Last week, I was in London for six days. Before I went on my trip, I bought tickets online to three West End shows. I got very good seats to all shows. I did not get discount tickets. I paid full price online just days in advance of my trip and had no trouble with sold out performances (except for one show which it turns out was just opening and in fact had tickets available for nights later in my trip when I had other plans). I did not pay more than $65 for a single ticket.
One of the shows I saw was The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night Time. I saw the Saturday evening show and sat in the balcony. I paid $62...full price. If I had bought those tickets for the Broadway production of the same show on a Saturday night, the price would $121. Orchestra seats for $134 to $197.
Why is Broadway so much more expensive? Even at half price, I would spend more for the Broadway production than the West End production. What? And on Broadway the big shows sell out. Oh! And I forgot to mention that this is a play and not a musical. They are even more expensive.
How is it that in London theater is so much more affordable? Think about it, for a family of four to go see a Broadway show like Matilda or Wicked on a Saturday night, it would cost them anywhere from $149 to $232 a seat depending on where the seats are. And there's also premium seating which is over $300 a seat. So that is a potential $728 for four orchestra seats. The of course there is the cost of driving into Manhattan from New Jersey or Long Island and parking. That's another $25 - $45. And then dinner for four. That can vary widely. So let's go on the assumption that the average cost with meal, drinks, dessert and tip is about $30 each (and that's conservative). You're talking another $120. Let's add that all up: $883. $883 for a family of four to go see a Broadway musical. And that's not counting drinks or snacks, souvenirs.
You'd need to take out a loan! What the hell? So, I'll say it again. Why is it so much more affordable to see shows on London's West End? Is it cheaper to produce there? Its a lot of the same shows. Bigger stars. Maybe its the unions her in the US and higher salaries to pay. I don't know. But something isn't right.
It used to be, over 100 years ago, that theater was the main form of entertainment. So it was much more affordable. Pre-radio, pre-movies, pre-television. Theater was the popular entertainment form.
Hell. Even when I started going to theater in the early 1980s, I remember buying two tickets to a big Broadway musical in the mezzanine of the Palace Theatre and only paying $32 to $35. When I lived in NYC in the 1990s, tickets were upwards of $60 - $75, but I could get half price tickets at TKTS. Or I could do standing room for sold out shows at $20 to $25. It was still affordable. Now a half price ticket can be over $100. WHAT!?
Again, why is London so much cheaper? DO they care more about theater there? Is it more common and not considered a special event like Broadway? Top price for Matilda and Wicked on the West End in 125 GBP which is $170. A lot but still less than Broadway and there are plenty of seats for way less than that.
C'mon Broadway, what gives?
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