Following the 2.5% drop in VAT and the economic gloom of the credit crunch, many of London’s shows have dropped their ticket prices, making it cheaper to enjoy a night at the theatre.
Theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh has today announced that his shows, which include The Phantom Of The Opera, Oliver!, Les Misérables and Avenue Q, will offer a new family £50 Crunch Buster ticket from 4 December. The Crunch Buster ticket will allow admission for a family of four, two adults and two children, and is the first time that Mackintosh has introduced a family ticket for his musicals.
Speaking about his new ticket scheme, Mackintosh said: “Obviously the current economic climate is going to affect some people more than others, and I would like as many families as possible to enjoy a night out at one of my shows. The Crunch Buster will give them the opportunity of seeing a top show for almost the same price as a cinema ticket.”
Crunch Buster tickets go on sale from 10:00 on 4 December, and can be bought at the box office or via www.crunchbustertickets.com
It is not only Mackintosh who has dropped prices recently. In the wake of the new 15% VAT, many shows have passed the savings on to theatregoers by dropping their prices appropriately. Among the productions to have implemented new prices are Grease, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound Of Music and Mamma Mia!
Sadler’s Wells has also reacted to the credit crunch by lowering prices for its Christmas production of Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands by 15%. Tickets bought before Christmas Day are now available for £8.50-£42.50. Prices revert to their original structure from 26 December.
MA