New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-16
HIGH PRICED SEATS.
MORE OF THE PREVAILING DISCUSSION
OF RATES AT THE THEATRES.

| OF RATES AT THE THEATRES
An article appeared in these columns a few weeks
ago In regard to the prices OF seats In the new
York theatres and the comparatively recent advance
from 81 20 to 81 in some OF the local houses 'ihce
the publication of the article reierred 70 the'e mas
been some lite discussion of the SUBJECT ana Two
Of the highesprced theatres have returned to their
o,dor and lower rates At one OF these 1t is an.
rouncsd that the return IS temporary and that the
h,gbor nrces will be resumed after the run OF the
present play, and ut the other 1t IS said thal 'ns
high prices only temporary.
nan came to the box office OF the latter theatre
few DAYS ago and asked TIE price Of three OF the
host seats SIX dollars" the treasurer repieo.
The man said "Ahv' in rather detected tone. ana
wert away That's the way II goes" said the
treasurer to a bystander: "he never Will come BACK
TO this theatre again. II told him "A % ne wouo
have bought the seats. and he would nave come
again." ..
For no other purpose, apparently, than 70 reIuts
a reasonable prophecy, the man did come PACK
ui.bin three minutes and bought the seats He
had merely gone outside the door 10 consult some
bodv whom he had left there. But as the professor
NJ chem,stry would say Though the experiment has
failed. the principle remains the same
The principle was better illustrated once when
John Hare was playing in Scotland. AS he had 70
raw the travelling expenses Of a large company ana
I'VE cos. OF moving a good deal Of heavy scenery
the regular prices OF the theatre were raised nse'
though they were still far below London prices
provdent Sco,chman came to the door Oh the p''
with his wife and learned OF TIE advance IN prices
With amazerent and disgust He turned away anu
considered the subject. and in the end sent MS wire
home and went TO the play alone. That Is the way
I, really works though the special example may be
rather a fragrant one People Of moderate means,
who are the real support or the theatres 10 nv
buv so rnany tickets at high price as they 90 a'
a low price except In special cases. lhey may ~
70 see play once. but they do not go twice, ana
thev do not take so many of their female relatives
with them.
,rh srac,al cases referred to in the last para
oranh are those of especially fine or famous or
costly attractions. For instance the regular price
=, orchestra stalls az the Metropolitan Opera
House is S. but for few OF the recent perform
ances Of THE Huguenots' and carmen " was
q Now that is robbery" said an opera-soer inc
other day, when he made the discovery. well
Univ t. IL robbery? A performance In whicn Min~
Calve Nine Melba and Jean and Edouaro "
Rcazbe appear is not given without very I'm
adorable expense. an expense ihoeeo' wa
s,deraby in excess the usual one for per-
formance at the Metropolitan. Moreover eAper''
.,oa hos shown that IL Is easier to fill the Metro
nol,tan Opera House such night as this az
advanced prices than il Is on an oraihatS "eu'
at regular prices. II might be Christah chaiHS
for ths managers sell at s. seats the demaho ior
which they are unable to supply at 81 out u
,ha element OF the auction about II. suppose tor
examnle that there 1900 seats placed al /"
each Suppose that there are Zvo peop'e IA 'As
CITY who are good. honest, artlsuc H'use-io'
who cannot afford 81 each. but could ailoro % eaen
Tn other words. they are willing TO BID up 70 ~
But there are 1900 other persons VINO are Willis "
nav or In other words, 10 DID, a.
7, must further be remembered that even On
,be 40 terrible sevendoilar nights pretty sooc sees
in another part OF the house can De h&u io' 90 o..
that the opera be heard Tor 81 lnese ~
onnortunties that should be embraced oy inc so00'
honest artistic music-lovers and so, ihdeeo' l"eS
ore The complaints do not really come from
,bom for the most part. Tire people TO whom nhs
r,ustc is as the breath OF their nostris chieny
abound In the balcony and the FANNY c"0ie "
the opera house. 1t always has been SO, anu az
ten,ion has been called to the fact In the puoAe
prints something like ten thousand thes' d.
rough estimate.
The real hardship Of the high prices is due to
neculiar sort of vanity, misplaced and silly, among
theatre and opera goers, which causes its Victims
TO prefer ighpriced seats because they are hisn-
priced. This vanity aflicts men more tnah "o"e''
on the evening OF recent holiday the H'a"ae''
OF a popular theatre showed the writer Ms oo~'
Office statements for the afternoon ana evening"
Both showed huge receipts You see.' he SAID
1.-The matinee was little larger than the evenins
That was because OF the greater number OF aus
missions sold Women are more Wiling 10 s'aiio
Again. this vanity is OF three degrees: The first
and mildest degree afii.cts only men Inc vtct.n
OF this degree Is willie 70 81 S or he viii not ask
his wife his sweetheart more espeee,. , y.na
In many cases perhaps in most the swsetneaIss
herself knows what nonsense II Is. anu hu, ~
gladly go 10 a cheaper part or the neuse uus ons
Is secure from ever being asked Tie victims OK
the second degree those persons, men OF WON.
the S Ses s seats This degree is the
of the three. The third Is snam ho ou, r homng
to have the hghest-prlced seats no matter wners
they 1t WAS dependence % 'Has rseo,r.
ask s. each for of seas IN MS balcony az
time when the regular price OF gooa seats ~ al; al
iSst sr@sb members Of re third degree would
be on hand every night to pake TINS pohey pay ,.
raf 8 for an opera seat was robbery had gone
the opera on one OF ess special nights ana ana
to believe that he had ped for the tickets I. wa:
III hs ZEN de the that S
had not known 1t in me to eonyn nee his cousin
that he was spending a. nstsad OF 80 This style
what has been hs when sTa o ossr appss:
ular stars and the production OF unusually costly
s sysr a &sDh sre e. 4 no that
general the theatrs have gained anything by the
sSSss %ho are s
sa 3 sds the man
Since the DUPLICATION or the article referred 20
in the first Paragraph OF this one. The Tribune has
prInted a Letter from correspondent who says
that New-Yok people pay more for their amuss-
ments than the people OF any other city In the
world. and pat foreign stars come here feeling Sc
cure of mailing in short time much money
they could make at home in a long time The first
of these TO propositions may may not be on
tireiv and accurately true. but there Is doubtless
ruth in * b far as Ss 1t y the a %au S
buy the heaper seats. instead OF insisting on having
the mos, expensive ones. whatever the price. or II
they wuld Judge of plays more by what Is In them
and leg by the prices that their managers set upon
them there would quickly be reduction of rates.
AS TO the statement that foreign sure Of
makiig sudden and large fortunes here II should
be remembered that many foreign entertainers have
COM here. and have gone home again poorer BY
usfabout the amount Of their expenses.to say moth.
ingof their loss of time.
vhen extra prices are charged for foreign at:
tctions the extra cost of bringing them here should
aso be remrmbsred II is likely that the CORE.