MW $1,525 for a 'Hamilton' ticket? Why premium seats on Broadway are getting so expensive.

By Charles Passy

These are the most expensive face-value tickets in Broadway history, thanks to Leslie Odom Jr.'s return - and the premium-pricing trend goes beyond 'Hamilton' this season

Leslie Odom Jr. performed on stage as part of the "Hamilton" cast at the 58th Grammy Awards on Feb. 15, 2016, in New York City.

Talk about some revolutionary pricing: The cost for Broadway's top ticket has now crossed into four-digit territory.

Specifically, a premium ticket to see "Hamilton," the long-running musical chronicling the Revolutionary War-era story of Alexander Hamilton and America's fight for independence, was selling for $1,200 this past week, according to the Broadway League, the industry's trade group. And seats for future performances are running as high as $1,525.50 on the "Hamilton" website.

That makes them the costliest face-value tickets in Broadway history, according to reports. But there's a reason for the buzz: The show, which recently marked its 10th anniversary, has welcomed back one of its original stars, Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Hamilton nemesis Aaron Burr for performances through Nov. 26.

The eye-popping prices haven't stopped buyers from lining up - in fact, they speak to the sudden and sizable surge of interest in the show. "Hamilton" grossed nearly $3.8 million last week, according to the Broadway League, a figure that is more than double what the show was taking in during some weeks earlier this year. It's also close to the record numbers "Hamilton" set earlier in its run during peak holiday periods.

Still, the prices have fueled complaints from theatergoers. On a Reddit thread, one commenter noted that a $1,000 "Hamilton" ticket is about equal to the price of a brief New York vacation.

"I love 'Hamilton' and think LOJ [Leslie Odom Jr.] is wonderful but holy crap $1,000 for just a ticket is absurd to me," the commenter wrote.

Others agreed. "I don't care who's in the show - that's absolutely ridiculous," said a different commenter on the thread.

Representatives for "Hamilton" declined to comment for this story. But officials with the show have noted in the past that lower-priced tickets are available - indeed, last week some seats went for $99, according to the Broadway League. Plus, the show offers a lottery for every performance in which a select number of lucky winners can get tickets for $10 each.

'$1,000 for just a ticket is absurd to me'Commenter on a Reddit thread regarding "Hamilton" pricing

Jeffrey Seller, lead producer of "Hamilton," said in a 2016 New York Times interview that the show's premium pricing was a response to sellers on the secondary market, who typically charge plenty more than face value for seats. And that's money the production never sees.

"What has certainly been frustrating to me, as a business owner, is to see that my product is being resold at many times its face value and my team isn't sharing in those profits," Seller said. "It's not fair."

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While the $1,525.50 price tag may be the highest that Broadway has seen, it fits into a pattern of shows with prominent names commanding top dollar. Last season, a production of Shakespeare's "Othello" with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal had premium seats priced close to $900, and a production of "Good Night, and Good Luck" with George Clooney had some tickets above the $800 mark.

And the trend is continuing this season beyond "Hamilton." For example, a newly opened production of "Waiting for Godot," starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, already has a top ticket price of nearly $600.

Given that many theatergoers are willing to pay those prices, industry professionals say you can't fault the producers.

It all comes down to the laws of supply and demand - and producers are "following what that demand is," said Ryan Saab, an executive vice president with RWS Global, a prominent theatrical production company.

Ken Davenport, a Tony-winning producer, also makes the point that you can't conflate what some high-profile shows charge with what Broadway charges as a whole. According to the Broadway League, the average cost for a ticket is around $125.

"Broadway has suffered from this feeling that everything is the price of the highest-priced show," he said. "That is the same as saying all concert tickets are the same as Taylor Swift tickets."

Plus, savvy theatergoers say there are almost always ways to find deals for shows.

Liz Davenport is one such Broadway regular. She finds deals for shows through various ticket-buying platforms, including Theatr and StubHub $(STUB)$, and she notes that bargains can often be found when ticket holders have to unload seats at the last minute. She also says shows have "rush" ticket programs that offer significant savings, as well as lotteries à la "Hamilton."

But Davenport, who's no relation to producer Ken Davenport, says she would never spend $1,000 for a ticket.

"I don't care who or what it is - if the entire original cast of 'Hamilton' came back and I were sitting front-row center, it would not be worth $1,000 to me," she said.

-Charles Passy

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September 19, 2025 11:56 ET (15:56 GMT)

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