The Cost of Broadway

All of the shows that opened in 2013! Courtesy of New York City Stage

Anyone who loves theatre or musical theatre eventually ends up on Broadway. Who knows if it will be on the stage, in the audience, in the pit, or in the crew, but eventually we get there. For most theatre geeks, they see their first Broadway show when they are entering tweendom, where most careers take off (unless you are a true Broadway baby). But... have you ever wondered about the price of theatrical perfection?



Recently, several of my amigas were discussing their plans to go on a Broadway oriented trip to New York this summer. Since I am not the most affluent kid on the block, I questioned how affordable that trip really was compared to the experience itself.

Grace's Guide to a New York City Summer!

My imaginary itinerary!

A while ago I made a Grace's Guide to Sundance about how to survive and thrive, but this post is all about how to survive!

First tip: don't go to NY for the holidays, so no Fourth of July celebrations! Holiday weeks are always the most expensive weeks to travel. For our sake, I booked our flight in the middle of the summer in July. The average price for a single flight to New York from Utah was about $435 dollars. 

On Priceline.com, I was able to combine my flight (around $900) with a hotel for seven days for a total price of about $2300! I never said New York was cheap friends!

You may think that's expensive, but this is nothing compared to what comes next!

Tickets don't grow on trees, especially when they're tickets to Broadway shows. I'm amazed by my friends who go every summer to see three to five shows PER TRIP! After much research, I'm surprised by the prices as much as any other regular person would be, but I know that this is Broadway after all. I picked three shows that I dream to see if I had the chance to go to New York:

Kinky Boots:

Phantom of the Opera:

The Book of Mormon: 

All together, these three shows with tax and fees included would cost $521.75! That's nearly one hundred dollars more than a one way flight to New York!

Final Total:

Knowing myself, I had a feeling this total would be quite high. I had to add the price of food, activities, souvenirs, and a few extra things that come along with every trip before I could find my total. Here's my estimate cost of a typical theatre geek's week-long trip to New York City:

Flight + Hotel: $2,315.56

Show Tickets: $521.75

Food: $200

Transportation: $75

Spending Money: $50

Just-In-Case: $50

-------------------------------------------

$3,212.31

Thirty-two-hundred dollars for a single person to New York for only a week! What is this witchcraft? Just imagine how much more that would cost if I took a friend, or if my family came with me? Oh gosh, my wallet trembles just thinking about it. Maybe we'll go next year then... 

See you on the stage,

Broadway Baby