Are celebrity castings pushing up West End prices? Tom Holland's Romeo and Juliet and Cabaret starring Cara Delevingne are the most expensive productions on at the theatre - as ticket costs rise by 9.3%

Theatre-goers are having to splash out on tickets to West End productions as celebrities such as Tom Holland and Cara Delevinge take to the stage.

Top-price tickets to musicals and plays in London have risen by 9.3 per cent since 2023, The Stage's annual ticketing survey revealed today.

The eye-watering price for some plays has even broken the £200 mark for the first time in the survey's history.

Those looking to splurge on the most expensive play ticket on the West End should see Spider-Man hunk Tom Holland in the new play Romeo and Juliet.

The 'pulsating new vision of Shakespeare's immortal classic' has divided critics and a single ticket will set you back £298.

For musicals, the most expensive seat is one at the Playhouse Theatre to watch model Cara Delevinge in Cabaret for £303.

Other famous faces who have graced the West End stage this year include Dominic West, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sir Ian McKellan.

Documentary maker Stacey Dooley will also make her West End debut as Jenny in 2:22: A Ghost Story.

But as fans flock to see their favourite on-screen stars take to the stage, ticket prices soar due to demand.

When Hollywood heartthrob Tom Holland announced he would be playing star-crossed lover Romeo Montague, more than 60,000 frenzied fans scrambled to buy tickets for his West End run.

Tickets sold out in less than two hours and are now on resale for £300 each. 

The Stage's ticketing survey revealed that the most expensive seats for West End shows sold for an average price of £154.56 this year - a 9.3 per cent increase on last year's figure of £141.37.

This increase is more than the 2.3 per cent inflation rate people became used to over the past 12 months.

Those looking to buy the priciest tickets to see a play in London were spending 50 per cent more on average - up from £94.45 in 2023 to £141.61 in 2024.

But it is not all bad news for avid theatre-goers.

This year the average cheapest ticket cost £24.58 - a 3.4 per cent decrease compared to £25.44 in 2023.

Reacting to the statistics, Society of London Theatre president Eleanor Lloyd said: 'Despite the rising cost of theatre productions, theatre works hard to offer affordable tickets to encourage a vibrant theatre-going community.'

Lloyd argued that more expensive tickets fund access schemes which help theatre 'reach new and diverse audiences'.

She said: 'Almost a quarter of the tickets sold in the West End last year were for under £30, and just 13% were bought for more than £100.

'This is delivered in the context of producers and venues facing rising costs, with members experiencing a 120% rise in utility bills since 2019, for example.

'Despite these financial challenges, cost increases have not been passed on to audiences, with average ticket prices only rising by half the rate of inflation since before the pandemic.'

Those looking to save money flocked to Heathers at Soho Place which had the cheapest ticket of any West End musical at £15.

Producers Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills told The Stage: 'Balancing costs on West End shows is increasingly hard but accessibility of pricing, particularly on a show like Heathers, is essential.

'With so many young adults and returning fans to cater for, we are delighted to offer £15 tickets at every performance of Heathers at @sohoplace, with a range of prices up to a top price of just £89.50 at some performances.'

Musicals, such as Hadestown, which has recently transferred to the West End from Broadway, host a daily lottery where lucky theatre fans are offered tickets in the stalls for as little as £30 each.

Other shows offer 'rush tickets' which can be purchased on-the-day of the performance for cheaper prices. 

Money-savvy audience members also had plenty of options for cheap plays with five productions tying for the least expensive ticket in 2024.

Bluets at Royal Court Theatre, The Secret Garden at Regent's Open Air Theatre, Fawlty Towers: the Play at the Apollo Theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre and A View From the Bridge at Theatre Royal Haymarket all offered tickets priced at £15.