New Pricing Initiatives

For the 2011-12 season, 42nd Street Moon introduces a new pricing initiative:

1) A 10% early bird discount

The good news first! We are offering an Early Bird discount for every show this season (find the code online, on the postcard, and emails we send out). The discount will generally end two weeks before the first preview. This discount will be valid for EVERY performance, including Sunday matinees! Watch for your emails and postcards for the special code you’ll need!

2) A Slight increase in single ticket costs

Single Tickets will be increasing by one or two dollars. 

Why?
Those of you who have been with 42nd Street Moon since before 2008 know how much we’ve changed our productions. We have gone from actors holding scripts, no props, limited sets, and minimal costumes, to fully produced intimate productions. We have also increased the number of professional actors in each show, and we are proud to provide these Equity Actors with raises each year!

Tickets sales cover 50% of our costs; the balance comes from patrons like you in the form of donations. And, while we have increased the number of donors in our patronage over the years (for which we are deeply grateful), production costs continue to climb. The resulting shortage requires us to raise single ticket prices.

3) No more discount outlets!

As many of you probably noticed last year, we drastically reduced the number of tickets we sold on discount websites. This season we will no longer be using discount outlets at all.

Why?
We want our patrons that follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and read our emails to receive the best offers directly through us, saving both 42nd Street Moon and our patrons additional outside vendor fees. If you haven’t joined us on Facebook or followed us on Twitter, now is the time. Don’t forget to read all your emails from us, many will offer special time-sensitive discounts!

4) Dynamic Pricing

First, dynamic pricing will not affect Subscribers at all! Subscribers are still entitled to buy extra single tickets at the regular subscription rate. So for the best locked in rate and to get the same seats show after show, season after season, call us at (415) 255-8207 [Tue-Fri 12pm-5pm] and purchase a subscription!

For single ticket buyers unfamiliar with dynamic pricing, it is the common sense principle of supply and demand. Don’t worry, unlike super-sized ticket vendors we won’t raise our prices by several hundred percent. In fact, we guarantee not to raise ticket prices more than 15% of the original ticket price. If you make a habit of purchasing your tickets early you’ll reap the rewards of dynamic pricing. While others are paying a lot more for their tickets, you can feel confident that you got the best price available. Save yourself time and money by going directly to our website from now on, and buy early!! To see the range of our single ticket prices please click here (the lowest price is the initial ticket price).

So, how does it work? If a show starts to sell out, and you wait until the last minute, you may see an increase of from $2.00 - $6.00 over last year’s prices. There will be a small increase when our website states that tickets are “limited” and another small increase when the website states tickets are “very limited.” However, the vast majority of you who purchase tickets early – especially those of you who beat the Early Bird deadlines - will see no change at all or even a slight decrease in single ticket costs over last year.


We would like to hear from you.  Please share your thoughts about these new policies in the comments section. If you have specific questions, please leave them below or call us at (415) 255-8207.

Where in the World is the Nymph Errant Day 2

I do apologize for taking so long to get this next edition of “Where in the World is the Nymph Errant?” finished.  I wanted to write a special tribute to Bob Grimes (see blog).  Also, we had our opening weekend.  It was a busy time!
 
So, for those of you who aren’t sure where Evangeline was in the last edition…  I’m not going to tell you – here!  Check on our Facebook page for the answer.   Now, on to today’s clues!

Clue 1.  The city was chartered in 1191.  

General  enough for you?

Clue 2.  It was named after a way of crossing over a river.  

Hmm, I never said it was a popular way…

Clue 3. It lies on the Thames and Cherwell.  

Those would be the rivers which need to be crossed.

Clue 4. It houses the oldest University in the English Speaking World.

Gosh, I can’t make it any easier than that!

By the way, did you find her in the picture?    You can still see Evangeline (aka Sharon Rietkerk) on stage as she does all this traveling.  But the good news is, she’ll take you on this whirlwind adventure while you stay in one location, the Eureka Theatre!  Come see Nymph Errant until Oct 23, for tickets 24/7 click here or call (415) 255-8207 Tue-Fri  noon-5.

Bob Grimes - The Sheet Music Mogul of Post Street

42nd Street Moon lost one of our dearest friends this past weekend. Bob Grimes passed away on Saturday afternoon. It is a great loss, not only for us, his family, and friends, but to the entire music world. The inside joke about Bob was that he was “Almost a Celebrity” but the truth is, he was a celebrity, the rarest of celebrities... he was a celebrity’s celebrity.

Bob Grimes
February 18, 1922 - October 8, 2011

Though you may not have known him, the biggest names in Broadway and Cabaret knew who he was and would seek his insight, knowledge, and miles upon miles of sheet music when constructing a cabaret evening, one of their recordings, and possibly a PBS special or two.

A news report about Bob from 1992

I met Bob relatively recently. But at every Moon show in the past two years I have enjoyed hearing Bob’s distinct bellowing laughter all the way out in the lobby. When Bob was at a show, everyone knew it. And you could always tell the cast seemed a little livelier, a little more “on,” because when Bob was at the theatre, everyone wanted to hear that laughter.

Then there was the apartment, I kept hearing, “You should go to his apartment, it’s amazing.” Finally, when Bob asked if I’d like to take his collection of programs from old Moon shows, I jumped at the chance. Not only to have an archive for Moon, but I also saw this as my chance to enter a Broadway Nirvana.

An ardent collector of cast recordings myself, I was beyond awed.

I had a wonderful time that afternoon talking to Bob, looking at the collection he still had, as most of it now resides at The Michael Feinstein Foundation at the Center for Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. He had a mind like a steel trap. He could remember songs, the movies they were from, who starred in the movies, and most amazingly… where in his apartment all those movies, music, and cast recordings were! I can’t even find my car keys in the morning.

Bob's Collection at the Michael Feinstein Foundation.

Perusing his recordings (VHS, DVD, CD, and Tape), I was dumbfounded at some of the rarities he had! He would ask me about a movie, when I told him honestly I hadn’t seen it, he didn’t seem shocked so much as sweetly pitying me. I left that day with four DVDs and instructions to watch them so we could talk about them another time. That was Bob, he loved this music… and by gum you were gonna too!

Bob amassed over 32,000 pieces of sheet music, many long out of print and not to be found anywhere else, except possibly the Library of Congress – and possibly not even there! Andrea Marcovicci, Paula West, Michael Feinstein, Wesla Whitfield, Klea Blackhurst, Jonathan Franks, and thousands of other performers from all over the world, would come to his apartment in San Francisco and work with him to find some of the most clever, moving, and virtually unknown songs to add to their repertoire.

Without a doubt, he held a special place in all of our hearts. The only thing more impressive than his collection and knowledge, was how kind and gentle a man he was. Bob, I will miss you terribly as I know we all will. As I write this, our cast for Oh, Kay! has just started rehearsals and all I can think is… wherever Bob is now, we will have someone to watch over them and us all.

Here Bob talks about coming to San Francisco and changing the official song
of San Francisco from "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to "San Francisco."

Please leave a comment and let us know how Bob touched your life.

Where in the World is the Nymph Errant Day 1

Just like with businesses, home values, and so many other things… Nymph Errant is all about Location, Location, Location.  Well, ok, maybe not all about… there’s a lot about love, romance, sex, and singing too… but location is up there.

Over the next week or so I want to play a little game, my loyal Moonies. 

Where in the World is the Nymph Errant.  Each day I’ll have a picture, and somewhere in that picture our intrepid heroine Evangeline Edwards, will be hidden.  The game has two parts, one you must find her, and two, you must discover where she is given a few hints.  This is all on your honor, so have fun with it!

Clue 1.  This location was renamed by Cole Porter (but just by one letter!)

Too easy?  Do you know the location? 

Clue 2.  It is fabled to be the inspirational spot for Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.

Almost got it… it’s on the tip of your tongue…

Clue 3.  Coco Chanel opened one of her first shops here…

Have you got it?

Clue 4.  In 2011 it hosted the 37th Annual G8 summit.

You’ll find out the answer in our next installment.

By the way, did you find our Evangeline in the picture?  She’s there.. I swear.

If you can’t find her in the picture, come see her on stage.  Sharon Rietkerk stars in Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant playing through October 23, 2011.  For tickets call (415) 255-8207 or click here.

Choosing a Play: the Decision to Produce Silk Stockings.

I am always fascinated by the process Artistic Directors use to choose the plays for their seasons.  In the next few weeks I hope to sit down with our A.D., Greg MacKellan, and ask him about next season's terrific line up.

But for right now, I did get a chance to talk to him about Silk Stockings specifically. Find out why 42nd Street Moon produced Silk Stockings in the interview below.

Come check out Cole Porter's quaint 1955 hit, Silk Stockings at the Eureka Theatre through May 22.  For tickets click here or call (415) 255-8207.