F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 0 6Bad News For Broadway: Record Box OfficeWhy is a record box office bad news for Broadway? Because it came at aterrible price.</p><p> Broadway's box office is hitting $900 million in 2006.But attendance is down.</p><p> How'd they do that? Rising ticket prices ofcourse. $110 was just an idea one year ago.</p><p> Now it's the standard topprice.</p><p> And that Variety story I linked to only hints at the worst trend:premium ticket prices. $110 isn't the top price on Broadway.</p><p> Not evenclose.</p><p> If you want GOOD seats, you're going to pay $150, $200, $250 oreven $300 for a Friday or Saturday night show.</p><p> This isn't via a ticketbroker or scalper.</p><p> This is at the box office, where anyone who wants topay a mere $110 for their seat better be buying a ticket eight months inadvance.</p><p> In fact, I spent much of this year trying to buy tickets forfriends at least six months in advance and could find NOTHING forshow after show.</p><p> If I wanted to pay $250, I could have bought a ticketfor that weekend though.</p><p> This is a poisonous, terrible trend.</p><p> Peopleready to pay what they think is the top price -- a very expensive $110 --will find out again and again that tickets for good seats at the top showssimply aren't available unless you're planning a year in advance.Broadway is making it IMPOSSIBLE for people to go to the theaterregularly, the way they do in London.</p><p> And what kid is going to discoverBroadway at those prices? People have been decrying the end ofBroadway for many years of course.</p><p> Broadway isn't going anywhere.Neither is opera.</p><p> But when was the last time a regular Joe went to theopera? That's exactly what is happening to Broadway.</p><p> It's becoming thesole province of the super-rich and insiders.</p><p> Only tourists going to thesame four or five mega-shows ("Wicked," "The Lion King," "The ColorPurple") keep them running.</p><p> New Yorkers going to the theater for funthe way others go to a movie? Good luck.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT 1:09 PM 0 C O M M E N T S :Post a CommentL I N K S T O T H I S P O S TCreate a LinkNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: Bad News For Broadway: Record Box Officehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/bad-news-for-broadway... 1 of 37/28/09 1:50 AMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SBiboyAaronMichael in New York POPSURFING.COM: Bad News For Broadway: Record Box Officehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/bad-news-for-broadway... 2 of 37/28/09 1:50 AMPOPSURFING.COM: Bad News For Broadway: Record Box Officehttp://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/12/bad-news-for-broadway... 3 of 37/28/09 1:50 AM
