Jersey Boys hit a couple of C notes

I know it's a little like baying at the moon or bringing coals to Newcastle or something but please indulge me as I express my outrage at ticket prices.

The Jersey Boys tour is coming to Boston this summer, from July 23 to Sept. 26, and I was thinking about going. Not that I would do this, but just for yuks I checked out the premium price for a Sunday matinee at the Citi Performing Arts Center's Shubert Theatre. It was $200! That's before adding in the $16.25 "service charge" and the $2 "handling fee."

Of course, no one is saying I have to spend that much. I could get a plain vanilla orchestra seat for $99 or sit in the back of the balcony for $49. I'm guessing with group discounts and the like, very few people will actually pay $200 for a ticket.

And granted, $200 is still a bargain compared with Broadway. A premium seat for Jersey Boys on the same Sunday afternoon at the August Wilson Theatre will set you back a whopping $352, not including a $7 service charge and $2.50 for handling.

Now, I'm far from a theatre snob. I see many fine Broadway shows on tour. I'm sure the performers in this production of Jersey Boys are terrific. Looking at their biographies, it seems quite a few have Broadway credits. So it's not like I'd be paying to hear four guys from the neighborhood croon some Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons tunes.

But still - $200 for the best seat on tour, when you may not be getting all the bells and whistles of a Broadway production. Am I out of line in thinking there's something wrong here?

How high can ticket prices go?

I think I once paid $50 to see Bruce Springsteen in concert but that was as high as I'd ever gone for a ticket to a single entertainment event - until I started going to Broadway shows. Now, I routinely pay twice that much without thinking twice.

I've gotten better at using discount codes from places like Playbill but because I'm from out of town and have a limited amount of time in New York, and because my increasingly arthritic knees crave the extra leg room in the orchestra and I like being close, I've bought plenty of full-price tickets. I've even splurged for premium seats on a couple of occasions. Like most people, I've cut back on my spending a bit over the past few months. But I don't want to cut back on my theatergoing.

I'm not like most tourists. When I go to New York, I see a lot of shows. So New York Gov. David Paterson's proposal to add a 4 percent tax to theatre tickets certainly hits home. I have to agree with Steve on Broadway that theatre owners should think about reducing prices or cutting fees.

Rocco Landesman, the president of Jujamcyn Theatres, which owns five Broadway houses, testified yesterday in Albany. He noted that visitors come to New York to see theatre much more than they do to attend sporting events. Some lawmakers made the point that teams like the Yankees also attract tourists.

Sure, I know people who've come to New York for a Yankees game but I still think Broadway is the biggest draw. There's no doubt that having a thriving theatre district - with all of the ancillary businesses like hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops - plays a big role in the city's economic well being.

Afterward, Landesman said that theatre owners and producers were “going to have to look hard at our cost structure” and try to find ways to lower ticket prices to make theater more accessible. I hope he follows through because I could use a break - and so could a lot of other people.

Theatre is the main reason why I come to New York. I love being able to see a show every night - plus two on weekends. The thought of not having my tickets with me when I get there - of having to take my chances at the TKTS booth or lottery - does not make me happy. Neither does the prospect of seeing fewer shows.

Are there any balconies with leg room?

1 million free theatre tickets

The more I read about the theatre and the more I go to the theatre, the more I realize that the topic of demographics, i.e., how to get more young people in seats, is a neverending topic of discussion. So I thought this was an interesting story:

Starting in February, the British government is planning to distribute 1 million free theatre tickets over the next two years to people age 26 and under. About 100 publicly financed venues across the country will set aside a certain number of tickets on the same night, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“A young person attending the theatre can find it an exhilarating experience, and be inspired to explore new horizons. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception,'' says Andy Burnham, Britain's secretary for culture, media and sport. Burnham added, "It will be good for theaters who will see their audience broaden, and it will be good for actors who play at their best when performing to a full house.''

The program's $4.6-million cost is being borne by England's Arts Council, the national development agency for the arts, which gets its money from the government and the United Kingdom's National Lottery.

According to the Council's Web site: "Our aim is for everyone in the country to have the opportunity to develop a rich and varied artistic and creative life. We will ensure that more high quality work reaches a wider range of people – engaging them as both audience and participants. We will support artists and arts organisations to take creative risks and follow new opportunities."

Of course, the plan isn't without its critics. Some say the money would be better spent on more pressing financial needs, or on arts education. They note that many theatres already offer heavily discounted tickets. And some critics fear that it won't necessarily expand the audience, since many of those who will take advantage of the free tickets may already be theatre fans.

Okay, those are all perfectly valid points. But even though I'm way over 26 and I'm not in England, I still think it's a pretty cool idea.