Got in line at 6am today. I was first, next people came at 7 and then 7;45. No tickets until noon and those were 2 pairs of premium. At 12:40ish, me and the 2 people behind me got called in and we got the unclaimed front row lotto seats for 199. Fantastic show. Brandon Victor Dixon is fantastic and Nicholas Christopher was phenomenal as Washington.
Amazing! Awesome. Last two times we went, we waited 17 and 26 hours respectively so this is the best news ever. I've been wanting to take my parents (who are older with back problems and couldn't possibly wait in a line like that) and can take them into the city, send them to see a matinee somewhere and then for dinner while my husband and I get in line at 2PM or so for Hamilton PM tickets. Thanks for the intel!
Just thought I would give a little more info from yesterday. We won the online lottery for the evening performance but the people sitting next to us in the front row were from the cancellation line. They said they got there yesterday at 4:40PM and I guess one of the first in the line after the line reformed for the evening performance. They were offered the tickets for $199.00 ea at 7:45PM.
Maybe someone can explain if after the hour to purchase the tickets from the online lottery ends at 5:00PM and seats weren't purchased why do they wait so long to curtain to re-release the front row seats for purchase at the box office?
"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter."
Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.
Maybe someone can explain if after the hour to purchase the tickets from the online lottery ends at 5:00PM and seats weren't purchased why do they wait so long to curtain to re-release the front row seats for purchase at the box office?
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Because there's a lot of time between 5pm and 7/8pm for someone to resell their cancellation line tix for more money, if they were able to purchase them at 5pm? I thought that was the reason that, barring "premium" tix, nothing is sold to the cancellation line until within 30 min to curtain.
Also, though, what's the situation if I win the digital lotto, pay in the app within my hour on time, and then something happens to me and I don't show up to the show that night, do *those* tickets then get re-sold to the cancellation line is what I wonder. Because if I paid my $10 in the app that ticket is mine, even if I don't show up, isn't it? Or maybe it's not, and that could be another reason why it's so close to curtain when the box office sells those lotto seats to the cancellation line.
Thanks for explaining that Anakela. I'm still too trusting but makes sense and the same reason when you win the digital lottery you cant pick up till the doors are open and both you and person going with you are ready to walk into the theatre.
Good question regarding if you pay and don't pick up. I know you would be out the 10.00 or 20.00 but no clue if they can/would resell.
Thanks. Winning the digital lottery is like finding The Golden Ticket.. :)
"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter."
Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.
Also, though, what's the situation if I win the digital lotto, pay in the app within my hour on time, and then something happens to me and I don't show up to the show that night, do *those* tickets then get re-sold to the cancellation line is what I wonder. Because if I paid my $10 in the app that ticket is mine, even if I don't show up, isn't it? Or maybe it's not, and that could be another reason why it's so close to curtain when the box office sells those lotto seats to the cancellation line.
I would think in that case the seats simply stay unused. If you already paid for the tickets, the box office has no way of knowing if you are simply running late. Could you imagine the ****storm that would happen if someone paid for a legitimate ticket and when they got to the box office to pick it up they were told "sorry, we sold it again to someone else for $199"?
I agree, if the digital lottery tickets are paid for, they're not selling them to anyone in the cancellation line. They only sell the tickets that are not claimed. Someone mentioned to me outside the box office that they wait until right before the show to release some really wonderful center orchestra seats that are saved until the last moment in case one of the previous cast members or another celebrity wants to come to the show that night. I believe I have read on here about people getting $199 tickets hours before the show, although the two times I waited on the line, we did get the tickets just a half an hour before showtime.
I have been reading this thread for a while for tips and I wanted to thank everyone for their helpful information. I decided to wait on the Wednesday evening cancelation line on 8/31 for a single ticket. Here is my experience. BTW this was my first time seeing Hamilton.
-arrived 4:40: No clear line. I decided to stand on the left side of the box office. Shortly after, unofficial lines form on both side of the B.O.
-5:15 they scattered the line to the right of the BO so people from the matinee could exit the theater. The line to the left was left alone.
-5:30: the line to the right of the BO is now official. People start jockey for position and it gets very crazy. People are pushing and shoving and there is a debate as to who was here first and which line counts. Eventually that calmed down and we have a somewhat orderly line that starts by the second doors to the right of the BO. I'm about 13 in line.
This was by far the worst part of the evening and really poorly handled. I decided the next time I wait in the cancelation line, I'm coming on a single show day. The process was uncomfortable and many people were upset about their new line positions.
-5:34 we are offered 4 premium seats. People in the back of the line take them. I know most people have reported that the usher will send people home after 20th in line; Tonight, everyone was able to wait.
-5:41 to about 6:00: The first several people are pulled inside to purchase lotto and cancelation tickets. I think it was about 4 people, each buying 2. Now there are about 7 people in front of me.
-6:45 I'm getting hungry and i'm too nervous to order seamless to be delivered to the line :) More people are pulled inside. A father and daughter 2 ahead of me was offered 1 ticket and my heart dropped. The father decided to take the single ticket and they prayed the daughter would get another ticket in a few minutes.
-7:30 Only 2 people (or 3 tickets) in front of me now.
-7:57. MY TURN! I rush inside and give them my credit card. I'm shaking like a leaf as I beg the usher to tell me where I'm sitting. Row G seat 101. Amazing view
-8:05 I'm in my chair and practically hyperventilating as Burr enters the stage.
A couple of notes. It looks like they sold about 20 cancelation tickets. Then moved onto standing room. I don't think they sold many SRO tickets to the public that night. I only recognized one person in the back of the theater when I went to check out the SR view. I could be wrong and maybe the people I knew from my part of the line were in the bathroom.
Also, I highly recommend ordering the Founders Fizz. Supper yummy.
Washington, Laf/Jef, Laurens/Phillip, Mulligan/Madison, & Seaburry were played by understudies. Renee was fabulous as Angelica and will be missed. I loved Brandon V. Dixon's singing, but I wasn't quite sold on his acting for Burr just yet. I'm sure he'll improve as he gets comfortable with the roll. I have tickets on Dec 20th and I look forward to seeing his growth. I loved everything about Javi's Hamilton.
I would never have attempted the cancelation line without the help of this message board. THANK YOU!
I did the cancellation line on Monday (29/ and having travelled from the UK to see the show i was DESPERATE!
Anyway, having stalked this forum ever since we booked the trip to NYC in April and probably before, I decided to be on the safe side and get there for 6am. we ended up waking up early anyway because of the jetlag since it was our first day in ny and got there at 5.45am - we were the first ones there! i was so happy haha
anyway throughout the morning some theatre staff came to chat to us (it was freezing in there and they came outside to warm up haha) and said we had a pretty good chance at getting in. Our hotel was literally 2 blocks away so me and mum swapped out a couple times to get food/go to the bathroom.
At 11am, the box office lady came and asked if we wanted premiums, and we said no bc as desperate as i was to see it, i couldnt afford that lol. there were only 2 other people in the line and they didnt either.
THEN 15 minutes later, she asked if we wanted 2 tickets (we did) and so she told us to come in and buy them!! we got front row centre mezzanine seats which was freaking amazing and paid 199 each for them. we were so buzzing because we were expecting to have to wait there all day, but instead we walked up to the natural history museum haha :)
so yeah this thing of only selling tickets 30 mins before curtain (which is an 'official' rule posted on the board outside the theatre) doesnt seem to be true haha. It also turned out that the people behind us thought they were getting rush tickets rather than returns so i dont think they actually took them. i dont know if anyone showed up later on!
Michael was amazing as Ham, Brandon was freakin incredible, and we had the understudies for Hercules/maddison and laurens/phillip but both were fab. Im so glad i got to see renee elise goldsberry even though she didnt come to the stage door
Today's line is a fiasco of awful drama, at least the line for the second show. But they have 20 people roped off for now, waiting on cancellations, and I don't think they're accepting anyone else.
Sydney, last Wednesday's matinee line experience was safe and enjoyable. Arrivals: 4:00-19 year old woman, 4:30 20 year old woman, 5:00 26 year old Max from Germany, 5:30-16 year old woman, 6:00-16 year old man. Arrive around 5:30 for matinee. It will be safe and you will likely get in.
Andrew Rosenblum said: "Sydney, last Wednesday's matinee line experience was safe and enjoyable. Arrivals: 4:00-19 year old woman, 4:30 20 year old woman, 5:00 26 year old Max from Germany, 5:30-16 year old woman, 6:00-16 year old man. Arrive around 5:30 for matinee. It will be safe and you will likely get in.
"
Thanks for the info! Unfortunately I don't live in the city so it is difficult for me to get there that early, but hopefully I'll do the cancellation line one of these days , or just wait until December comes around which is when my tickets are for.
Interesting to hear there was drama yesterday, although it's not surprising, I guess.
First I just want to say thank you so much for this forum and everyone who has contributed to it!
I'm in NYC this week and planning to wait in the cancellation line, possibly on Wednesday as I haven't made any plans on that day so I'll be willing to wait for as long as it takes. At first i thought I'd get there early morning for the martinee but from what I can gather from this board - it seems to be much quicker to wait for the evening show as some are saying to go at 4:00-5:30? It's good to hear that the wait has got a lot shorter with time. Does the fact that there are two shows make it a better day to wait? And is it better to wait for matinee or evening show when it comes to the likelihood of getting tickets/a good place in the line?
Also this is sort of off topic but does anyone know if there are fixed days for the actors and understudies? I really want to see Andrew chappelle as Lafayette/Jefferson (I know he played mulligan/Madison all last week) and Anthony Ramos as Laurence/Philip. Does anyone know if/when they have days off?
Andrew Chappelle and Seth Stewart alternate weeks playing Lafayette/Jefferson. I believe Seth played the role last week so you should have Andrew. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong). Anthony Ramos has no weekly scheduled days off and should only miss days for illness or vacation. I believe he just got back from being off for a few days so hopefully you will get him too.
aaaaaa15 said: "Andrew Chappelle and Seth Stewart alternate weeks playing Lafayette/Jefferson. I believe Seth played the role last week so you should have Andrew. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong). Anthony Ramos has no weekly scheduled days off and should only miss days for illness or vacation. I believe he just got back from being off for a few days so hopefully you will get him too.
I believe that in at least some of the weeks prior the this past one (when Oak was on vacation), Andrew and Seth alternated during the week - e.g., a couple of weeks ago, Seth was on Mon. - Wed. and Andrew was on Thurs-Sat. But I don't know whether that reflects a typical pattern. When I was looking into this for my performance, I saw that Andrew sometimes indicates his schedule for the week on Twitter. So, I'd suggest you keep an eye out there.
Cfict said: "First I just want to say thank you so much for this forum and everyone who has contributed to it!
I'm in NYC this week and planning to wait in the cancellation line, possibly on Wednesday as I haven't made any plans on that day so I'll be willing to wait for as long as it takes. At first i thought I'd get there early morning for the martinee but from what I can gather from this board - it seems to be much quicker to wait for the evening show as some are saying to go at 4:00-5:30? It's good to hear that the wait has got a lot shorter with time. Does the fact that there are two shows make it a better day to wait? And is it better to wait for matinee or evening show when it comes to the likelihood of getting tickets/a good place in the line?
Also this is sort of off topic but does anyone know if there are fixed days for the actors and understudies? I really want to see Andrew chappelle as Lafayette/Jefferson (I know he played mulligan/Madison all last week) and Anthony Ramos as Laurence/Philip. Does anyone know if/when they have days off?
Thank you!
"
I have done the line 3 times lol. Two of them where back in June/July, where I slept outside the theatre for days (SO WORTH IT!!!) In the past, Wednesdays have always been the worst day for the line, and if you read through this thread, it has always been the day where drama occurred.
I believe that had a lot to do with the live lottery/ham4ham. So many extra people around, who may not have bothered with joining the line otherwise.
As you have probably read by now, you cannot wait outside the theatre during the performances. This is what makes 2 show days tricky. Many times when the line reforms for the evening show, there are issues with who was first, where the line is, etc. Since there's nothing official, it's a bit of a risk.
This is will be the first Wednesday without the lottery, and I'm very curious to see how it affects the line.
It wouldn't let me finish typing, so here's part 2 lol.
If you decide to do evening, you are not allowed to line up til 5:30. However, people will try to form a line on their own earlier, and than think they can move to the official line in the same order.
There are a lot of variables, so it's hard to say for sure.
If I were you, and ha she time to wait, I would go for matinee and go early. I think it's less risky and more of a guarantee of getting in.
As far as reformable schedule, I agree with the previous posters.
I hope this helps, and if you have any questions, feel free to pm me!
Does anyone know if 1 person can get 2 tickets through the cancellation line? I'm sorry to ask, I can't find this elsewhere... I'm hoping to line up on Friday!
Thank you to those who responded to my message - everyone was very helpful :) I'll wait for the matinee tickets tommorow and update my experience at some point!
(also Relevance81491 - who hurt you?? Jack363's question was very valid???)
Okay so I have a question that's sort of been answered but I just want a clarification. (I did the cancellation line in February before all the changes and am coming back to NYC at the end of Sept and want to try again)
So I'm flying in at like 7 AM on a Wednesday and think that'll be too late to really have a chance for matinee tickets by the time I make it to Times Square from JFK. So since I probably won't be there with a chance to get matinee, I was going to try for the night show. So my understanding is that after the matinee show starts, they disburse the line and then the night show cancellation line starts at 5:30. So do I need to just get there around 5 ish to line up right when the line starts after the matinee crowd leaves? Or is there an order of the line that gets written down before they make everyone leave the line and then when the line starts at 5:30, everyone goes back into their original places? If so, does the theatre keep that list or like random people in the line keep that list and it's sort of self policing? Do the people that were in line need to stick around the theatre until the line restarts or is that a good time to go and grab food and rest up in order to wait again at 5:30?
Are there any more reports of what the line has been like for non-Wednesday weekday shows? It seems like a lot of people have been waiting on Wednesdays. I have a chance to go into the city tomorrow, and have to decide today if I'm going. I live about a 3 hour drive away, and I don't know if I can get there early enough to make it worthwhile to try the line. I'd have to take the day off from work, so I don't want to waste it if it's unlikely we'll get in!
countabby said: " I have been reading this thread for a while for tips and I wanted to thank everyone for their helpful information. I decided to wait on the Wednesday evening cancelation line on 8/31 for a single ticket. Here is my experience. BTW this was my first time seeing Hamilton.
-5:34 we are offered 4 premium seats. People in the back of the line take them. I know most people have reported that the usher will send people home after 20th in line; Tonight, everyone was able to wait.
-5:41 to about 6:00: The first several people are pulled inside to purchase lotto and cancelation tickets. I think it was about 4 people, each buying 2. Now there are about 7 people in front of me.
-7:57. MY TURN! I rush inside and give them my credit card. I'm shaking like a leaf as I beg the usher to tell me where I'm sitting. Row G seat 101. Amazing view
"
@countabby
Reading your post I was curious about a couple of things. You mention people farther back in the line took the first premium tickets offered. When you got your ticket for Row G 101 was that for Orch or Mezz and how much was the ticket?
Thanks. :)
"I hope your Fanny is bigger than my Peter."
Mary Martin to Ezio Pinza opening night of Fanny.