Friday 15th July 2011 by Will Langdale
A quick pick of what’s hot in the TicketTree.com office
Revealing a new star…
The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, the conveniently-acronymed STAR, had its AGM at the start of the month, and as members we were, of course, in attendance. We thought we’d take a moment to tell you a bit about STAR and why it’s so important to the British ticketing industry.
The Society was formed in 1997 by various companies within the industry to ensure high standards of service to consumers. With the rise of the internet and online auction sites, touting and scalping – buying in-demand tickets then reselling them unofficially at a premium – became increasingly easy to do and difficult to stop. How do you know that the ticket you’re buying is at the price you’re paying? How can you hold to account those who would lie about the location or view of your seat, or even sell you something for the wrong date then refuse a refund?
The answer is to only book through STAR-affiliated ticket agencies, such as ourselves. When you book with us you don’t simply have our word that you’ll get what you pay for, you have the weight of every major ticket-seller in the UK. That’s why when you book with TicketTree, you can be confident we’ll get you the best possible tickets we can find at your selected price level at your time of booking.
At this year’s STAR AGM a new logo was unveiled, which we’re currently sporting rather fetchingly at the head of the page. We’re also proudly wearing it at the bottom of every email we send, so you can be confident that at TicketTree, you’re getting just the ticket you paid for!
Off to the Adelphi
We’re frantically excited for our man James Cordon, as One Man, Two Guvnors finally confirms a return to the West End’s Adelphi Theatre after its national tour! The National Theatre show, currently running at the Lyttelton Theatre, garnered wildly good reviews from across the board, and sold out in a heartbeat. We’re tremendously excited to have it back.
One Man, Two Guvnors was adapted by Richard Bean from The Servant of Two Masters, by Carlo Goldoni. The 18th-century Venetian comedy has been transposed to 60s Brighton, where the hapless James Cordon is employed by two mob bosses. It runs from November 8th to February 25th.
For those of you who can’t make it, or want a cheeky preview before you book, National Theatre’s NTLive scheme is broadcasting the play to venues up and down the country on September 15th. We can’t wait!
Return to the green and pleasant land
When a few weeks ago we raved about War Horse’s success at the Tony’s, the American Broadway awards show, what we didn’t mention was that another British export almost bagged best play, but was pipped at the post. Jerusalem, the critically lauded play by Jez Butterworth, is now transferring back to the Apollo Theatre from October 17th, with previews from October 8th.
Originally at the Royal Court, the play follows Johnny Byron, a local wanton wastrel, who on St George’s Day is wanted by the police, his son, his mates and a local thug.
Deal of the week
We’ve got some fantastic new rates for Betty Blue Eyes this week, with top-priced Gold packages now massively discounted on every performance except Saturday nights. There’s never been a better time to go see it! If you’re looking for a slice of nostalgia and old Blighty goodness, you really can’t go wrong.