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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

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

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

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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