Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Hamilton on Broadway Ticket Update- Producers Releasing More Tickets Soon

I've been thinking about theatergoers that are looking to purchase tickets for this year's blockbuster hit show Hamilton.  We've just heard that the public will be able to obtain tickets for the February through May 2017 performance period in New York City.  The extended period will go on sale to the general public on Sunday June 12, 2016 and will coincide with the Tony Awards telecast on CBS.  The show has been playing to sold out audiences for many months after its sold-out run Off Broadway and is now enjoying success like no Broadway show in the history of Broadway has ever experienced.

And after all of my 39 years of experience in the Broadway ticket selling business (nearly 29 after founding my own company Applause-Tickets), I really can't put my finger on the reasoning for Hamilton's phenomenal success.  Sure Hamilton is an incredibly talented work of theater and art in every sense of the word, but there have been dozens of Broadway shows that are great theater works over the years.  In any case, it doesn't matter what I think does it?  We cater to allot of tourists that come to New York City and it seems like everyone is talking about going to see Hamilton, even if the story line about one of our country's founding fathers Alexander Hamilton along with non-stop hip-hop music might not be one's first choice for a day or night out at the theatre.  Of course the show's creator, the incredibly brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda is young, has no shortage of talent and has a wonderfully warm, engaging persona which today's social media is just loving every minute.  He really does seem like  a beautiful person.  The word of mouth on Hamilton and the public's clamoring to buy tickets has driven up the price of obtaining seats tenfold at least.  I've never seen this before in all those 39 years I'm in the ticket business.

I saw the show last July of 2016 a day or two before going on vacation and paid $100.00 for a seat at the top of the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  After the show opened to critics reviews a week or so later, that same seat cost 5 times as much.  That same seat today will cost easily over $1000.00.  Sure ticket resellers are capitalizing on the public's demand to buy tickets at a premium price but is the price their paying really worth it?  In my  professional opinion I would say what we tell clients at Applause-Tickets all day long.  And by the way, most people are not paying the inflated Hamilton ticket prices.  Prices are much too high for the average theatergoer right now.  We suggest to clients that they can come to New York City and we can help them obtain 5-7 different Broadway shows in place of buying just one Hamilton ticket.  Most take us up on that suggestion or choose 1 or 2 shows at normal prices, with very few of our clients paying the high price of a Hamilton ticket.

What I expect to happen on Sunday June 12, 2016 is that all the Hamilton tickets for the February through May 2017 performances will be sold out right away.  That being said the public will have no choice but to continue to call ticket brokers like my company at Applause-Tickets again and others.  And as usual, my staff and I will tell clients that indeed, Hamilton is a phenomenal work of theater but for our money, we'd love to talk about the 33 other terrific Broadway Shows where we can offer great seats and at reasonable prices.  After enough people have spent money on the high Hamilton ticket prices, along with the additional road tour of Hamilton that will travel the country in 2017 and a full-time production of Hamilton starting in Chicago in September of 2017, I expect Hamilton ticket prices to start to trend downward.  Maybe not right away but eventually, "whatever goes up must come down", right?

Cheers and best wishes to the cast and creative team at Hamilton, they've earned all the recognition for the great art created on stage every day at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.  And cheers as well to the many excellent Broadway shows, their casts and creative teams that play their hearts out every day as well too.

If we can ever help, I hope you'll consider a call to my team and I at Applause-Tickets.  We love talking about the Broadway Theatre and look forward to assisting you whenever your plans include seeing a Broadway show.

Regards
Rich Gladstone
President
Applause-Tickets
723 7th Avenue, Suite 902
NY NY 10019

Phone 212-307-7050 or 800-451-9930
Email me personally at rich@applause-tickets.com
Follow us on Facebook at Applause Theatre & Entertainment Service Inc.

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