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I won the standby lottery tonight and had an amazing time! I wrote up a trip report, some tips, and my thoughts on the show via blog post, but here is the tl;dr for everyone looking to do the standby lottery: 

TL;DR 

*When you arrive before 7pm, you get in line and the lottery folks take your Patron ID and write it down on this raffle ticket. The line is not too crazy, it took us about 5-10 minutes on both days. They rip off the portion they wrote on and throw it right into the lottery basket/cage thing (what is this called?), then hand you the stub. The stub has a 7-digit number. This is the number they call out, not your Patron ID. 

*Expect upwards of 1,000 entrants vying for 200 pairs of tickets. The number of entrants will likely increase as the last performance creeps closer and people return from their Labor Day trips/can no longer procrastinate, so it's probably best to go early or block out time to go to multiple drawings to give yourself as many chances as possible. 

*Based on our opening night experience, the first 85 pairs are dedicated standby lottery tickets; then there are a batch of 60 unclaimed TodayTix pairs; then a bunch of random pairs consisting of single tickets not seated together (probably staff and unclaimed member tickets). I counted about 200 total pairs. 

*When you win, you hand the staff member your ticket. They do a quick check to confirm the stub number matches the chosen raffle number, then boom, hand you the two show tickets. 

*They start at 7:10pm and go right up until the end of the curtain speech, which is at about 8:15PM. We saw lottery winners hurrying in right around this time during the show. 

*As about the 60th pair called on Day 2, we got seats in Row X, Section M, 905 and 906. Literally the last row all the way in the back in the far left section (not the furthest left but one section away) but we still had a solid view of the stage - really no bad seats in the theatre. We saw later lottery winners (so we think) get tickets further to the front since those "unclaimed" tickets probably have better seats, so that's one benefit to being called late :)

We just saw the show tonight! My initial thoughts below (please excuse the stream of consciousness).

I also wrote up detailed info on the standby lottery here, including counting how many pairs are available via standby: https://www.sharonstraveltips.com/2019/09/we-won-hercules-standby-lottery-central.html

**SPOILER ALERT to be safe**

We were high on winning and our love for the movie, but here are some honest thoughts:

• The action is a little hard to translate to theatre. They used puppets but you don't feel the towering monstrous nature of the Titans or Hydra, nor what was used to defeat them 
• The Muses had the BEST costumes and I just loved all the different takes on Gospel Truth. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 
• Zero to Hero was sooo fun! Definitely my favorite ensemble moment of the show, followed closely by A Star is Born. 
• I enjoyed the dig around affordable housing and the true heroes we need today. Reminds me of Lizzo's dig about politicians and powerful world leaders. "Why are men great till they gotta be great?" 
• Jelani Alladin's biceps. That is all. 
• He also did a ton of cartwheels! And trampolined over James Monroe Inglehart's head!! 
• I was really surprised but also a huge fan of the vulnerability Hercules shows at one point, just really breaking down in front of Phil.
• I was not a huge fan of the costumes besides the Muses' and Phil's costumes. I kind of wanted Meg to wear her flowy dress, it is just so iconic! No photography whatsoever allowed in the theatre but photo shots here show the costumes: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Bless-My-Soul-Get-a-First-Look-at-The-Public-Theaters-HERCULES-20190901
• Zeus and Hera are quite different here than in the movie, a little closer to their myth counterparts! It's jarring for film die-hards but I think it makes sense in the context of Hercules' final decision
• Sometimes the volume would drop on Meg and Hercules' mikes especially during their big songs, and we couldn't quite tell if it was due to their singing or due to the sound tech. So sadly I didn't enjoy Go the Distance or I Won't Say I'm in Love as much as I hoped - I didn't get the level of Broadway belting I was hoping for. However, Meg and Hercules' new duet was fantastic, and Jelani crushed the last note of Go the Distance. 
• In the moment, I wasn't 100% feeling the plot twist at the end. But it's a very thought provoking message that I'm still digesting. It's an interesting reflection of our current times and what is resonating with the community right now. 
• A Star is Born felt like a lit Greek block party onstage!
• There was an immediate standing ovation from the crowd. 
• Watching the show underneath the stars, with the clouds blowing overhead and the cicadas chirping beyond the theatre walls, with the castle lit up in the distance and soaking in the late summer air, was just a magical experience. It's one of those nights when you just appreciate being in New York so so much. 
• There were quite a few people watching the show from the castle actually - sitting on the rocks or perched on the wall and getting a back view of the show - interesting last resort option if you can't get tickets. 

I rushed last Sunday, Jan 10 when it was a bit rainy and got there at 8:30am, first in line. I think the next person in line showed up around 10:35am haha. Got front row balcony tickets for the 7pm show, but we got there 5-10 mins before curtain and the ushers let us sit in the Orchestra in rows N 3 and 4. Would defo recommend going on a Sunday.    

There were a few hiccups in the process, I liveblogged my rush experience and show review here: http://www.millennial-madness.com/2016/01/allegiance-on-broadway-rush.html