A leading theatre director has described the increase in face value tickets for hit show Hamilton as a “tragic sign of the times”.
Alex Packer took to Twitter following the 25 per cent price increase in premium tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening shows. Punters will now pay £250 (€285/$355).
Packer has been working on The Woman in Black for the last two years understudying the part of The Actor on tour, as well as two stints in the West End.
His directing credits include Ballistic at Brighton Fringe and Tiny Tempest at Pleasance Islington / Brighton Dome.
The top-priced face value tickets for hip-hop musical Hamilton in London’s West End have skyrocketed by 25 per cent.
While premium tickets for the latest booking period, for dates between July 30 to December 15 have been inflated, the bottom four tiers of ticket pricing remain the same.
The cheapest seats still cost £20, while the fifth tier of tickets has increased from £89.50 to £100.
New Hamilton ticket prices are a tragic sign of the times. Greatest piece of theatre only viewable by the super rich. A corrosive system of greed that will destroy our industry. So sad knowing the young people who it could inspire if tickets were anything less than extortionate
— Alex Packer (@_alexpacker) January 28, 2018
In addition, Packer is heavily involved in promoting and educating young people in theatre. He has returned to his former secondary school for the last five years to direct musicals, as well as running drama workshops with young people.
A spokeswoman for Hamilton said: “The West End production of Hamilton has 240 tickets at £37.50 or less for each performance, including the £10 Daily Lottery tickets.
“Ticket prices were set for the first booking period at the newly restored and expanded Victoria Palace Theatre in 2016, over 18 months ago.”
Last month, organisers of Hamilton praised its ticketing system as “catching absolutely everyone,” with regards to touts.
The musical, which officially opened on December 21, is using a ticketless system for the first time in the West End. This means that fans entering the theatre will need to present an ID and the bankcard used to make the purchase.
Image: Hamilton Broadway
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