Given that today is Monday and thus "during the week," does anyone know about the rush policy? Did anyone go this morning and see. I've been on the lockout but I haven't heard or seen anything.
It's going to be partial view, whatever they think won't sell or whatever's left.
I'll never understand why people would even ask "Where are the seats???" Oh, you mean the CHEAP seats that you're getting for a huge discount? They're going to be where they're going to be so just go and watch the show for less than you would have paid before and shut up about it or pay regular price or use a discount code if they have one.
People who always do rush are pickier about their seats than the old ladies who take 20 minutes going through their date books at the box office.
I've seen people bicker with poor box office workers when their rush seats weren't in the same section as last time. Unless they specifically announce "first row rush" or whatever, then it's whatever is set aside that day/available. I always smile and say thank you and then get excited if the seat turns out to be a great one. It's the chance you take. If you want 8th row on the aisle, then pay for it.
I love the old ladies with datebooks. They always want a specific group of seats like rows F and G same seats on the aisle (cause heaven forbid they're separated from their friends for a whole two hours). They can take forever, but a couple of times when I've been the only one in line behind them they'll generally allow me to buy my one quick ticket while they "look over other dates."
Jordan - I don't see a problem with wanting to know where rush seats will be. In some cases, there are designated sections for rush and sometimes they're consistently extremely partial view. If that is the case, some people may be willing to pay a bit more for normal discounted seats.
I've never cared and never demand to know where my seat will be at the box office but I think it's a worthwhile question to at least ask on a message board of people who have purchased rush seats. That said, more often than not the location seems to be pretty random.
I went last night and once again had an unpleasant time at the box office. Showed up around 5:30 for the 8pm performance. Coming from someone who has no problem with sitting partial view or rear mezz, I couldn't believe how rude the box office attendant was. I was by myself trying to get one ticket for a Monday night performance. She was like "We're done with rush and we only have a few seats per performance." So once again, like Sister Act, they could care less about putting people in the seats, especially students. When I asked when tickets were gone she replied "The best I can do is $137," with a smirk on her face. Obviously if I'm trying to buy a student rush ticket for $32, I'm not going to shell out 100 more. Yes, I know that shows don't have to offer anything so I'm grateful for anything, but I also doubt that there wasn't at least one seat in the back of that barn that was available. So it is NOT a "whatever is left" kind of rush like we thought. Hoping to catch it soon!
@wicked4l You should tweet that complaint to them. I'm starting to feel terrible for these people. This show NEEDS a ton of Rush or Lotto tickets available.
Not to beat a dead horse, but the producers are being generous by offering any kind of rush. They are under no obligation to offer it at all and therefore, have the right to decide how many seats will be sold and to whom. The box office staff does not have the power to decide this themselves. We should be grateful for what they are permitted to sell us.
@cupidboy2 I have to COMPLETELY disagree with you.
The producers are being GENEROUS by selling a handful of tickets for cheap?
They dont do it to be generous, they know the tickets will be bought, because there IS a distinct market to those who do rush tickets. so they offer a limited quantity, hoping the demand will grow.
I like to see as many shows as I can. I went to get rush tickets to CHAPLIN on its closing performance. I showed up about 2-3 hours before the show, and they refused to sell me rush. Stopped by TKTS, and saw there were still 40+ tickets available through them... This show is not sold out.
30 minutes before I went to the box office, and they sold me a $32 student rush ticket!
$32 for one rush seat versus $100 for an empty seat that goes unsold is worth is...
A Butt in the seat goes WAY farther than me not seeing your show.
The closing weekend of CHAPLIN was very well sold. Maybe the box office was under strict orders not to sell any student rush tickets until right before the performance, in case those tickets would sell for more.
Maybe the producers decided that only this one specific section could be sold at rush price, and that section really was sold out, even though there were empty seats in the rest of the theater.
The press release did not promise any available seat anywhere in the theater for rush. It just said that seats are subject to availability and would be located in different sections of the theater.
You don't know exactly what the box office was instructed to do, or the producers' reasoning. You have no right to demand they sell you a seat for $30, even though it has not sold at full price by the time you get there.
Whether or not a box office worker is rude is one thing. But box office workers have no discretion over whether or not rush can be sold. That is solely the discretion of the producers. As someone said, they're just following orders. Blaming them would be like blaming a cashier for not selling you liquor if you're underage. It's not their rule--they just enforce it.
Rush IS a privilege whether you want to view it that way or not. You're getting the chance to see a show at a severely discounted rate--sometimes as much as 75-80% off full price. And yeah, sometimes the seats suck. But as others have said, if you want to choose your desired seats, pony up the cash.
lightguy, I certainly understand where you are coming from when you say a ticket sold is better than no sale at all. Yet, if a show were to a sell all of its available seats for the price of rush a few hours before curtain, advance sales would plummet. The majority of people would wait to get the better deal.
Yes, people are willing to buy rush tickets. That's because they are so cheap. The producers could just as well sell those seats at a higher price. Needless to say, they may not sell as many, but it's likely their revenue would be roughly the same. It's basic economics. As prices decrease for those seats, demand increases. If prices were to increase, demand would decrease for those seats. With higher prices, there would still be SOME demand. If their revenue is the same, why does it matter to them if fewer people end up seeing the show? A show's success is not built upon word of mouth spread by students. Thus, I still contend that producers are generous in offering rush.
As further proof of this, why do hits like Wicked and The Book of Mormon offer a lottery? They could easily sell those seats at full price. The producers are kindly making theater accessible to those without the disposable income to spend on a full price ticket.
I have no problem with shows offering partial view seats as rush options, but I do certainly ask so I can plan whether I want to spend more money on a good ticket or if partial view will suit my needs. For example, partial view for Other Desert Cities in the box seats was perfectly fine, and I only missed very minimal action on stage. Partial view seats for The Best Man, on the other hand, were severely limiting, and would have made for an unpleasant experience had the usher not let us move into the empty mezzanine.
I also seems like a good idea to me for producers to offer more / better seats for student rush, i.e. the experience I had at Virginia Woolf a few weeks ago. The front two rows of the orchestra were unsold, due to it being a Wednesday matinee and immediately after the holiday season. They filled those two rows with students so that the performers didn't have to play to the front two rows being completely empty. This just seems like a smart decision from many different standpoints, including economic. Selling those couple-dozen seats at $37 dollars each is better than selling none at the higher price, which is what they faced that day!
Went last night and ended up sitting Row X, all the way on the right. Suprisingly perfect view: the very top of the stage is obscured by the overhang, but otherwise it's completely full view. I'm excited to see what becomes of the show as previews progress. Definitely a TON of potential
Hi there! Wondering if anyone else has reports from Cinderella rush. I am thinking of going tomorrow and wondering what time to get there. Thanks so much for any tips you guys might have!
Vagabond, did try rush for Cinderella this morning? Any info you have about arrival time, seats, etc is much appreciated. I think I will try rush tomorrow for this show.
I ended up not being able to go to the theater until about 12:15pm, but I still got a ticket. 4th row, a bit off to the side but had a perfect view of everything. Amazed at the seat, and at how late in the dat it was available.
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Posted: 1/25/13 at 01:49pm