JSquared2 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "Regarding opening the house and letting people in around 7:30pm has been the norm for decades. I’m one of those who hates rushing and getting stressed so I’m always early to everything so this half-hour before showtime is something I can not only vouch for but confirm it’s standard everywhere. Sometimes it can be delayed a short bit but 7:30pm is the standard letting folks start getting to their seats. By 8pm they hope 99% of the audience has used the bathrooms, gotten their accoutrements and are seated waiting for the show to begin. "
Opening the house late (15-20 mins prior to curtain) is pretty much the norm at Shubert houses. They did it every night at Phantom, Music Man, most of the 45th Street buildings, etc. They apparently like the optics of seeing huge lines wrapped around the block to get in."
Really? All the shows I've been to since the pandemic have usually opened at half-hour, sometimes earlier if there was inclement weather or in the days where vaccination cards needed to be checked. Heck, the 45 times I went to A Strange Loop, I could literally just walk through the security of the Lyceum at, like, 40-45 minutes before curtain and just hang out in the lobby or use the bathroom.
This is to keep in mind the fact that the later a show is let in, the later it will start, which means more disruptive latecomers, but also holding the curtain could result in a show going "overtime", which some struggling productions might not be able to afford.
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