Two stars bring high talent and prices

After a one year hiatus, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane will make their return as the stars of the hit Broadway show, The Producers. The musical, an adaptation of Mel Brooks' 1968 film, opened in April 2001 and won a record 12 Tony awards, but after the duo's departure, sales declined by 20 percent. Both men will only play 112 performances starting December 30th and ending April 4th, but will reportedly receive $100,000 each week.

Tickets for the performances go on sale November 16th, but many people tried calling the show's publicity agency, Barlow-Hartman, directly after the announcement was made. Sales are expected to be record breaking. The show's tickets normally range from $30-$100, but with Broderick and Lane coming back, 100 orchestra seats will be selling for $480, each, through the exclusive Broadway Inner Circle. At that rate, the show will most likely generate 1.3 million per week, a Broadway record. New Year's Eve tickets are expected to sell for over $1,000 per ticket for orchestra seating.

Both of these stars have starred on stage and on screen, a rare achievement, but do they deserve that much money? At $100,000 a week you're pretty much picking up the check for the next year, in my book. Although, when something works, I guess you have to stick with it. Both Lane and Broderick are in high demand and as that old saying goes, "the customer is always right." The people are the customers who keep shows in business and Broadway will pay anything to keep them coming back. The only problem present here is that the ticket prices are going up substantially and the good seats are limited to the Broadway Inner Circle. This creates animosity between your average theater goers and your high-class stiffs. The average individual will hardly throw down $1,000 to see The Producers and, unfortunately, will not have the privilege of a better seat because of that, while the high class individual will gladly fence himself off amongst his fellow achievers for a high price. Of course this is all a result of the duo being paid a ridiculous amount.

Two great stars are coming back to the most successful show in Broadway history, but at what price? Sure, viewers will see a great show and will be treated to history, but the unfortunate side of this, is the fact that the love of theater that many posses may be shut out because of these two stars.