Follies

I didn't say it was the best. I said that in a situation, you go for a least worst option.Best in that if the tickets were available on totally "free access" then they would have been purchased in vast numbers by touts, and put on Getmein etc. Then, those who can afford £600 memberships would buy them, the cash going to the tout, not the theatre. This way, tickets are highly traceable and went direct to people who would use them and the National get the cash.

For you and everyone else, it keeps the prices lower and lets the National continue to stage this type of work to a level higher than most commercial producers can afford. So, to answer the question, simply, you get to see something - maybe not from exactly where you want to, but you still at least get to see it.

I'd also note that my own observation is that though the members grab tickets in the early period, by the second release of tickets, there is plenty.


Fair enough, but just observing that they do use "Priority Booking" as a selling tool. And yes, ATG are rapacious, to say the least.

All West End chains have priority schemes except RU Theatres (who may yet do so) and Nimax, as do most major venues like Donmar, Almeida etc. Hamilton used the DMT+ scheme, for example.

Yes the NT have. Central seats in both the Olivier and Lyttelton have been "premium" since 2015, and are for "Follies" too. Indeed the commercial sector have gone in for "super-premium," "premium" and "sub-premium" - started with Mormon a few years ago. But it doesn't mean they actually sell the seats at those prices, just that they try for it and dynamically price down or up as demand allows. The NT does dynamically price too, as it happens. Costs of staging theatre are now exceptionally high, and it is one tool for keeping other prices lower. I don't like it either, but again, it's a fact of commercial theatre.


They have had a membership scheme offering priority booking for decades. I've been a member for over 30 years myself. The only real problem I had was when they split it into tiers, the more you pay, the earlier you can book. I stuck with the lowest tier and use the cash saved to buy more expensive tickets if I need to. There's nothing wrong with tax payers who choose to support the arts taking an extra chance to show that support.

The trouble has come, as their new boss observed, with the situation of more demand than tickets available for some productions. That leads us right back to the current debate we are having here about distribution. For the moment, making sure touts don't get the seats is priority, but yes, there is room to look at the system. The big issue being that the pricing currently puts cheapest seats at the front and back, but second cheapest only at the back. That's odd, but a function of the auditorium layout and also need to make up the shortfall they have in funding by maximising income.

Remember, when the NT opened, all seats were a single price, and unreserved... as all were considered equal. Which reminds me: don't forget that Orwell was an Etonian, and "Animal Farm" tends to be taught in schools because it seems a "Lefty" book fitting with some teaching unions' political viewpoint. In fact, if you read more Orwell, he doesn't really like the "masses" at all... bit of a con-trick, that one, though in keeping with the spirit of the times in which he wrote.

I'll be the one at the back.

@ryan
BurlyBeaR

(Queue nicely children.)

 (Incidentally, the Nick Hytner memoir is really interesting on his attempts to change the pricing structure and encourage new audiences - I highly recommend reading it to those of you interested in this topic!)

That sounds like a fantastic evening - but why did Eartha have to sing it twice?

All it says on Follies' webpage is "From 22 September", not even an end date, let alone an indication it's only on some of the time. Oh well, I guess I'm too stupid to go to the National Theatre as I didn't know it was rep. Maybe I'd better return my Follies ticket.

Short answer is yes, you should know this!