The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-09
TWO PRICE THEATRE
UNFAIR, SAYS KLAW
Manager Attacks "llock SlIop"
Methods Of Selling Chcap
Tickets.
BOX OFFICE RIGHT PLACE

Marc Klaw OF the firm OF KiaV a g..
LANCER. speaking to a Sun rep r,er yes
terday on the subject Of the cdItori,
which appeared In yesterdays ISSUE ~
this paper on the price Of theatre 'rto.s
SAID:
II am glad to see THE srN ,lmnen,
upon this pernicious and dcmprtl.z.ne
business There is no objection TO
man charging what he pleases for
tickets to the theatre and don, ne.
lieve there is any law that can regulate
the price. There IL q law beior, the
Legislature now which would p-,cti.
cally stop the sale Of tickets any,,hars
except in the box office and that would
be a good thing refer to the Simo.
son bill. But this business OF charging
80 at the box office and sending seas
around through agencies to people 20
that they can purchase them at half
price is a hook shop system of doing
business that this firm will not cub.
scribe TO.
ut seems to me II the price Of ticke.
Is to be reduced 1t should he plainly so
stated in the advertisements and ,uey
should be reduced at the box ohic, An
attraction playing one OF our theatres ne.
Gently came to us with the proposition
To Indulge in this perniciOus system =
outside distribution and We doc' ned
We told them frankly that we had M
objection to reducing the prices, but
they should do il squarely at the box
office and give the stranger in town the
same advantage to buy at cheap prices
that Ii now given to the native. Tie
stranger does not know this game and
pays SO. Naturally he feels injured
when he finds that his ne.ghDor in the
theatre paid only 81 for his seal
1T reminds me Of the scheme IN
vogue In some French restaurants during
the summer season, when PARIS B, full
of strangers. They have no prices IN
the menu cards, but there is ou, Sc,
of prices for the Partisan and another
one for the American aud Russian.
have heard many Americans object 10
such system, yet some theatres here
are practising practically that same
game. | have no quarrel with those
theatres that wish TO do 10 II they want
to label themselves as d llar theatres
They will hnd In time that the public
will not pay more than II dollar to go
to those particular houses.
'"rhe day may come when there will
he a reduction in the price of theatre
tickets, but | don't believe II and ! don't
believe that the majority Of managers
have provided for 1t with their small
auditoriums but when IL does come me
box office should be the place whore the
prices are made.
you might say that this works the
other way with the high prices. That IL
true. Mddlemen get hold of tickets for
big successes and In conniVance with
hotels and other places raise the prices
to absurd heights But the fact remains
that those tickets that are dispensed
through the box Office window are
cheaper than those that are sold on The
outside aud iiiat il "a good puHitiun TO
the theatre TO be IN
81 don't mean by this that the thea.
tres should have these tickets In the
hands OF the outsider at all. | made a
fight before the Legisl sture last winter
against this whole ticket Specializing
scheme with bill that was feasihl,
and practicable and had the indors.
ment of the Bar Association as beng The
hest bill that had ever come before H.
Through the ignorance or obstinacy Of
some upstate legislators It was beaten
but il still before the Legislature and
viii come up again, and when IL CONES
up this time / hope some of the people
who are constantly writing letters T. the
newspapers on the subject of ticket spec
ulatiOn will come 10 the front and hep
us pass IT, We have never had a sui-
taTy soul from the outside help MS In
these fights against ticket speculation"