Where has the Audience Gone

I think part of the reason is the massive ticket price inflation we have seen in recent years. Yes, you could still get good deals if you know how but the headline prices are going to put a lot of casual bookers off (particularly when combined with stupid booking fees/restoration levies etc etc etc)

Going to the theatre might be a necessity to some on her, but to most it is a luxury, a treat, a special occasion. Price does come into the decision making process.

It is not just the West End that is suffering from this. Regional theatre is starting to get above itself in terms of top prices (and premium seats)

Yes, there are costs to be covered - but you have to offer audiences something they want to see at a price they are willing to pay.

At the moment, there is a case to be saying that producers are failing on both fronts.

I think ticket prices certainly come into it. But I also wonder about the bigger impact of terrorism on tourism. I know that visitor numbers went down in Paris after the Bataclan terror attacks - not sure if London has been similarly affected after the recent attacks on Westminster Bridge, Borough Market and perhaps also Manchester (with overseas visitors lumping all of England together). So, fewer tourists in totals would mean fewer tourists going to theatres as well?

But there are indeed plenty of new shows starting - a lot of it seems to be the usual summer downturn when local people (who are more interested in the smaller shows and plays) are on summer holiday or simply prefer to do other things and it should get lively again soon.

The amount of theatre availability cone Spring is what is making mw think we will see Broadway transfers occur, as well as some out of town shows to get them in whilst the real estate is there.

Groundhog, Waitress and Dear Evan Hansen have been circling the West End for a good while now. I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the three go to the Phoenix, another go to the Piccadilly following Annie too.

With the exception of the Dear Evan Hansen, I don't think the 4 aforementioned musicals have enough hype about them in America to inject the needed life into the West End either individually or combined. I don't think Come From Away has the right appeal for a British market, and wasn't the response to Anastasia fairly flat?
It'll be interesting to see what happens in London once Hamilton opens. Londons needed a big show with a massive following and impact for a while now and I can see the press attention Hamilton will cause bringing a bit of a kick to town.

Potter's arguably bigger than Hamilton. Once the latter moved to Broadway, it was fairly easy to get tickets for the first few months without resorting to touts or breaking the bank. I booked after opening night but before the Tonys and got good seats for under £100 with only five months notice. Potter though, that sold very well right off bat. And although Hamilton has sold very well right off bat for the London run, Potter is going to do the same on Broadway, so they're still not quite like-for-life. Potter still has the bigger name recognition and faster sell.

Intrigued and baffled by this, daniel, as I'm definitely on the email list for all ATG venues of interest to me but not only have I heard almost nothing from any of them this year apart from the usual "Book now" nudges; I've also found no deals when actively checking the website, e.g. by searching different dates and times just to see if the price varied - it didn't.  If the only "concession" to members is lack of booking fee - which is no less than members would expect - I begin to doubt the value of being a member.  I can't recall offhand all the productions which tempted me but one was The Wipers Times at Richmond, as I missed this in the West End and can't do the Guildford dates.  So if you know of any offers, please do tell!

in fairness showgirl I don't seem to get any offers via email either, I tend to just happen across them when looking. Wipers Times appears to be pretty rammed, but perhaps in general we're just looking at different shows!

Anastasia, yes I forgot to include that one. But I don't expect that one will come over for another year or two. Come From Away hasn't been planning anything as of yet, but its gonna be a bit of a tough sell in the UK.

Hmm... I'm personally not entirely convinced of its selling power over here. Not that I don't want it here, I'd love it to come over, I love the score. I actually think it would work better in a smaller space like a fringe venue. I couldn't see it lasting long in a West End house. The other issue is, yes it is very popular on Broadway, but I'm not so sure with this one that will translate over here. There hasn't been that much excitement or buzz over here for it. Whereas every theatre fan pretty much knows something like Dear Evan Hansen and something like Anastasia.

I think Come From Away could work very well over here, if it was marketed properly. The music would resonate, and the story really works (it's not like terrorism isn't relevant, and the immediacy of New Yorkers' feelings wouldn't be present over here). I don't think it would matter that theatre people haven't made much buzz about it, as once you got a few audiences of ordinary punters in front of it, anyone could see its potential. Perhaps in Dublin first? Is that ever done? I think they would like it.

Sorry but are there any figures to back this up or is this just an impression? The last figures I recall seeing showed record revenues and record ticket sales.

For more damming anecdotal evidence I was in Victoria last night and I'm sure there used to be another theatre right opposite the station.  

Well the builders are in and judging by the cover on the scaffold it's being developed into something called a Hamilton?

We don't go to the theatre as often as we used to and rely heavily on discounts/ticket clubs largely because of affordability. Especially since we bought a flat and that's started to gobble up all of our money, it suddenly dawned on me that £30 per ticket being considered 'affordable' is bonkers, particularly considering the cost of travelling to Central from zone 6 and the necessity of buying food, drinks etc since we have to go straight from work on a weeknight.

Case in point: I really want to see The Toxic Avenger and have heard amazing things, but the ticket prices are completely obscene. The best deal I can find for this, considering it's a pretty obscure show, is £39 per ticket to sit right at the back. It's crazy and I refuse to believe demand and sales are justifying this cost.

Ultimately, though, it's the audience. In my experience, the standard of behaviour has been in a sharp decline over the years and this shows no sign of stopping. I cannot put into words how much I resent paying somewhere around £70 for a pair of tickets, then £12.40 for tube travel, then roughly £20 on a quick dinner, then (if we're feeling extravagant) another £10 on a drink each, only to end up once again sitting next to a group of arseholes whose conversation simply has to happen *right there and then* and cannot wait for the interval or the journey home. The entire experience, when all is said and done, often costs upwards of £100 and can be completely ruined in an instant by one person in 1,000.