zxDaveM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 1 minute ago, Sim said: £26 to stand is a total disgrace. How can they justify more than doubling the price just for DonQ?? It's good but not THAT good. Oh well, I was going to go to a few of these, but now I will only go to one or maximum two. Thank you ROH for pricing out a loyal customer who has been attending your establishment for 45 years. indeed - at £26 it is entirely missable, even with Yas and Fumi dancing the lead role. (I will catch their SPF's though) Think it must be the first time for an Autumn period, I'll be at Sadlers Wells/The Linbury more than I will be at the main stage of ROH - and the majority of those will be Nutcrackers... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 Same here zxDaveM!! Also regards standing not everybody who stands is a spring chicken! It can get a little gruelling towards the end for those in the 60/70 plus camp for the longer ballets like Sleeping Beauty and usually pay for it the next day!! I believe some operas are even longer! We do suffer for the love of our Art! A rise from £12 to say £15 is sort of acceptable …..but £20 absolutely max to relative current seating prices is enough to charge to stand! At £26 there will be some seats cheaper than standing!! I guess some people in the pricing office/department think it’s only the youngsters standing but then if it’s students this price rise wouldn’t suit them either. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 I think this is a pricing experiment gone wrong to see just how much people would be willing to pay, but these places are what makes ROH truly accessible and a great way to get over 25s with no pricing benefits through to door. It’s a really disappointing twist to the ongoing conversation about pricing people out. However, it will be interesting to see if these places are still as highly sought after (will any remain by public booking?). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 27 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: indeed - at £26 it is entirely missable, even with Yas and Fumi dancing the lead role. (I will catch their SPF's though) Think it must be the first time for an Autumn period, I'll be at Sadlers Wells/The Linbury more than I will be at the main stage of ROH - and the majority of those will be Nutcrackers... Ditto. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 Well they will be because they are still at the cheaper end of the price range especially if some seats in Amphi are going up quite a lot too. People will pay it but they just won’t go as often. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 7 minutes ago, Blossom said: I think this is a pricing experiment gone wrong to see just how much people would be willing to pay, but these places are what makes ROH truly accessible and a great way to get over 25s with no pricing benefits through to door. It’s a really disappointing twist to the ongoing conversation about pricing people out. However, it will be interesting to see if these places are still as highly sought after (will any remain by public booking?). They do actually reserve a good few for public booking anyway - think there will be more than a good few come public booking for DQ this time round! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 11 minutes ago, LinMM said: At £26 there will be some seats cheaper than standing!! The only seats cheaper than standing are the very restricted upper slips and the lower slips closest to the stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, LinMM said: People will pay it but they just won’t go as often. I think that may be the aim - they do seem to prefer 'new audience' 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 47 minutes ago, Sim said: £26 to stand is a total disgrace. How can they justify more than doubling the price just for DonQ?? It's good but not THAT good. How can they justify charging more for DonQ than for Rheingold for these standing places? Someone has got things very, very wrong. Oh well, I was going to go to a few of these, but now I will only go to one or maximum two. Thank you ROH for pricing out a loyal customer who has been attending your establishment for 45 years. I'm afraid it's me out until Jan ..... I can't think of a West End theatre that charges as much as £26 to stand. What a shame. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 9 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: I think that may be the aim - they do seem to prefer 'new audience' Their "new" audience also doesn't know the old price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 2 minutes ago, oncnp said: Their "new" audience also doesn't know the old price yes, that's what I mean. Compared to a £180 seat (or whatever it is), £26 looks a bargain if you've not been before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 If it's going to be £26 to stand in the stalls circle then I'm dreading finding out how much it's going to cost those of us who want to sit in the stalls circle.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 7 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: If it's going to be £26 to stand in the stalls circle then I'm dreading finding out how much it's going to cost those of us who want to sit in the stalls circle.... Last time I looked the cheapest row C side stalls circle were ‘only’ £52. Weren’t they considerably more for Beauty and Cinderella? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 6 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: yes, that's what I mean. Compared to a £180 seat (or whatever it is), £26 looks a bargain if you've not been before But on the other hand, people who want to go to the ROH for a 'once-only' experience won't want to stand - and those people going for a 'treat' will pay for a seat thinking it's just a one-off. Taking someone out for the evening and saying 'oh, by the way, we're standing' isn't exactly going to make for a fun time. It's only those of us who really want to see a particular performance/cast and go multiple times who want to stand. And we're being priced out. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 1 minute ago, Bluebird said: Last time I looked the cheapest row C side stalls circle were ‘only’ £52. Weren’t they considerably more for Beauty and Cinderella? That is very surprising. Yes, for SB & Cinderella they were £70. I had assumed they would be whacked up even more for this coming season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 Just now, Dawnstar said: That is very surprising. Yes, for SB & Cinderella they were £70. I had assumed they would be whacked up even more for this coming season. Word of caution....with all the changes going on we don't know those seat maps are final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 (edited) Some of the seats in front in row B, which were £112 for Beauty and Cinderella, are £67!! Edited to add that these prices are so strange they might well be changed before going on sale Edited June 30, 2023 by Bluebird 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 1 minute ago, oncnp said: Word of caution....with all the changes going on we don't know those seat maps are final. I'll assume the prices will be going up then.... Mind you, if they are using the opera price structure rather than the ballet price structure for Don Q, as has been speculated upthread, then row C side stalls circle should be cheaper relative to the top price. Those seats are usually cheaper for opera than for ballet despite the restricted view being (usually) more significant for ballet than for opera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 9 minutes ago, oncnp said: Their "new" audience also doesn't know the old price Unfortunately theatres as a whole are really struggling to sell tickets and are heavily discounting regularly to fill seats. Inflating costs on the affordable seats is only going to result in greater struggles to fill ROH. On the other hand, my daughter will be eligible for young ROH on Sunday, so I’ll be buying some single tickets and she’ll be keeping an eye out for deals on the same dates, which is starting to look quite likely. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 I agree with J_New above! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MildConcern Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 46 minutes ago, J_New said: But on the other hand, people who want to go to the ROH for a 'once-only' experience won't want to stand - and those people going for a 'treat' will pay for a seat thinking it's just a one-off. Taking someone out for the evening and saying 'oh, by the way, we're standing' isn't exactly going to make for a fun time. It's only those of us who really want to see a particular performance/cast and go multiple times who want to stand. And we're being priced out. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen a young couple, dressed to the nines, come up to the side amphi, looking in confusion for their seat, only to discover with panic that it is a standing ticket. How they don't see this when they are booking, I don't know as it is very well signposted on the website. This is often followed by a row and not returning after the first interval... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 This is why we now get sent emails reminding us we've booked standing tickets, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 Anyway, I feel a boycott of Don Q standing at those prices coming on. Don't suppose I can persuade enough people to join me? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 5 minutes ago, alison said: Anyway, I feel a boycott of Don Q standing at those prices coming on. Don't suppose I can persuade enough people to join me? Wouldn't that please the ROH though? If none of the regulars book standing tickets then they can get in more of those new audience members that they're obsessed with! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 9 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: Wouldn't that please the ROH though? If none of the regulars book standing tickets then they can get in more of those new audience members that they're obsessed with! Good point. By pricing out the regulars who go to a production multiple times, they are hoping to hook newbies in at £26 who they then hope will think it's a good deal. Otoh...won't these people wonder why other ballets cost £12 or whatever it is to stand? Maybe they are still trying to edge us out as was suggested by that marketing firm a few years ago...ditch the loyal regulars and try to get in some newbies who will pay more. Surely there has to be a way of keeping the regulars in addition to attracting new people? They would be losing quite a chunk of ticket money if the regulars all stopped going. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Sim said: Good point. By pricing out the regulars who go to a production multiple times, they are hoping to hook newbies in at £26 who they then hope will think it's a good deal. Otoh...won't these people wonder why other ballets cost £12 or whatever it is to stand? But unless they are assuming that those newbies will be so thrilled that they will return in the expensive seats rather than keep on buying standing places then they are simply replacing us with new standers. And how many of us have stood next to newbies who have not returned for later acts because they are tired or not enjoying the standing experience? And the trouble is that the amount of money they would lose if we didn’t go regularly - say 54 places x£10 - isn’t really that much. Edited June 30, 2023 by J_New Add last sentence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 I still see this as cockup (albeit large) rather than conspiracy which could be readily sorted before 5th July. I emailed Alex Beard and will post news of any reply. Always good to get the Friends fortnightly letter but disappointing there’s no mention of the Don Q difficulties and new arrangements. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 27 minutes ago, J_New said: But unless they are assuming that those newbies will be so thrilled that they will return in the expensive seats rather than keep on buying standing places then they are simply replacing us with new standers. And how many of us have stood next to newbies who have not returned for later acts because they are tired or not enjoying the standing experience? And the trouble is that the amount of money they would lose if we didn’t go regularly - say 54 places x£10 - isn’t really that much. Agreed....but I wasn't only referring to standees. Also, if newbies return or not, other newbies will replace them and if they are all happy to pay the £26 pounds then the ROH will be making more money than they have been, even if it isn't a huge amount. Every little helps...but that works both ways. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNC Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 3 hours ago, zxDaveM said: yes, that's what I mean. Compared to a £180 seat (or whatever it is), £26 looks a bargain if you've not been before you may be surprised, it’s a lot to stand, even for younger people they are put off particularly if not regulars I think. The central SCS have unrestricted views but the majority round the sides, you start to get light fixtures (?) sort of blocking the top view and then miss thirds of the stage on either side (depending whether you are left or right). Putting aside whether £26 for a standing ticket is fair (which I don’t think it is…) there’s the main issue of the proportionate increase - deliberating taking good value tickets from regulars (and those generally not wealthy…). At a push I may pay £26 for a central standing ticket (mainly as I feel priced out of the amphi now!) but for the side scs, it’s really not acceptable - restricted views and standing is not £26. The fact I paid £27 (£1 more) to sit in a good central amphi seat (row P, bang centre) only 4 years ago for this exact ballet is mind boggling and really sad to see where ROH have gone with price gouging. Of course I’m sure the £26 tickets will sell, and this will embolden them to raise other scs prices! can anyone tell me what row P (central) is this time round please? It doesn’t seem to be showing up on the pricing map (I’m on my phone). Looking at the map everything from H to N is the same which feels pretty rubbish if you’re in Row N as you are visibly much further away than row H which is actually not so bad. The bandings do look too odd/wide to me so hopefully they are adjusted more specifically and priced accordingly. I was highly likely to cancel my friends membership for next year (a combination of growing prices, and reflecting my tastes in programming not being reflected as much as I would like, I was looking at really only booking one show per season, and only one performance due to price rises with an exception for ashton perhaps - autumn, DQ, winter - manon, spring - MacMillan bill, potentially swan lake if dates/casting aligns and I can afford it (!) summer - ashton x2 (and Sarasota if any tickets available!) - but now I will certainly be cancelling and providing feedback that the increased ticket prices mean I simply cannot afford friends membership even if I reduce how much I go, particularly as it’s the cheaper seats that have been hit (the proportion of tickets available under £40 is frankly dire). I liked the friends priority booking and feeling like I supported roh but why would I support and organisation that clearly is trying to price me out of attending? I thought ROH couldn’t disappoint me more and here we are… 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 (edited) 11 minutes ago, JNC said: I liked the friends priority booking and feeling like I supported roh but why would I support and organisation that clearly is trying to price me out of attending? I thought ROH couldn’t disappoint me more and here we are… I agree. I kept my Friends membership going all through the lockdowns etc because I felt I was supporting something very important, but I too am considering whether I want to continue. There is now nothing I would choose to see before January anyway. Edited June 30, 2023 by J_New 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 2 hours ago, alison said: Anyway, I feel a boycott of Don Q standing at those prices coming on. Don't suppose I can persuade enough people to join me? I've already resigned myself to not going (not even to see my favourite dancer) - UNLESS the SCS price is returned to normailty/sanity 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 1 hour ago, JNC said: I liked the friends priority booking and feeling like I supported roh but why would I support and organisation that clearly is trying to price me out of attending? I thought ROH couldn’t disappoint me more and here we are… These two sentences sum up the situation perfectly. In terms of my personal disappointment, I would add the absolute disgrace that is the ROH website and booking system which the current shambles exemplifies in spades. 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Posted July 1, 2023 Share Posted July 1, 2023 (edited) On 30/06/2023 at 14:50, Sim said: £26 to stand is a total disgrace. How can they justify more than doubling the price just for DonQ?? It's good but not THAT good. To spell it out, Don Quixote does not suit the Royal Ballet nor those who rehearse the company. Furthermore this production is by a once great star who has repeatedly shown himself to be an incompetent choreographer/stager (anybody remember his Carmen?) And the self-regarding set was so badly constructed that, on a night I am very sad to remember, it nearly wrecked Osipova's career. The sound of her injury exploded around the auditorium like a gun shot. Boo, frankly, boo. But no doubt other opinions are available. Edited July 1, 2023 by Geoff 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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