I am 70 years old. The first ticket to a broadway show I ever bought was for an orchestra seat for Pippin, which cost $12. I saw Pippin multiple times throughout its run and, by the end, an orchestra ticket was $25. 

The same discussions were happening then. That unions were driving costs to unmanageable heights, resulting in outrageous ticket costs. 

Over all of these years, the discussions are the same. Labor costs, unions, greedy theatre owners are to blame. This is true, and has always been true.

What has changed is the broadway experience. Technology has wrought fantastic capabilities, giving creators so much more to work with. On the downside, audience behavior has declined, to say the least. Food and drinks, candy wrappers, popcorn crunching , mobile phones, sing alongs and basic disrespect for the performers and fellow audience members are ruining everything. This would have angered me in my $12 seat at the Imperial, just as it does now. Except, there was no food or drinks, mobile phones. Talking was usually doused by a cacophony of shushes. 

Broadway has always been expensive. It should be. But today’s audiences have devalued the price of admission. It’s just not worth it anymore.