The Social Network is Better Than Any Play I’ve Seen This Year

Isaac Butler, on Parabasis, observing that The Social Network is better than any play he’s seen this year:

We have to understand that this is what we’re competing with. We have to understand this both in terms of aesthetics and business practices. We have to stop assuming our audience shares our prejudices about different mediums being superior or the intrinsic value of live experience.  This is why things like the advertised ticket price matter, even if the average ticket price is lower.  If we think our audience isn’t calculating cost and quality and value to determine whether going to see shows is worth it at a particular theatre, we’re being naiive.  Yes, in some cases studies show that raises prices will trick people into thinking what they’re going to see is better, but that’s not a universal phenomenon, it’s untested with theatre specifically  and there’s no evidence that the effect doesn’t degrade over time.