Denzel Washington DEFENDS $900 tickets to see him on Broadway amid Beyonce comparisons and fan backlash

Daily Mail​

23-04-2025

Denzel Washington is weighing in on the outrageous prices for tickets to see him star in Othello on Broadway — and he doesn't have a problem with the triple-digit costs.
Fans looking to catch the Oscar-winning star and his costar Jake Gyllenhaal in Shakespeare's tragedy have been dealing with major sticker shock after seeing prices as high as $900.
While speaking to DailyMail.com last month, Othello's director Kenny Leon went as far as to compare the inflated prices to those of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour.
The 70-year-old stage and screen star seemed to wave away the eye-popping prices by noting that a few lucky audience members at the Barrymore Theatre could snatch tickets that were considerably cheaper.
'[They're selling] as low as $50. People don't talk about that,' Washington said while chatting with Entertainment Weekly.
However, those cheap tickets — at least by Broadway standards — aren't easily accessible to most theatergoers.
According to the Othello production's website, the only way to get tickets for $49 each — 'fees included' — is to enter a digital lottery system that opens at 12 a.m. ET on the day before the performance.
The winners are then alerted and given the opportunity to purchase those significantly discounted tickets at 10 a.m. the day before.
But it's unclear exactly how many lottery winners there are per show, and anyone traveling to New York City with hopes of seeing Washington and Gyllenhaal performing Shakespeare won't want to take the chance.
Students with valid IDs also have the option to get the cheaper tickets on the day of, but the supply is likely limited.
Tickets made available after buyers have to cancel are also a cheaper option, though they tend to be multiple times more expensive than the $50 tickets, even though they're a steal compared to $900 tickets.
As of Tuesday evening, most upcoming Othello performances are sold out or only have one or two available seats.
The cheapest regular ticket options appear to be over $600, while more expensive tickets cost as much as $921.
According to the Broadway League's 2023–2024 demographics report, the average Broadway ticket price was $125.27, though with inflated fees the actual average cost rose to $154.70.
However, critics have lately derided the massively inflated prices for a recent spate of celebrity-driven shows on Broadway.
George Clooney recently joined the trend when he made his Broadway debut in Good Night, And Good Luck, which is adapted from the film of the same name that he directed and played a supporting role in.
Denzel's costar Jake previously scored a hit on Broadway when he led a revival of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical Sunday In The Park With George, which was a hit thanks to strong sales and high ticket prices.
The average ticket prices for Othello were previously reported to be $338 per ticket, though anything close to that price appears to be long gone, and the few ultra-cheap lottery tickets may provide an unrealistic picture of ticket prices by dragging down the average.
In the same interview, the Gladiator II star — whose recent injury threatened to derail his return to Broadway — laughed off comparisons to Beyoncé due to the play's sky-high ticket costs.
'I haven't quite felt like that. I can't sing or rap,' he said with a laugh.
But Denzel also expressed his gratitude for the stellar reception the production of Othello has received.
'I'm humbled by the reaction and the response that we're getting, and I'm humbled by the opportunity to use my celebrity to help others. That's what it's about,' he added.
In March, Othello director Kenny Leon defended the play's astronomical ticket prices to DailyMail.com.
He said family's would want to splurge when they saw Denzel and Jake and compared the experience to a family buying tickets to see Beyoncé on tour or getting 'floor seats' to see LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, those most people who see the Lakers aren't necessarily able to afford such pricey prime locations.
'So to me, with a commercial industry, people are paying what they think it's worth. A guy showed up the other night and he said, "I paid $921 for this ticket and you know what? I don't want a cent back. I want to figure out how to come back,"' he claimed.
'That's what I feel proud of every night. I have a 1,000 people in there and it's so diverse,' Leon continued. 'I have young people, I have people that are all economic ranges. We have student tickets for this show. We have digital lotteries everyday.
'I'm proud of the box office and I'm proud of what's on the stage.'