[Laughingmonsta]

An interesting post here from a real insider of Musical Theatre, what should we get when we are spending upwards of £90 for a ticket to see a show in the West End?

RANT

What show for you delivered real value for money? What show was a huge let down for the price you paid?

Will producers actually take note? will things get better? or with the Credit Crunch still with us will they continue to charge us high prices for very little expenditure?

[Matthew Winn]

What show for you delivered real value for money? What show was a huge let down for the price you paid?

A recent show that delivered real value for money for me was Evita. It's not the greatest of musicals, but the production did more with the material than anything else I've seen in ages. Thoroughly Modern Millie was a worthy runner-up. Then there's Avenue Q, of course, and going back a bit further, Kiss Me, Kate.

The let-downs are everything I've ever seen with celebrity casting. There's not a single case I can think of where someone famous for something other than acting has been given a lead role and been anything other than dreadful.

What I want to see are performers who are cast for their ability, not for their fame or their relationship with the director. I want to see interesting writing with strongly defined characters, not weak stories invented purely to justify putting someone's back catalogue on the stage. I want to see original and inventive design, not expensive gimmicks. And I want to see a £6 million budget viewed as a sign of financial incompetence rather than overdrive to awesome.

Will producers actually take note? will things get better? or with the Credit Crunch still with us will they continue to charge us high prices for very little expenditure?

I don't think producers will take note and I would bet money that things won't get better. High prices drive away regular theatregoers. The people who are left - those who treat theatre as a couple-of-times-a-decade event - aren't experienced enough to see just how bad a performance the average celebrity gives, so they'll lap it up anyway instead of burning the theatre to the ground in disgust as they should. Ultimately it's all about money, and there's more money to be gained from pandering to star-struck celebrity-gazers than from satisfying the discerning theatregoer.

[Lynette]

I paid a lotta money to see/hear Bryn Terfel in the Flying Dutchman at the ROH - well above your 90 quid mark and IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. The whole shebang. And I paid not much to see, say, England people Very Nice in the Olivier [ seats falling apart incidentally ] and that was pretty poor. Ok, not West End but close.

So maybe you gets what you pay for. Maybe. But that doesn't answer your question.

I expect in the West End, a really good script, actors to be on top form and word perfect, and an ensemble performance , not just Mr Big doing his thing, the set, lighting etc to be flawless and to contribute to the play/show, not just enable it. I expect direction to be seamless and challenging at the same time [ good, obvious example is An Inspector Calls] I expect front of house to be charming and efficient and I expect nice snacks, and not to queue for the loos the whole interval. Dream On.
I will take a punt on a new play and I will go to The Very Expensive Theatre Royal Haymarket if I have to, for example to see the Godot this year. I agree that celebs casting is to be approached with caution.
For what it's worth I think that The Royal Court and the Donmar offer real value for money whatever they put on.

[Jan Brock]

Of the things I choose to see (and there is plenty I choose not to - including anything at the Haymarket and almost any commercial West End production) all I expect is that the actors know their lines.

[Laughingmonsta]

Of the things I choose to see (and there is plenty I choose not to - including anything at the Haymarket and almost any commercial West End production) all I expect is that the actors know their lines.

is that because you have come to expect only the bare minimum from productions to save on being disappointed...or that is all you feel is necessary?

[RH1234]

Forbidden Broadway at the Chocolate factory was great value! £15 (Sat matinee) for one of the best theatrical experiences I've had. I do think prices will have to either come down or level off soon - there must be a limit to how much people will spend on a night out to the theatre. I think the new production of Hair has made a huge mistake in putting top price at £65 (with premium at £85). A show like this needs accessible pricing in my opinion.

Oliver! was definitely not worth the money. Even with Rowan Atkinson it was a really rather average show that is very overpriced!

[Velma94]

It's seriously annoying that ticket prices are so high - I have a top price ticket from 2004 for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was £39.50, but five years later a top price ticket is £60! Why do ticket prices have to rise for shows that aren't in so much demand (e.g. Hair)? It's especially irritating for someone like me who has to be taken to the theatre by their parents because they're not allowed to go to London alone and who isn't allowed to have a part time job yet because they're not 16 .

Rarely do I see anything that I think warrants paying that amount of money. Realistically, except for shows with truly amazing casts or directors, that amount of money is silly. One thing that I did think was worth the amount of money we paid was Forbidden Broadway, which isn't exactly a mainstream show.

[RH1234]

It's seriously annoying that ticket prices are so high - I have a top price ticket from 2004 for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was £39.50, but five years later a top price ticket is £60! Why do ticket prices have to rise for shows that aren't in so much demand (e.g. Hair)? It's especially irritating for someone like me who has to be taken to the theatre by their parents because they're not allowed to go to London alone and who isn't allowed to have a part time job yet because they're not 16 angry.gif .

Very good point. You can sort of understand shows having high prices if they are in high demand (like Love Never Dies), but this seems ridiculous. Looking on SeeTickets, they're charging £74 for top price tickets to Hair! I can't imagine anyone paying that!