thefederalistfreestyle:Here’s when ‘Hamilton’ tickets go on sale in Chicago, and the eye-popping pri
thefederalistfreestyle:Here’s when ‘Hamilton’ tickets go on sale in Chicago, and the eye-popping price range (Chicago Tribune):Tickets to the Chicago production of “Hamilton” go on sale 10 a.m. June 21. Premium tickets to the smash hit musical will run $500-$600 during the holidays. But more than 18,000 seats will be sold for $10 via an online lottery (with details to be announced later in the summer). And the plan is for 20,000 tickets to be made available, beginning in 2017, to Chicago Public Schools and other students for $10 each.Those are among the highlights of a frank, no-holds-barred Tribune interview with Jeffrey Seller, 51, lead producer of “Hamilton,” which begins performances at the PrivateBank Theatre on Sept. 27. But first, here’s how to buy a ticket: On June 21, you can visit Broadwayinchicago.com, call the presenter’s ticket line at 800-775-2000, or go in person to the PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., where there will be no handling fees and windows will open at 10 a.m. Other Broadway in Chicago box offices will not be open for “Hamilton” tickets.The first block of tickets will be released for performances running from Sept. 27 through March 19. Nothing will be on sale past that date, and the early weeks of the show already are heavily sold to groups and subscribers. Most tickets to most performances will be priced from $65 to $180.We tried to anticipate what else you might want to know in this edited transcript of the conversation with Seller, the decision-maker.Q: How long do you expect the show to be in Chicago? Please don’t say “as long as Chicago will have us.”A: I expect the show to be there for about two years. But maybe more. Is that clear enough?You’ve written about some of the different philosophies producers employ when they are making these bookings. Do I stay as long as I am making a reasonable profit, and if some tickets go unsold, so be it? Or do I leave while there is still huge demand so I can return? As you know, “Wicked” followed the one theory in Chicago and “The Book of Mormon” the other. Without being able to predict how it will play out for “Hamilton,” I subscribe more to the “Wicked” theory than “The Book of Mormon” theory. If one theory is take-your-money-and-run and the other is longevity, I subscribe to longevity.[…]Q: So who will be in the show in Chicago. Any chance of Lin-Manuel Miranda himself? Any stars? Chance the Rapper?A: There is no chance of Lin-Manuel being in the show, and I have never subscribed to star casting. We are presently in the casting process, and I am as excited about this Chicago cast as any cast I ever have assembled. We are getting close, and we probably will announce the cast in July. We have been looking for big talent, not big names. We have always said the show will look like America, and that will be true in Chicago. Our most important mission in rolling out the show to America and the world is casting. We could not be in better hands than with Thomas Kail, our director. And it is incredibly exciting to see other artists illuminate these characters in exciting ways.Q: So how much are premium tickets? Your press release doesn’t say.A: The premiums are for someone who is insensitive to price. I am not going to lie to you. They are going to be $500. Six-hundred dollars over the holidays. I set the price based on what people are charging in the secondary market. I may have to raise them again — and I will if I see all those tickets being sold at $800. In fact, the average price in New York right now is $1,000. For a $199 ticket. That’s $800 that does not go to the creators of the play or the employees of the play. That is just not fair, and it does not help the theater. Scalping is not illegal. Raising our premium prices is the only tool I have to ensure that the dollars being expended on the play are going to the people who created the play.Q: How many seats are premium seats. I assume it varies by night?A: Yes, but it is about 200 seats a night, or about 10 percent of the house. Premium tickets are what make the $10 tickets possible. -- source link
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