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Never mind the
house price boom, in the theatre prices are escalating as high as
they can go.
The threshold is
constantly being advanced by greedy producers (or needy, they would
say) as they bring in new shows: so the prospect of Maggie Smith
and Judi Dench, on stage together for the first time
ever, justifies the next hike for a straight play in the West End
to £40 for the best seats - as for instance when they open in The
Breath of Life at the Haymarket in October.
Setting a new
high
Musicals, of course,
have already reached and exceeded those prices - and despite generally
appalling reviews, We Will Rock You is set to rock the West
End by setting a new high of £47.50 for weekend tickets in its next
booking period.
Meanwhile, another
indifferent current production, My One and Only, takes a
different tack, offering 'premium seats' for a whopping £55 for
a package that "includes champagne, programme and use of Royal Room".
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Finding
a West End bargain:
While most
producers don't differentiate anymore on prices between previews
and after the show opens officially, Sleuth which began
previews this week is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one
preview discount.
When the
RSC take up residence at the Haymarket later this month, transferring
their production of Anthony and Cleopatra to London,
preview prices will range from £5 - £20 (after opening, they
increase to £12 - £36).
 Meanwhile,
the current Haymarket attraction, Rose Rage, offers
a hugely enlightened incentive for you to book both parts
of this show at the same time: you can get best seats for
both shows for just £20 or £30 - ie. just £10 and £15 each.
Outside
of the commercial sector, there are good deals to be had at
the Royal Court (£7.50 for all tickets on Monday evenings)
while the National offers any remaining seats at discounted
prices two hours before the performance.
And don't
forget that for just £5 you can mingle with the 'groundlings'
at Shakespeare's Globe: you may have to stand, but you do
get the best view of the stage of anyone.
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Oxygen required
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| Kiss
Me Kate: a bargain at only £7 or £8 |
But you don't HAVE
to buy the best seats: for many West End shows, including Les
Miserables, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady and Stones
in His Pockets, seats are available for as little as £7 or £8.
You may be stuck
behind a pillar or as high as it's possible to be without the need
for oxygen, but at least you're in the building. It
was perched in seats like these that I discovered my own love for
the theatre.
But producers'
greed is compromising even those seats now: the bottom price for
Noises Off, at the Comedy Theatre, is an incredible £23 -
and that for the distant back row of the upper circle or the restricted
view rear stalls seats!
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