Ashton's Cinderella - new Royal Ballet production

[Emeralds]

4 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

 

As someone who has been to a number of these events before, I can say that a large proportion of those attending do not fit into those categories (though as the ROH benefits from the gift aid portion, I don't see why the tax payers shouldn't also get some benefit, allowing them to give even more to good causes).

To paraphrase a well known supermarket ad- every little (and not so little) helps! 

Edited November 21, 2022 by Emeralds

[Guest oncnp]

2 minutes ago, Darlex said:

9am or 10.00am?

I believe it's 9:00 ( or 4:00 for me)

[annamk]

Did anyone get SCS for the gala ? 

[Guest oncnp]

11 minutes ago, annamk said:

Did anyone get SCS for the gala ? 

 

 I was on the seat map when booking opened (and before as well) and they were all grayed out.

[Sharon]

Just logged on to buy a ticket and I'm so disappointed to find my usual seats costing either £170 or £180.

+ train

+ hotel (?)

Obviously didn't buy.

Heartbroken 😭

[bridiem]

I got one of my usual Amphi tickets, at £66 instead of what I think is going to be ?£51 for the other performances. As a one-off I decided to splash out. (The real problem is the routine price of these tickets now! I will be going to fewer performances in future.)

[Guest oncnp]

1 hour ago, annamk said:

Did anyone get SCS for the gala ? 

Per the ROH chat

"I'm afraid there is no standing available for the Gala. if this changes notifications will be sent out."

 

Why not? 

"I'm afraid we are not privy to the reasons why there is no standing available. For any further query you may want to forward an email to customerservices@roh.org.uk""

Edited November 22, 2022 by oncnp
update for reply

[annamk]

9 minutes ago, oncnp said:

Per the ROH chat

"I'm afraid there is no standing available for the Gala. if this changes notifications will be sent out."

 

Why not? 

"I'm afraid we are not privy to the reasons why there is no standing available. For any further query you may want to forward an email to customerservices@roh.org.uk""

 

Ah thanks for asking. It's a first I think, the usual standing were available for the Swan Lake gala. 

[Amanda Liu]

It seems really weird that Row C stall circles seats are £170 while Row B seats are £132

[Bruce Wall]

17 minutes ago, oncnp said:

Per the ROH chat

"I'm afraid there is no standing available for the Gala. if this changes notifications will be sent out."

 

Why not? 

"I'm afraid we are not privy to the reasons why there is no standing available. For any further query you may want to forward an email to customerservices@roh.org.uk""

 

I bet you anything they open the standing when general booking opens.  The same situation arose with the Coliseum when they swore over a bible that the balcony would not be opened for the Ukrainian Giselle ... and then, of course, later it did - even while there were seats elsewhere.  It makes sense from their perspective certainly in that people wanting standing today may - due to lack of availability - buy a seat.  Still, in the end - the VERY end - I'm sure they'll want to see EVERY penny to count.  .... but that's just my hunch.  

[alison]

I thought I remembered some other gala-y thing at the ROH where standing wasn't released until later on.  Can anyone confirm?

[Dawnstar]

6 hours ago, Amanda Liu said:

It seems really weird that Row C stall circles seats are £170 while Row B seats are £132

 

Yes, I noticed that odd anomaly too when I had a look. Not that it makes any difference to me, as both prices are well about what I could afford to pay and, for that matter, would think it reasonable to pay for a restricted view.

[jmhopton]

I was extremely shocked at the price of the restricted view stalls circle seats. In 2019 I paid £36 for Manon.  Just now they cost £58 for Mayerling.  I thought theyd gone up to £70 for sleeping Beauty and Cinderella but checking the Cinderella prices I see they are actually  £84 for that which is incredible and the front row of the amphi is £132! How can this be affordable for a family for a family night out? Of course there are multiple reasons for the increase; covid, lack of international tourism, Arts Council cut and huge rise in energy costs. But even so....

 

I have written to Alex Beard,  expressing my concern over ticket increases and saying that the ROH used to help those who lived a distance away by cheaper matinées, now discontinued, and then there were the packages which were also discontinued. I said it is the loyal members who like seeing different casts who keep the ROH going but we don't feel very valued at the moment as there are no financial incentives to remain loyal, only deterrents in the shape of higher prices. I suggested a possible loyalty scheme to have slightly discounted prices the more performances booked for, or a pensioner discount like they have at the Coliseum. He did send me a detailed reply and said prices were increased because of the reasons mentioned above and because they had to break even to pay the artists and all their other bills. He said he'd pass my loyalty suggestions on to the relevant people, whoever they are. Surely he is the most relevant! Anyway, at least I've tried. 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, jmhopton said:

I was extremely shocked at the price of the restricted view stalls circle seats. In 2019 I paid £36 for Manon.  Just now they cost £58 for Mayerling.  I thought theyd gone up to £70 for sleeping Beauty and Cinderella but checking the Cinderella prices I see they are actually  £84 for that

 

When I looked they were showing as £70 & that's quite bad enough. I hope they haven't been upped to £84 since the seating plan went up. (We are talking about the same seats? Stalls circle C17-22 & 92-96) There are 6 casts I'd like to see for Cinderella but at those prices... I definitely picked the wrong time to get into ballet.

[bridiem]

I think/hope that the tickets for the gala are more expensive than they will be for the other Cinderella performances - I couldn't check the normal rates when I looked the other day. (But even the 'normal' rates are generally now abnormally expensive, as far as I'm concerned.)

[bridiem]

7 hours ago, jmhopton said:

I said it is the loyal members who like seeing different casts who keep the ROH going but we don't feel very valued at the moment as there are no financial incentives to remain loyal, only deterrents in the shape of higher prices. I suggested a possible loyalty scheme to have slightly discounted prices the more performances booked for, or a pensioner discount like they have at the Coliseum. He did send me a detailed reply and said prices were increased because of the reasons mentioned above and because they had to break even to pay the artists and all their other bills. He said he'd pass my loyalty suggestions on to the relevant people, whoever they are. Surely he is the most relevant! Anyway, at least I've tried. 

 

Presumably they either don't regard loyal members as crucial in keeping the ROH going (the aim always being to attract new attenders), or they think that loyal members have bottomless pockets. The 'relevant people' (including Mr Beard) must already have considered the various possible loyalty/discount options - in fact all they've done is take away the one discount option there was, in the shape of packages.

[Mary]

Prices for the gala Cinderella on 27th are higher than the rest of the run I think.

 

Given the - huge - loss sustained during the pandemic, given the cut in Arts Council funding, at a time when all other costs are rising, more money has to be found- the question is, where from?

Perhaps the most worrying thing about the Arts council cuts this year was the sense of unreliability. How can organisations plan ahead when they can't rely on a funding stream? ROH have seen others take really swingeing cuts and must be discussing- what to do if it's us next?

 

Ticket price rises seem inevitable - I don't feel I can blame them .

 

[Fonty]

If they can sell all the seats at those inflated prices then obviously some can and do pay it.  However, it remains to be seen.  The danger is that they might end up with a lot of empty seats.  

[jmhopton]

9 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

When I looked they were showing as £70 & that's quite bad enough. I hope they haven't been upped to £84 since the seating plan went up. (We are talking about the same seats? Stalls circle C17-22 & 92-96) There are 6 casts I'd like to see for Cinderella but at those prices... I definitely picked the wrong time to get into ballet.

When I looked first they were showing as £70 as well. It's only when I started checking the casting again and clicked on the seat information and prices they came up as £84. I'm talking about the 'pale pink' seats on the filter, the ones restricted by a pillar eg C77. I'm hoping now they may be gala prices and the actual price is £70 which, like Dawnstar, I found a bad enough increase and will probably reduce my attendances.

[Emeralds]

After inexpensive seats (without getting any discounts from a website or anywhere else) with perfect sight lines at London Coliseum and slightly cheaper seats at Sadler’s Wells with better  sightlines than ROH, it was indeed painful to return to ROH and have seats with poor slightlines that cost much more! Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker will sell well because of their names and partly because the public vaguely know these three have good stories and memorable music. Sometimes the high prices are there to stop a bun fight and ensure everyone  gets a chance to buy hotly anticipated and quick-selling tickets. It would be fairer if they can drop the prices for the second run, when the excitement has died down and it gets easier for eager fans to get tickets.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Emeralds

[Guest oncnp]

3 minutes ago, jmhopton said:

When I looked first they were showing as £70 as well. It's only when I started checking the casting again and clicked on the seat information and prices they came up as £84. I'm talking about the 'pale pink' seats on the filter, the ones restricted by a pillar eg C77. I'm hoping now they may be gala prices and the actual price is £70 which, like Dawnstar, I found a bad enough increase and will probably reduce my attendances.

 

A spot check of various non-gala C77 is coming up as £70

[art_enthusiast]

3 hours ago, Mary said:

Given the - huge - loss sustained during the pandemic, given the cut in Arts Council funding, at a time when all other costs are rising, more money has to be found- the question is, where from?

 

Do they not receive any funding from the royal family at all, given their patronage?

[alison]

No.  This isn't the USA

 

All that happens, I think, is that the company gets a Royal Charter, nothing more.

[Guest oncnp]

44 minutes ago, alison said:

No.  This isn't the USA

 

Where we don't have a Royal Family....dispensed with in 1783 😀

[Candleque]

13 hours ago, jmhopton said:

I have written to Alex Beard,  expressing my concern over ticket increases

I applaud you for this action and smart suggestions. Will follow your lead. I think the ROH needs to hear from as many people as possible.

They like to send surveys out (I got one about the Diamond gala) but typically are only after the Net Promoter Score ('would you recommend...'). They never ask for open, detailed feedback. 

Yes, they have to balance their budget. So do their most loyal customers. I think they are trying hard atm to promote the Friends scheme, as it is an excellent way for the ROH to earn cash. However, the rewards for Friends are more nice to have (early booking) than a proper loyalty scheme with financial incentives as @jmhopton suggests. 
 

[bangorballetboy]

3 hours ago, oncnp said:

Where we don't have a Royal Family....dispensed with in 1783 😀

 

We can send a fully armed battalion to remind you of their love...

[jmhopton]

6 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

A spot check of various non-gala C77 is coming up as £70

I've been using the 'Seatmap and pricing' part of the website.  Clicked on 1st April  both performances and it's coming up as £88 for stalls circle C77 so that's even worse! Done the same with 10th Apr and same result.  Its confusing having 2 very similar pinks but I've tried the filters on and off and it's definitely showing up C77 for the pale pink £88. Just hope this is wrong and the prices are £70. Shows how bad things are when you've got to be "grateful' for an increase from £58 for Mayerling now, to £70 for Cinderella in a few months!

[zxDaveM]

5 hours ago, alison said:

 

All that happens, I think, is that the company gets a Royal Charter, nothing more.

 

The ROH gets the 'Royal' tag, and the Royals get free tickets.

No money flows from the royal coffers into the Opera House...

[Guest oncnp]

Just now, jmhopton said:

I've been using the 'Seatmap and pricing' part of the website.  Clicked on 1st April  both performances and it's coming up as £88 for stalls circle C77 so that's even worse! Done the same with 10th Apr and same result.  Its confusing having 2 very similar pinks but I've tried the filters on and off and it's definitely showing up C77 for the pale pink £88. Just hope this is wrong and the prices are £70. Shows how bad things are when you've got to be "grateful' for an increase from £58 for Mayerling now, to £70 for Cinderella in a few months!

Make sure the date on the top of the page is  correct. It has been showing up as opening night no matter what date is chosen from the performance page 

[jmhopton]

Just now, oncnp said:

Make sure the date on the top of the page is  correct. It has been showing up as opening night no matter what date is chosen from the performance page 

Ah, that could be it then, what a relief. I'm using my phone on the train (just left Raymonda.  Will review it later) So not always easy to check. I was thinking a hike to £70 was bad enough let alone £88!

[MJW]

Extract from the Friends' magazine with details of ticket prices, dates etc etc

[Bluebird]

1 hour ago, jmhopton said:

I've been using the 'Seatmap and pricing' part of the website.  Clicked on 1st April  both performances and it's coming up as £88 for stalls circle C77 so that's even worse! Done the same with 10th Apr and same result.  Its confusing having 2 very similar pinks but I've tried the filters on and off and it's definitely showing up C77 for the pale pink £88. Just hope this is wrong and the prices are £70. Shows how bad things are when you've got to be "grateful' for an increase from £58 for Mayerling now, to £70 for Cinderella in a few months!

There’s something wrong with the seat maps. For those who have priority booking, they can see that C77 is priced at £70

Edited November 24, 2022 by Bluebird

[jmhopton]

3 hours ago, Bluebird said:

There’s something wrong with the seat maps. For those who have priority booking, they can see that C77 is priced at £70

Thanks Bluebird.  The ROH website strikes again! I have recently emailed them also (I think I'm developing into grumpy old woman!) about the lack of easily available information. For example,  every performance you go to there is an announcement from Kevin O'Hare that cast lists are on the website but they're not easily accessible. I know links have probably been published here but I couldn't find them and had to email customer services who sent me a link which I've now saved as a favourite for future access. But if the ROH are saving money by not printing cast lists the least they could do is have an obvious link on their website; either going across the bar at the top or in an obvious drop down menu. 

 

Also the annual calendar they used to produce with a link to every production was so useful for quick and easy booking; why was it discontinued? I can't believe it was difficult or time consuming to produce and it saved so much time in booking performances. It's things like this that matter to regular attendees who want to book multiple performances (if they can afford them!)