Not everyone can afford to buy Paul Mescal’s Streetcar Named Desire tickets

Earlier this week, more tickets for A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Oscar nominee Paul Mescal, were released – with prospective theatregoers quick to share their dismay at the prices.

Users tweeted screengrabs showing the cheapest restricted view seats going for £77, rising to highs of £300 for the premium spots in the stalls.

Streetcar isn’t alone here. Last year there was similar unease over Cock, starring Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey; and many other shows on the West End right now are selling their top-priced seats for well over £200 – with even the cheapest, highest Upper Circle options breaking the bank.

Honestly, I find it sad that people are being deprived of these experiences.

People can have the time of their lives at the theatre; whether it’s with a joyful all-out musical, a thought-provoking satire, or a hysterical comedy. 

I totally missed the boat on Cock because it was simply too pricey, and the words ‘from £126’ have put me off booking for A Little Life, too (well, that and the fact it’ll be emotionally devastating, but that’s another story).

I find it sad that people are being deprived of these experiences

Sure, the West End is ostensibly the most prestigious theatre spot in the UK, stuffed with big names and high production values – we can’t expect every ticket to be dirt cheap.

And hey, theatregoers can always look to London’s rich tapestry of off-West-End and fringe theatres (not to mention the countless phenomenal venues outside the capital) for a whole array of exciting, forward-thinking shows at a much lower price. 

This very production of Streetcar has just come direct from Islington’s Almeida (where, notably, tickets were significantly cheaper).

But the West End supposedly represents the pinnacle of the industry; and if it’s seen as inaccessible and elitist, that risks having knock-on effects on how people view theatre and the arts as a whole.

I should point out that it’s not impossible to catch the biggest blockbusters on a tighter budget: lotteries, same-day seats and offers come and go regularly. In Streetcar’s case, it’s been confirmed that weekly lotteries will allocate a limited number of £25 seats per show, while five pairs of £10 day seats will be sold in person at the theatre via a ‘game of chance’.

But for those who have to plan ahead with travel or childcare, theatre still feels inaccessible when you’re at the mercy of a randomised lottery with a modest number of tickets on offer.

Of course, demand is likely a huge factor. In this case, thanks to Mescal’s star power, the legacy of Tennessee Williams’ writing, and the word-of-mouth appeal off the run at the Almeida, excitement is huge. It’s definitely an ‘event’ show.

And hey, venues need to make money – you can’t spell showbusiness without business! 

These productions are expensive machines to run, especially in this cursed economy when people are more cautious about their spending, and especially after a pandemic that left the industry paralysed.

If there are people willing to pay those eye-watering prices (as clearly there must be), it stands to reason that bosses will charge them.

I’ve previously self-produced shows on much smaller scales in tiny venues, and I know from experience that turning a profit was almost impossible. So I certainly don’t know what the ideal book-balancing solution might be.

I just hope that, when these huge prices are paid by audiences, the money goes back into future productions, into helping stem the inflation of ticket prices going forward, and into fairly paying everyone involved, both onstage and off.

It would also be helpful if, wherever possible, the money goes towards making more and more seats accessible to those who can’t afford to pay hundreds (or, in the case of families, thousands) for a single day out.

But there’s clearly a long way to go – and if we want people to value the arts and love theatre, we must make sure they can afford to see it.