NINA ANANIASHVILI's STATE BALLET OF GEORGIA BRINGS SWAN LAKE TO THE LONDON COLISEUM IN SUMMER 24

[Emeralds]

9 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Given ENO's seasons are getting ever shorter, and musicians' contracts ditto, the orchestra are probably happy to have a couple of weeks of extra work this summer.

I was really pleased that ENOO got this gig! They deserve the pay (hope they negotiated a favourable rate!) and SBG will have stunning playing from this incredible ensemble of musicians. 

[San Perregrino]

2 hours ago, Emeralds said:

It was originally scheduled to end with the Sunday 1 September matinee but has now been extended by a week. 

I suspect this extension was already lined up at the original planning stage and is more of a marketing tool.  it can't be claimed as 'due to demand' as there are plenty of seats left for the original dates.

[Emeralds]

Possibly, @San Perregrino. Or maybe they only ever intended to do 5 days but were persuaded to stay longer since many people are away on holiday during that bank holiday week. 

 

The "due to demand" is their phrase and not mine.  🙂  I simply looked up the details and gave @alison the information she was missing, that's all. 

 

More crucially, I think they will have line up some big name guest stars who don't usually perform here to justify those high prices. I could tell in December that tickets in Stalls, Dress Circle and Upper Circle would struggle to sell unless they had the equivalent of Nunez, Muntagirov and Osipova in the leads. Not sure who advised them- hope they weren't using ENB's Royal Albert Hall Swan Lake as a benchmark, because the Albert Hall has a different system and their own following, which Coliseum doesn't for dance. It is still early days and they haven't finalised casting but they would need to confirm guest artists soon, or risk performing to a two-thirds empty auditorium as people book trips away.

Edited April 9 by Emeralds

[San Perregrino]

8 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

The "due to demand" is their phrase and not mine

in this context it was my phrase, I didn't pick it up from any earlier postings.

 

9 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

but were persuaded to stay longer since many people are away on holiday during that bank holiday week.

possible, but I find it unlikely given the logistics of organising something like this can be years in advance.

the " hey, (our ticket sales are very low so) let's stay an extra week as some people who might buy a ticket are on holiday" premise seems farfetched to me at least.

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, San Perregrino said:

in this context it was my phrase, I didn't pick it up from any earlier postings.

 

possible, but I find it unlikely given the logistics of organising something like this can be years in advance.

the " hey, (our ticket sales are very low so) let's stay an extra week as some people who might buy a ticket are on holiday" premise seems farfetched to me at least.

Well, whatever the motivation I think they'll need to take some action. What I would have done was offer multibuy discounts and concessions- eg 25% off if booking two or more performances, discounts for children, students and over 60s. Only 1 discount per ticket. That way you encourage patrons to buy more tickets (eg if children come they need  accompanying adults so that's more tickets sold) or buy more performances.

 

Since they haven't, they'll have to offer something that makes it  worth the higher cost - an extra special treat. I have to admit I haven't bought any tickets yet because I'm not spending high prices and train, parking fares on an unknown entity. ENB prices at RAH might be higher in some areas but at least I know what I'm getting (even with cast changes I'll be happy with what is offered).

 

It's also a tad worrying that so much of their publicity focuses on Ananiashvili- she was an incredible artist and dancer, but she's not dancing any more nor appearing in the production so perhaps there should be more focus on their current cohort of dancers and telling us about their strengths and talents.

Edited April 9 by Emeralds

[alison]

But why would you offer multibuy discounts if you're only bringing one production?  Most of their target audience won't be interested in going to see it more than once, I should think.

[JNC]

For a “longer” run it maybe would have made sense to bring two productions? I echo the comments about why not Bayadere, particularly with RB and ENB recently I know it’s a big ballet name recognition but it may not be the safe bet they think it is for sales, Bayadere or something different may have caught interest more. 
 

Looking at their website they also seem to have a fair bit of Balanchine in the rep, as well as ballets we don’t see often in London like works by Jiri Kylian and Folkine. I feel it would have been so interesting to see those and I would be booking if it wasn’t swan lake! 
 

I probably won’t be attending myself but interested to read reviews of those that do go. 
 

I did also clock the 2h15 time and so they must be making a lot of cuts? Even without a second interval that’s anything between 15-30 minutes of music/dance? To be honest I sometimes find Act 1 drags a bit so I wouldn’t be devastated to see that trimmed! 

[Geoff]

Currently the company is not selling tickets in the Balcony (the highest/cheapest tier) for every performance, so cheaper seats are only available on some dates.
 

That said this policy may not be driven by casting but other considerations. I agree with those who say it would be good to know more. 

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, alison said:

But why would you offer multibuy discounts if you're only bringing one production?  Most of their target audience won't be interested in going to see it more than once, I should think.

Because fans who see more than one performance of the same show do exist (like you, me and most of us reading this page 😀 ) ....and it's very unlikely that the shows will be more than half full otherwise.....if even that. They can offer discounts to whatever category they like. Symphony orchestras do allow you use multibuy on a repeat performance of the same programme, and ENB's Nutcracker multibuys do allow you to use the discount on the same show, eg one Nutcracker and two Giselles, as long as you buy them at the same booking. 

 

The Coliseum doesn't generally do ballet this late in summer.  Previous visits by Mariinsky/Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and other companies like Australian Ballet,  Dutch National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre etc were in July, capitalising on the tourists coming to London in the height of summer and many local residents not yet taking holidays. By late August, many tourists are back home (US and many other nations' school terms have begun), and many British audiences take holidays in that August Bank Holiday week because you only require 4 days" annual leave instead of 5 for a 9-day holiday. 

 

Even United Ukrainian Ballet, who charged lower prices for Giselle, and started a little later in mid September, found that it was difficult to sell out the auditorium every night for one week despite the star power of Alina Cojocaru (her dates had good sales) and guests from ABT & Hamburg, goodwill from many dance fans, and Ratmansky's interviews publicising it. The house was well attended on the nights I went but not conpletely full. The only ahow in an opera house that sells out in late August and early September is.....Wagner's Ring cycle. (And I'm not actually a Wagner or Ring fan.) 

[Scheherezade]

I have checked out the position on the Coliseum website. This shows that the balcony is available for booking on opening night Wed 28 August along with both the matinee and evening performances on Thurs 29 August but not, it would appear, for any of the other dates.

 

The balcony prices on 28 Aug and the 29 Aug matinee range from £29 - £49 with very few seats left on the 28th and not all that many, particularly among the cheapest £29 seats, available for the 29th matinee. By way of contrast, balcony seats for the evening performance on the 29th are priced from £19 - £39 (£10 cheaper across the board) and there are lots still available at all prices.

 

Prices on the 28th and the 29th matinee for the upper circle, dress circle and stalls come in at £59 - £79; £79 - £129; £89 - £129 with reduced prices for children in line with all the following dates but on the evening of the 29th the prices for all these levels follow the same pattern of £10 cheaper across the board and there are no child reductions.

 

This all seems very strange. Does anyone know why?

 

Edited April 9 by Scheherezade

[San Perregrino]

I dont know the answer to your question as such.

Here’s a few musings:

Perhaps the balcony being closed off on opening night would give a negative impression and the producers have decided that there are enough less affluent ballet fans to buy up the tickets so I’ve put the balcony on sale.
Perhaps those lucky to have balcony seats are a ‘reserve pool’ on hand to be ‘upgraded’ on the night to fill any empty seats lower down to give the ‘full house on opening night feeling’. 
Making cheap seats available at the start of the run can help with promoting the show to the widest audience through social media and word of mouth. And/or whetting the appetite to encourage people to come again and buy a more expensive seat.

Again group bookings may have taken up the first two dates that you mention, either at a discounted rate or maybe they have been invited by the producers. Again the combined power of young fingers and social media can be a huge promotional asset if harnessed correctly.

In the case of BRB Sleeping Beauty at the Mayflower in Southampton earlier this year, once all seats in the stalls and dress circle had sold for a date, the gallery was then put on sale. This might happen with the balcony at the Coliseum. 

[Scheherezade]

Thanks for your thoughts San Pertegrino. That could explain why the balcony has been opened up for the first three performances and to some extent why opening night and the next day matinee have sold well but I find it odd that the same is not true for the the next day evening performance and even stranger that that selfsame evening performance is cheaper throughout the house than every other performance in the entire run. 

[Emeralds]

12 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

I have checked out the position on the Coliseum website. This shows that the balcony is available for booking on opening night Wed 28 August along with both the matinee and evening performances on Thurs 29 August but not, it would appear, for any of the other dates.

 

The balcony prices on 28 Aug and the 29 Aug matinee range from £29 - £49 with very few seats left on the 28th and not all that many, particularly among the cheapest £29 seats, available for the 29th matinee. By way of contrast, balcony seats for the evening performance on the 29th are priced from £19 - £39 (£10 cheaper across the board) and there are lots still available at all prices.

 

Prices on the 28th and the 29th matinee for the upper circle, dress circle and stalls come in at £59 - £79; £79 - £129; £89 - £129 with reduced prices for children in line with all the following dates but on the evening of the 29th the prices for all these levels follow the same pattern of £10 cheaper across the board and there are no child reductions.

 

This all seems very strange. Does anyone know why?

 

Thank you @Scheherezade- the child discounts look new- they weren't there some time ago when I looked.

 

The ticket situation is looking rather complicated and I sense some dynamic pricing is going on! 

 

I think I'm still going to wait for casting 😀....If they are reading our forum (and why not?  😉) I'd say a multibuy discount wouldn't be a bad idea and will shift volume: it's easier to persuade one person to buy three tickets than to persuade 3 different people to buy just one ticket each. 

[JNC]

5 hours ago, Scheherezade said:

even stranger that that selfsame evening performance is cheaper throughout the house than every other performance in the entire run. 

Could this be dynamic pricing in action? If for some reason the algorithm spots seats have sold less well on a particular date it’s decided to reduce prices? I see @Emeralds has already suggested this!

 

Personally I’m not in favour of dynamic pricing. It disadvantages people not living in London by raising the price of weekend performances if I had to guess. It could also disadvantage those who have to book in advance or are committed fans who book earlier only to find last minute discounts - this then has a knock on effect by potentially causing people to “wait and see” and not book sooner next time…? On the flip side some people can’t commit to dates months in advance so then having to pay over the odds at a later date also feels unfair. Set prices make sense and are fair for all - I accept that very last minute sales are fine as some money recouped is better than none and I don’t begrudge that too (also indicates pricing was too high to begin with so unrealistically optimistic that future pricing is mindful of this). 
 

In any case I feel dynamic pricing is a bit of a lose-lose situation and could further discourage audience members from attending!

Edited April 10 by JNC

[Scheherezade]

Dynamic pricing does sound likely but if the balcony has only recently been opened up (and I’ll admit that I don’t know if that’s the case), wouldn’t it make more sense to see whether tickets there would sell at a similar price to balcony tickets on all the other dates. As they are cheaper than any other levels, logic suggests that they would be more likely to be snapped up by people who want to see the company (or the ballet) but don’t have such deep pockets.