That's Franken$$$$$TEIN!
That's Franken$$$$$TEIN!$450 for a "premier" seat at Mel Brooks' upcoming Broadway adaptation of his beloved "Young Frankenstein" film? Why that's just monstrous!
First they dump Cloris Leachman, and now they have the audacity to smugly charge $450 a seat before any paying audience has ever seen it? Even though only 250 seats of the 1800 seats per performance will be set aside for the new "premier" level, as well as the lesser-priced "premium" seats (and prices are a bit lower for weekday performances), I'm absolutely appalled and fearful of its ramifications on the rest of the Great White Way.
Personally, I'm beginning to hope that audiences respond by sitting on their wallets regardless of the price. Who wants to feed a greedy monster?
What do you think? I invite you to not only share your thoughts, but also vote in my latest SOB Poll (which you may also find on the right-hand margin of this site):
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Cloris To Mel: Put Up Your Dukes! (June 13, 2007)
Pirate Queen Set To Abdicate Hilton Throne (June 6, 2007)
Billion Dollar Broadway Baby? Almost. (May 30, 2007)
Mel Brooks: "It Looks Like The Hilton Theatre" (May 25, 2007)
End Of Plank For Pirate Queen? (May 18, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
The Hits From Coast To Coast (March 8, 2007)
Whither Goeth Chenoweth? (February 27, 2007)
Producers Out, Young Frankenstein In (February 22, 2007)
M-G-M: Movies-Going-Musical (January 3, 2007)
Young Frankenstein Workshop To Feature Monster Casting (October 11, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Mel Brooks, Musical, Ticket Prices, Young Frankenstein
posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Friday, June 29, 2007
6 Comments:
I'm absolutely appalled. It's one thing to offer ticket buyers the opportunity to pay premium prices for last-minute tickets, it's another to force ANYONE who wants center orchestra to fork over $450. I hope they choke on it.
We're of the same mind on this one, Chris. I have very begrudgingly been one of those who has doled out the big $250 per ticket to ensure I got an excellent seat, but that was really pushing me to my limits.
I love most of the casting for this show and I'm a huge fan of the source material, but audiences need to draw the line. This unmitigated attack on theatre lovers deserves a damning consequence.
Personally, I'd like to note that I had already purchased my Seattle tryout tickets before this news hit. But I refuse to spend one additional cent on the show when it moves to the Great White Way.
It is an outrageous amount of money and as a consumer, paying that much makes no sense on several levels. Why would I want to spend $450 for a ticket to one show, when I could see four shows for that price! And frankly, all the Broadway theaters I've been in so far have been so intimate, I could have sat 10 or 15 rows back and it would have been fine.
But beyond the highway robbery aspect, all this does is reinforce the perception that Broadway is for a privileged few. I think Broadway should be trying to project an image that's less elitist, not more elitist.
And you're right, Steve, it does seem like an attack on theatre lovers. Theatre lovers are the people who are most excited about seeing this show, the people who would talk it up, tell friends and relatives to go see it. Now, all the producers have done is leave a bad taste in people's mouths.
I don't know, I still want to see Young Frankenstein but I'm certainly not going to spend $450. Maybe the cheap seats. Or maybe if it gets anything less than the most glowing reviews, I'll just skip it and move on to something else. I have to admit, I'm less enthused about Young Frankenstein now. I just don't see how it could be that good to justify that amount of money.
Anyway, I have a long list of shows I want to see on Broadway, and new ones are being added all the time!
$450 ???? I think I'd have to bring a screwdriver with me and take the seat home at the end of the night...
Right on, you guys. I've been meaning to throw my two cents in ever since Chris posted his rallying cry on Friday. Like Esther, I'm really worried about the image this creates that Broadway is only for rich people. I hope others start speaking up and that the outcry makes the producers reconsider.
There is this little economic notion called "supply and demand." If demand goes soft (or in this case never materializes), prices will inevitably have to fall - as was the case with the ill-fated $16 million The Pirate Queen.
I humbly submit that no show is worth $450 per ticket.
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