In an unprecedented move, producer Scott Rudin has cut all remaining ticket prices to $50 for all March performances of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “West Side Story,” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “The Book of Mormon.”
The tickets will be available beginning Thursday at noon and will be available for performances from March 12 through March 29. The move comes as concerns over coronavirus have affected the grosses of several major Broadway shows, even as attendance increased week-over-week with the addition of new productions. The Broadway League has said it is “cautiously optimistic” about business moving forward.
“As long as New York City is open for business, its beating heart remains the Broadway stage. This is an unprecedented opportunity for everyone to see a show that they otherwise might not have had easy and affordable access to,” Rudin said in a statement. “I can’t pretend that great theater is the panacea we’ve been waiting for, but in the meantime I think we could all use a few hours away from the evening news.”
Last week, all of Rudin’s shows fared well at the box office in comparison to the rest of the industry. Still, attendance for “To Kill a Mockingbird” fell to 91%, its lowest point yet for an eight-show week.
Both “The Lehman Trilogy” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” began previews last week.
With this move, Rudin — and his partners Barry Diller and David Geffen on some shows — stands to lose out on available premium seat tickets including $325 tickets to “To Kill a Mockingbird” and $220 tickets for “West Side Story.” However, according to the ticketing sites, there were many available seats for “Book of Mormon” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” through the end of the month and slightly less for “Lehman Trilogy” and “West Side Story.”
