Imagine a world where alarm clocks dictate when to go to sleep…. where ugliness is beautiful… where it is a crime to make anything perfect… and where the cheap seats at New York City Opera cost $45.00. Welcome to the Bizarro World, arriving this fall at the New York State Theater. NYCO has jacked up the price for the Fifth Ring; that is, the sides of the top balcony with at best limited visibility of the stage. These cheap “nosebleed” seats were priced at $12.50 last season, so we are talking about an increase of 360% in just one year. By contrast, seats in the vast expanses of the Met’s Family Circle are only about $30.

La Cieca is particularly puzzled by this massive bump when she recalls that she hasn’t seen a sold-out house at NYCO in years. And, while she’s geared up for a rant, La Cieca would also like to recall the NYCO’s mission statement:

Ticket prices have always reflected the company’s initial commitment to making the finest opera available, regardless of the prospective audience member’s economic status …. always-reasonable individual ticket prices have made City Opera a viable option for the widest possible audience.

So let’s get this straight: price-gouging in a theater you can’t fill is supposed to bolster your argument that you need a brand-new and more intimate place to perform? Anyone care to guess how exorbitant NYCO’s tickets prices will be then (when and if)?

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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