Any luck moving to a closer, empty seat once you’re in the theatre?

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 6:07pm

Hello, I’m wondering if anyone here has experiences of moving to an empty/unsold seat once they’ve gotten in the theatre - before the show starts.

I’ve never tried this in NYC on broadway before but have had luck at broadway touring venues in other cities. House staff and ushers were paying less attention there and as long as the seat was not sold I’ve been able to move closer.

Has anyone seen this happen at a Broadway theatre or tried this themselves with no issue?

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 6:56pm

It's definitely much easier at intermission if there is a seat that you have seen go unused. You could also try to go to the box office about 5 minutes before the show starts and say something like "I'm really excited to see the show but could only afford this price range...Is there any chance there is something closer available that I could move to?" and depending on the box office staff you might have some luck. Good luck!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 7:14pm

I did it constantly in my 20s but you have to accept that someone may show up in the middle of the show and it is quite humiliating if I’m being honest. :)

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 7:58pm

Two weeks ago I had a few empty seats next to me at Illinioise.  I waited a few songs (to see if they were seating anyone late during applause) and then just quietly scooted over.

I would never do it before the show started because people are often just late - and now you've created a bigger disturbance by being in the wrong seat.

Updated On: 5/4/24 at 07:58 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 8:01pm

It’s not a problem midway into a show as people do arrive after a show has started so moving into an empty seat before a show starts (or as the lights are dimming) can turn into a huge disturbance if the ticket holder arrived 10 minutes after a show has started. 

[Shubert Alley Cat]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 8:38pm

Moved to seats closer to the side exit doors at THE OUTSIDERS recently.  We needed to bolt as soon as curtain call ended to make it to OH MARY by 5 pm (which we did!) and it wasn’t an issue at intermission.  In fact then others moved to the seats we vacated.

[Wick3]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 8:52pm

Had standing room at ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE during previews and after they closed the doors, an usher told us to follow her and she led us to empty seats! That show has a strict no late seating policy.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 9:06pm

Someone else posted that's because they'll put the latecomers in Standing Room. I think I'm remembering that correctly.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 9:22pm

I remember being at Something Rotten towards the end of its run and there were a lot of empty mezz seats. On the downbeat of the start of the song, there was this mass movement from the back of the mezz to empty sears closer to the front of the mezz. I've never really seen anything like it before or since.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 9:22pm

I do it a lot, but I always wait until intermission. 

Updated On: 5/4/24 at 09:22 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/4/24 at 10:08pm

I suggest waiting until intermission. As mentioned by TotallyEffed, if you take the seat of someone who arrives late, it can be a hassle for the usher and if you are close to the stage, it can be a distraction for the Actor's as well as the people sitting around the seat. If there is no intermission, I say just stay in the seat you bought. I have experienced a few times where ushers have allowed people to move right before curtain to seats they are told they can move people to. I have also experienced ushers telling people they can move from the rear to the front of the Mezz at intermission. JMO

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 12:01am

Like others have said, intermission is the best time to move.  Especially if you're somewhere like a box seat or side mezz, it can be easy to spot empty seats leading up to intermission and set a goal of moving there.  If it's a seat in your row and you could just scoot down to it, I'd recommend waiting until AT LEAST after the opening number, if not after the second or third songs.  (Sometimes shows will claim they have a no late seating policy and still seat people after the first song anyway.)

[inception]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 8:00am

I have purchased cheap rear mezz seats for shows that turned out to be poor sellers.  Just did thst last month at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion in LA for the very poorly sold opera double bill of "rediscovered operas" AKA stuff no one wants to see.  (Thst program must have lost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.)  The entire lower mezz was empty so I moved as soon as the lights went down.  People beside me in the upper mezz looked at me like they thought I was shoplifting or something.  But they were just inexperienced thestre goers.  I remember the first time I went to the Paris Opera (Bastille) for a mid week performance of Dialogue of the Carmelites.  As soon as the lights went down all you could hear through the whole place was the sound of seats flipping as people were moving throughout the whole auditorium.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 8:37am

That happens at the Boston Ballet, too. Thud, thud, thud... We were unprepared the first time! 

[nealb1]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 9:45am

Saw "Heart of Rock & Roll" yesterday afternoon and was in the Mezz, 4th row.  The Mezz was about 50% full, and at intermission moved down to the front row, which was not filled.  

[Playbill_Trash]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 2:39pm

chrishuyen said: "Like others have said, intermission is the best time to move. Especially if you're somewhere like a box seat or side mezz, it can be easy to spot empty seats leading up to intermission and set a goal of moving there. If it's a seat in your row and you could just scoot down to it, I'd recommend waiting until AT LEAST after the opening number, if not after the second or third songs. (Sometimes shows will claim they have a no late seating policy and still seat people after the first song anyway.)"

Thanks so much for the advice here, and also throughout the thread. Regarding the point made here about “picking a seat to set a goal of moving to,” what about pulling up the seating chart on your phone for the performance you’re at once you’re there and scouting out unsold seats?

If there are seats still for sale on the website, would it be a better chance that the seat is actually empty and won’t be taken by a latecomer?

[CJRochester]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 4:45pm

I have often moved to better seats during intermission. Before the show starts I think it's a judgement call. If you see a lot of empty seats, chances are the show hasn't sold well and it may be safe to move. If there are only a few empty seats, I would wait in case latecomers take them. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 5:00pm

For scouting unsold seats online, usually I think box offices pull their online sales around 30 minutes before a show so you wouldn't be able to view it anymore, and there's always a chance one of those seats could've been sold anyway (I've definitely rushed shows within 10 minutes of the start time)

[KarenValentine'sheadband]

Posted: 5/5/24 at 6:45pm

Ha! I often move back away from people. I'm a person who doesn't need to be close to the stage.