alison Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 I still don't understand why they picked notorious hard-to-sellers to try out the higher prices on, though. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 11 minutes ago, bridiem said: I think/hope that this may well be in response to the very poor sales in particular sections (especially) for recent programmes. e.g. front/side Amphi and side orchestra stalls were very obviously not selling at the higher prices. (Though I haven't checked the SL prices for side orchestra stalls, and I wouldn't know how they compared to previous prices anyway.) I hope that the persuasive info sent to Alex Beard by @JohnS has actually been absorbed too, so many thanks to him for all his work/analysis. The lowest priced side orchestra stalls, the pairs along the outside edges, were £115 in 2020, £123 in 2022 and will be £159 in 2024. So if they weren't selling before I cannot imagine that the latest price will encourage sales one bit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 Now the seat maps are published, I’ll take a good look at Spring prices and post some thoughts. I’m hoping there’ll be further evidence of lessons learned. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 8 minutes ago, Dawnstar said: The lowest priced side orchestra stalls, the pairs along the outside edges, were £115 in 2020, £123 in 2022 and will be £159 in 2024. So if they weren't selling before I cannot imagine that the latest price will encourage sales one bit! Gosh! But from what I saw, the whole side sections were not selling, not just the outside edges. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 36 minutes ago, JohnS said: Now the seat maps are published, I’ll take a good look at Spring prices and post some thoughts. I’m hoping there’ll be further evidence of lessons learned. Not at first glance..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 46 minutes ago, bridiem said: Gosh! But from what I saw, the whole side sections were not selling, not just the outside edges. I've only ever bought the cheapest stalls seats (with the help of package booking) so I can't say how the prices of the other stalls seats have risen - but I bet they have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 26, 2023 Author Share Posted October 26, 2023 Goodness me - Spring prices are a curate’s egg. Here’s a summary table: Production Top Price Balcony Central Block Restricted (eg A33) Stalls Circle Sides Bench Seats (eg B26) Amphitheatre Sides (Row E) Slips (max) Standing (max) Opera Dutchman/Lucia £210 £128 £93 £75 £93 £75 £47 £47 £23 %age of top price 61% 44% to 36% 44% to 22% 22% 11% Butterfly/ Carmen £245 £132 £97 £78 £97 £78 £49 £49 £25 %age of top price 54% 40% to 32% 40% to 20% 20% 10% Ballet Triple Bill £110 £67 £50 £50 £39 £29 £22 £16 £16 £9 %age of top price 61% 45% 45% to 15% 15% 8% Swan Lake £175 £118 £118 £96 £75 £55 £35 £23 £14 %age of top price 67% 67% 55% to 20% 13% 8% The good news for ballet - undoubtedly the inclusion of more price categories for front Amphitheatre Sides where a small number of seats are much more reasonably priced. This is very welcome and I’d like to think shows the ROH responding to concerns expressed by a number of people. Standing places are also reasonably priced - I thought there’d be pressure to increase standing place prices for Swan Lake but they are kept at £14. But there’s some very poor news regarding Stalls Circle bench seats, particularly for Swan Lake. Charging £118 for any bench seat is utterly wrong. This is the same price as the Balcony restricted view seats in the central block - excellent, comfy seats with a modestly restricted view, and fabulous sound. For the opera the maximum price for a Stalls Circle bench seat in the Spring is £97. And for opera there are two price categories for bench seats. For ballet there’s only one price category so all bench seats for Swan Lake are £118 - quite appalling. When Winter prices were announced and there were two price categories for the Manon bench seats, both below the Balcony restricted view price, I was hoping that the ROH had taken on board just how poor these seats are relative to the Balcony restricted view sears. But it seems that lesson has not yet been learned. At least the Triple Bill bench seats are less than the Balcony restricted view seats but there’s still just the one price category - £50 for all bench seats when ideally the ones nearest the stage would be a lower price category. The Triple Bill prices, similar to Anemoi/The Cellist, I think look reasonable but underscore just how expensive the current double bill is and the difficulties experienced in selling tickets at full price. There seems to be more stability about prices for opera than the ever changing patterns we see for ballet. I don’t know why there’s been such flux for ballet prices. With three lots of prices now published for 2023-24, I’d have thought ‘experimental pricing’ patterns should have stabilised. But I’m afraid it’s back to making the case for more reasonable pricing for the Stalls Circle bench seats … and ensuring that the better news for front Amphitheatre Sides seats doesn’t prove to be a ‘one off’. 3 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 21 minutes ago, JohnS said: Standing places are also reasonably priced - I thought there’d be pressure to increase standing place prices for Swan Lake but they are kept at £14. Depends on your definition of "kept", I suppose. It's still a £3 increase on last year's prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawnstar Posted October 26, 2023 Share Posted October 26, 2023 1 hour ago, JohnS said: But I’m afraid it’s back to making the case for more reasonable pricing for the Stalls Circle bench seats … and ensuring that the better news for front Amphitheatre Sides seats doesn’t prove to be a ‘one off’. While not as egregious as row B at £118, row C at £75 is pretty bad too in my opinion. To charge that much for seats where vital moments of the production are completely invisible (the vision of Odette, Odette's death, Von Rothbart's death) is something I find both infuriating and disappointing. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 (edited) On 25/10/2023 at 17:36, oncnp said: 'Can't see KOH breaking up the pair that made the roles in 2018 so I think you will get your wish Are you referring to a potential Kaneko/Bracewell partnership in Swan Lake? It would be a great pairing, but Fumi first danced it (amazingly) in 2022, with Federico Bonelli (his Swan Song). (It was Takada/Bracewell in 2018...anothjer great partnership). Edited October 27, 2023 by Richard LH 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 BTW does anyone know when we are likely to get the casting for Swan Lake and the MacMillan Triple ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 13 minutes ago, Richard LH said: BTW does anyone know when we are likely to get the casting for Swan Lake and the MacMillan Triple ?? recently casting has been released very close to Premium 2 Friends booking start, which for SL and MacMillan Triple will be 29th November 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 (edited) 25 minutes ago, Richard LH said: BTW does anyone know when we are likely to get the casting for Swan Lake and the MacMillan Triple ?? Friends were informed of Winter casting on Aug 9. Booking opened Sept 5. I believe Patrons got earlier notification (a week?) Edited October 27, 2023 by oncnp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 The casting has to come out during next week otherwise Patrons will be booking without knowing. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silke H Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 22 minutes ago, capybara said: The casting has to come out during next week otherwise Patrons will be booking without knowing. Oh, wow, I hadn't realised that Patrons can book a month prior to highest level Friends. That's good news for getting cast information soon. Thanks @capybara 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 (edited) On 15/10/2023 at 13:34, JohnS said: But I wanted to highlight the news in bold in the covering letter: ‘We haven’t including pricing in this magazine’ followed by ‘It will be sent out before booking opens.’ Trying to budget for Spring and find that there are no seat maps for the MacMillan triple. I can't remember if there ever were. . They have a couple of days before Friends' booking opens but Patrons booked last week, did they not? And the ROH did "essential maintenance" last week and I wonder if they got lost in the shuffle (won't be the first time) Edited to add: They are still available Select your own seat (roh.org.uk) but not linked to event page (and not sure they are still accurate) Edited November 26, 2023 by oncnp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted November 26, 2023 Author Share Posted November 26, 2023 Sorry @oncnp but I don’t recall seeing a seat map. When prices were published, the top price was £110, as for Anemoi/The Cellist, (which I thought good news) and I think the pattern looked similar to Anemoi/The Cellist which hopefully gives a guide. I was hoping there’d be changes to Swan Lake Stalls Circle bench seats but nothing so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted November 26, 2023 Share Posted November 26, 2023 (edited) 3 minutes ago, JohnS said: Sorry @oncnp but I don’t recall seeing a seat map. When prices were published, the top price was £110, as for Anemoi/The Cellist, (which I thought good news) and I think the pattern looked similar to Anemoi/The Cellist which hopefully gives a guide. I was hoping there’d be changes to Swan Lake Stalls Circle bench seats but nothing so far. Thanks. See my edited post above. The MacMillan’ maps were/are there just not linked to the website Edited November 26, 2023 by oncnp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 Seat map link returned for MacMillan triple but no casting yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Reminder.....Booking opens for Friends tomorrow View priority booking dates General: 11 January 2024, 9am Young ROH: 10 January 2024, 9am Friends: 12 December 2023, 9am Young Friends: 12 December 2023, 9am Friends+: 7 December 2023, 9am Supporting Friends: 6 December 2023, 9am Premium 1 Friends: 30 November 2023, 9am Premium 2 Friends: 29 November 2023, 9am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 But won't the MacMillan casting be available before booking opens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Does anyone know how tall Jonathan Lo is? Had a bit of website bother while booking and when my original choice would not load into my basket, I took the "restricted view" that was available. The "restriction" is Mr Lo. Very pleased he is the conductor but am wondering how "restricted" my view will be. It's the only SL I can attend. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 I'm not sure. He's very slim, which may make him appear taller than he is. What's more important is his conducting style - hopefully less sprawling than that of the late Isaiah Jackson, who is the only conductor I've had the misfortune to see from that position. However, that was before the House was renovated, so things may have changed anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 @oncnp I have stood next to Jonny Lo quite a few times. I am about 5'6" and he is about my height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 If you are talking about the seat in Row A of the Orchestra Stalls that is directly behind the conductor, I’ve sat there a couple of times and have not found the conductor to be a problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Jonathan Lo is well below one’s sight line. There are one or two conductors who raise their rostrum but it’s generally not a problem. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 33 minutes ago, capybara said: Jonathan Lo is well below one’s sight line. There are one or two conductors who raise their rostrum but it’s generally not a problem. I sat behind Jonathan Lo on Saturday and had an almost clear view. In fact, it struck me that from his position it must’ve been difficult to actually see the dancers onstage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 4 hours ago, PeterS said: I sat behind Jonathan Lo on Saturday and had an almost clear view. In fact, it struck me that from his position it must’ve been difficult to actually see the dancers onstage. I wondered the same thing yesterday at Birmingham Hippodrome...can the conductor see the dancers sufficiently, particularly when they are nearer the back of the stage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 Is casting for other roles for Swan Lake released well in advance of the performances starting? I can't remember from last time. Booking for Friends+ is on Thursday and thus far we Odette/Odile and Siegfried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 22 minutes ago, MJW said: Is casting for other roles for Swan Lake released well in advance of the performances starting? I can't remember from last time. Booking for Friends+ is on Thursday and thus far we Odette/Odile and Siegfried. I don't think so. I'd be happy with any casting for the MacMillan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 1 hour ago, MJW said: Is casting for other roles for Swan Lake released well in advance of the performances starting? I can't remember from last time. Booking for Friends+ is on Thursday and thus far we Odette/Odile and Siegfried. I don't think it ever is, is it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJW Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 45 minutes ago, alison said: I don't think it ever is, is it? I thought Von Rothbart and Benno castings were announced, but perhaps not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted December 5, 2023 Share Posted December 5, 2023 8 hours ago, MJW said: I thought Von Rothbart and Benno castings were announced, but perhaps not. IIRC the casting of these roles was a surprise revealed only on the night of the performance. It was always a pleasant surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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