10 08:37 pm EDT 03/16/14 |
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| I don't know the specifics of Hedwig's business model, but this sounds about right based on similar shows. They've got a fairly well-known title, a star coming off a successful sitcom who hasn't been on stage in 10 years, a relatively small house and a limited run with 7 performances a week. If word of mouth is strong and/or if the reviews are good, those tickets could very well be sold for $300. From the producers' perspective, it might make more sense for now to wait and see if they can get that $300. If not, there will probably be people willing to pay $150 closer to the performance. | |
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