The Theatre: Cost Plus

Why Theatre Tickets Thin the Visitors’ Bankroll

George H. Babbitt, butter-and-egg man of Tiffin, Ohio, and cousin to the prominent realtor about whom Mr. Sinclair Lewis wrote a book, comes to Manhattan for the Fodder Products Convention. With him comes Mrs. Babbitt and all the little Babbitts.

Mrs. Babbitt wants to go to the theatre, particularly through those long evenings when Mr. Babbitt is at butter-and-egg meetings. Therefore she scans curiously the advertisements, discovers critical excerpts culled by the press agents designed to prove that every production in town contains superlative entertainment. She gives up and consults the hotel elevator boy.

This sagacious individual gives her a list of six or eight shows. Thus armed, Mrs. Babbitt, thrifty soul, attacks the box offices. She discovers that not a single theatre on the list has any seats within hailing distance of the stage. Properly indignant, she protests and is informed that a few seats may possibly be obtained at the agencies. She waddles petulantly around Times Square, discovers finally that good seats for the greatest hits cannot be had for less than $7 apiece. The leading musical shows range between $10 and $15.

Though this condition has existed for a long time, the Babbitts are possibly ignorant of the cause. Briefly the cause is this:

A “hit” arrives in town and the ticket agencies immediately apply for all the tickets they can get for weeks in advance. The manager allots them nearly the entire orchestra. Thus they virtually underwrite his production and his financial worries are over.

Theatre treasurers, as well as a number of managers, receive from the agencies a rake-off of anywhere from 25¢ to $2 a ticket for preferred locations. A $5.50 musical show is thus automatically boosted as high as $7.50. The agencies take on all the traffic they can bear. Often if they have not the tickets requested they purchase them from other brokers. The price bulges into double figures.

There have been laws and laws curbing speculators. None the less the traffic flourishes unrestricted. Possibly the guardians of the law take their share. Again the price rises.

There is pending a legislative investigation.

Meanwhile Mrs. Babbitt pays or stays at home. Usually she pays.

W. R.