Price of top West End tickets rises by a fifth
Cabaret proves money makes the world go around... with seats for £303!
THE average cost of the most- expensive West End tickets has rocketed by a fifth as theatres reopen after Covid.
The musical Cabaret topped the charts for the most-expensive top-price tickets – with audiences having to fork out more than £300.
The average cost of top-price West End tickets reached £140.85 this year – an increase of 21.3 per cent since 2019.
Before production runs were impacted by the pandemic the average cost of the most-expensive tickets was £116.09.
This year also saw the highest number of top-price seats in commercial theatres priced at more than £100, according to the annual ticketing survey by The Stage.
Seats reaching the recordbreaking price were found in 28 theatres, accounting for 80 per cent of the productions in commercial theatres. New productions have driven the rise in prices – the top-price tickets for longrunning plays actually fell over the same period.
Top tickets at Wicked fell by £58, while those for Hamilton and The Book Of Mormon fell by £50.
The top ticket prices are influenced ‘by a very small number of high-profile shows’ and ‘fluctuate year on year,’ a Society of London Theatre spokesman said.
In May, audiences condemned ticket prices for Cock, which was not included in the survey, after seats went on sale for £400, plus £60 in processing fees.
Producers for the play starring Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey defended the astronomical prices, citing ‘supply and demand’ for the play’s 13-week limited run.
West-End plays saw a steeper rise in prices than musicals, with the most-expensive ticket increasing by up to 40 per cent compared to 3.5 per cent for musicals.
To Kill A Mockingbird at the Gielgud Theatre had the most- expensive top-price play ticket at £199.50.
Cabaret, which this year won seven Olivier awards including best actor and best actress in a musical for Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, was the mostexpensive musical with top seats coming in at £303.80.
The cheapest tickets have seen a comparatively low increase of 3.3 per cent since 2019 – the average now £22.56, up from £21.84. Dear Evan Hansen offered the best deal in the West End, with the cheapest ticket, albeit a restricted-view seat, coming in at £7.50.
The survey was based on 50 theatre spaces eligible for main category Olivier Awards for their top and bottom price tickets on the evening of June 25.