Hamilton Cancellation Line- Page 17

[Hellob]

Posted: 3/7/16 at 10:42pm

LightsOut90 said: "they really should do the wristband thing like what they did for the Death of a Salesman rush, you cant get the tickets without one, and the security just randomly shows up to do it, thats honestly the best way to determine whose actually been standing in the line and possibly get rid of the linesitters 

 

"

You're not ever going to get rid of the sitters. They've sat for many events, we only know them bc they are at an event that we are interested in. You can dislike it but it's not ending and I fear that the animosity building towards them could lead to problems. They are just making a living, they are going where they are paid to be. 

[jared123]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 3:29am

Tonights line update.  I got in line around 2:30AM feeling like a mild crazy person, but around 3AM i was joined by a very friendly guy from same ol line dudes.   

[casedilla2]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 3:41am

Wow, I got in line around 1AM the weekend before last (2/27) but that was on a Saturday and we got tickets at 1PM for the 2PM matinee. It's crazy that it's starting that early for 7PM shows now. :/ I can't even imagine what time people are getting there for two show days.

Updated On: 3/8/16 at 03:41 AM

[vdirects]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 7:39am

Enjoy the show Jared.

[adt_0304]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 3:34pm

please let us know if you get tickets/what time.  trying to plan my cancellation line wait for tonight.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 3:46pm

adt_0304 said: "please let us know if you get tickets/what time.  trying to plan my cancellation line wait for tonight.

 

"

If you plan on going tonight, you're already too late! But generally on a two show weekday, around 7am is fine.

[jared123]

Posted: 3/8/16 at 4:53pm

i got my ticket about 5 minutes ago, although had to spring for premium as that was all they had when they came around, may have more closer to the show...but i wanted a nap and a shower too much lol.    They had 3 premium tickets

I got there 2:30a, Professional linesitter got there at 3A, next person got there around 5:50 and then several more after that.   

 

[Notadiva2]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 10:52am

Did the cancellation line on Wednesday, March 9. My son and I took the bus up from DC specifically for this. We were scheduled to arrive at 4:30AM, which I thought was plenty early until I saw the posts from the previous Saturday. Spooked, I contracted with the line dudes for four hours to improve our chances since this was a single day trip and I needed this to happen! It worked out beautifully. We were fifth in line. About 1:00 they started calling people in to the box office. We got unclaimed lottery tickets for the matinee and had the most incredible experience. I'm not completely sure, but I think that people who were in line by 6AM got in for the matinee, and maybe 10-12 tickets were given out. There were 40 people in line by mid-morning. I don't expect this to subside as the weather warms up, but I am glad this board exists and that people are so generous with their experiences.

[Hellob]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:46pm

Notadiva2 said: "Did the cancellation line on Wednesday, March 9. My son and I took the bus up from DC specifically for this. We were scheduled to arrive at 4:30AM, which I thought was plenty early until I saw the posts from the previous Saturday. Spooked, I contracted with the line dudes for four hours to improve our chances since this was a single day trip and I needed this to happen! It worked out beautifully. We were fifth in line. About 1:00 they started calling people in to the box office. We got unclaimed lottery tickets for the matinee and had the most incredible experience. I'm not completely sure, but I think that people who were in line by 6AM got in for the matinee, and maybe 10-12 tickets were given out. There were 40 people in line by mid-morning. I don't expect this to subside as the weather warms up, but I am glad this board exists and that people are so generous with their experiences.

 

"

You were 5th with a 12:30a start? 

[macnyc]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 12:50pm

Also, how much did you pay for the unused lottery tickets?

[bfreak]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 2:25pm

I'm pretty sure they sell the unsold lottery tix for $177 each at the cancellation line.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 2:27pm

Why do they sell the unclaimed lotto tickets at the cancellation line rather than pulling a new name? Doesn't TodayTix pick a new name?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 2:35pm

bfreak said: "This is seriously crazy. They should stop this (the people going so early) or else the theatre will cancel the cancellation line somehow like when Rent had to switch from rush to lottery just because people were showing up so early and were camping out so frequently."

 

They should stop reselling the lottery tickets this way. That would help.

[Notadiva2]

Posted: 3/10/16 at 6:29pm

1:00am start, but yes, 5th in line. The first was a line sitter who is regularly there before midnight. The next two were waiting for evening tickets. 

Unclaimed lottery tickets are $167, not $177. The person who was in front of me in the line also got unclaimed lottery. I would imagine that they don't keep the entries in the system for longer than it takes to make the drawing and that's why they don't keep selecting names; remember that people have an hour to pay for them. After that, what else would the box office do with them? I suppose they could sell them for $10 to the line, but I was perfectly happy to pay $167 to be able to sit close enough that Lin could wink and smile at me.

[Esgred]

Posted: 3/11/16 at 1:53am

The employee at the box office told me that the cancellation tickets for 3/10 would be $177.  He warned me that very soon that price would increase!

The first person in the queue for the 7 pm Thurs. 3/10 performance said she got there at 9 pm. Roughly the 4th/5th people in line told me that they arrived around 2 am.  A little farther back said they got there at 6:30 am.

[Esgred]

Posted: 3/11/16 at 2:05am

vdirects said: "the "main company" (which shall remain nameless) which seems the most professional and legit has a team of people, in that sense they are working together."

Could you possibly confirm if the more legit one is managed by a man with red hair and light colored eyes?  :)

 

[casedilla2]

Posted: 3/11/16 at 3:11am

You mean in the future the same seats through the cancellation line are going to cost more?? :/ That's concerning and upsetting.

[Notadiva2]

Posted: 3/11/16 at 7:11am

Esgred said: "vdirects said: "the "main company" (which shall remain nameless) which seems the most professional and legit has a team of people, in that sense they are working together."

 

Could you possibly confirm if the more legit one is managed by a man with red hair and light colored eyes?  :)

The "main company," if it's the one that is most visible due to matching caps and tents, is managed by a tall African-American man.

I'm surprised that people are getting in line so early the night before for an evening performance. That escalated quickly. Wasn't it just a couple of weeks ago that mid-morning was fine for an evening performance? If that continues (and why wouldn't it with the weather getting nicer and Tony nominations still to come?), there could be trouble ahead. What have other shows done in circumstances like this? If the theater doesn't know how many tickets there are until close to curtain, how else would they sell them? 

 

 

"

 

[vdirects]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 12:28am

No, the "main company" is not managed by a red head. The "main company" as its manager will repeatedly announce has been featured on ABC and the New York Times, lol

 

And don't say I didn't warn everyone. I'm too lazy to go back and find the direct quote, but I predicted the cancellation line mayhem would cause people to line up earlier and earlier and looks like it's already coming true.

 

I've also consistently pointed out how TERRIBLE the Richard Rodgers Theatre is at anything remotely organizational or communicative. It's like children or teenagers are in charge of making their poorly designed, non-sensical policies. So it's no wonder $10 tickets are sold to the cancellation line for full price and the line is how it is now.

Updated On: 3/12/16 at 12:28 AM

[hcamille]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 7:49am

Hey all, I've been keeping up with this thread for a few months but have never posted. Friend and I got in line this morning around 5am and I think we're 16/17 in line. First 6-7 people are line sitters with the exception of maybe one person. 

Last night, we walked by after our evening show and the line sitters were already out around 10:45/11 pm. 

My hopes aren't high for the matinee but we're likely sticking around for the evening. 

[hes16]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 7:56am

Hey guys, got here today at 2 a.m. I'm eleventh in line because I believe almost all the people in front of me are line sitters. Hopefully I'm lucky and can get tickets. Will update later.

[Notadiva2]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 8:12am

It's simple supply and demand. The line sitters did not create this. This board did not create this. The quality of the show and resultant buzz created this. 

 

When my son was entering kindergarten, our school system had a policy whereby one could enter a lottery to get into a school outside your boundary. It wasn't a true lottery; you lined up outside the school you wanted to enroll your child in, and put in your application when the doors opened and they assigned spots based on the order in which the applications had been received. Well, the year I needed to do it, the line at one school started 3 days before the application period began. Three days! The school had an innovative program that was unique to the city, so demand was extremely high.

 

This is how people apportion scarce goods, by the commitment of time, money, or both. No, it's not fair to people who have neither. I recognized it at the time because I had a husband who could stay with the kids while I got in line in the middle of the night to secure a place in kindergarten (not at that school) for our boy. They eventually went to a true lottery, but I don't see how that would be possible for last-minute ticket availability to a hot show without creating exactly the kind of crowds that resulted from the original in-person lottery. People are going to line up for what they want, whether it's the latest Jordans, concert tickets, or Black Friday deals. Many will be shut out. It's not fair, but life's not fair (Scar, The Lion King). 

 

TL;DR.  Good luck to everyone who joins the cancellation line in the future. I hope you feel that it was worth whatever sacrifices you make to be able to do this. I know it was for me and my now-grown son.

Updated On: 3/12/16 at 08:12 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 8:20am

Sorry, vdirects, this would have happened with or without paid line sitters.  MAYBE not quite as fast, but it still would have happened.

[vdirects]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 9:45am

"Sorry, vdirects, this would have happened with or without paid line sitters.  MAYBE not quite as fast, but it still would have happened."

 

I agree with you so no need to "apologize,": 

 

I wrote in comment #327:

 

"What's going to end up happening will be a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" culture in which people will either try to beat the line sitters in line and push the start time up until people are lining up at midnight or even the night before (just wait until the summer), or everyone starts trying to hire line-sitters, thus encouraging this second market that uses the Richard Rodgers fairly priced tickets as a commodity they will use to fill their own pockets.

Updated On: 2/22/16 at 02:18 AM"

 

 

Yeah, it would have happened anyway, but the line sitters are in fact the reason it's happened so rapidly, considering several people who have arrived at 12 or 1 to find themselves 6 or 7  in line have said that the first several people in line are line sitters.

Updated On: 3/12/16 at 09:45 AM

[MyFavoriteBrunette]

Posted: 3/12/16 at 10:43am

hes16 said: "Hey guys, got here today at 2 a.m. I'm eleventh in line because I believe almost all the people in front of me are line sitters. Hopefully I'm lucky and can get tickets. Will update later.

 

 

 

 

You are correct!  On Friday, 3/11, I was on line at 3AM slot number 9.  On line for seventeen hours and missed tickets by 3 slots.  At  little after 8pm the attendant came to break the news.  It was curtains for us!

The 4 line sitters (8 tickets-4 pairs) who had been there since 7pm the night before were in line up until their clients arrived between 6pm and 8pm.  They waited around til their next assignment.  By 7:30 pm two of them already had their next gig called in and it was "wait in line for Hamilton" LOL!  They can never ever leave the line!  One told me he hadn't been home in a few nights.  So they unpacked the tent and chair they just packed up at 7pm to do another round of line sitting for Sat 3/12.  At around that time, a lady showed up with a chair for Saturday's line and she was #5.  Number 5 at 7:30pm!   

So basically, line sitters start at 7-7:30pm now.  

The wait wasn't easy.  It was a bit on the cold side and no direct sun to warm you.    I waited for tix 20 years ago for 21 hours but this seemed rougher.  Maybe because I'm older?  And have a splitting headache this morning?  Rough man!

Since I was alone, bathroom breaks were scary--afraid to miss ticket offerings.  

The first two single tickets were offered at 12:30 noon and nothing else was offered til pairs at 7pm which 3 of the line sitters got (with client present) including a single that came up.  Guess the client decided better 1 than none? 

Then a family of 4 who was there behind the sitters since 10pm got 2 tickets and let their teen children go in and that was it, 11 tickets given out.  The mom and dad were left out, the girl in front of me who hired a line sitter from Task Rabbit at 2am got left out and 17 hours got me no tickets as well.  Behind me, a lady arrived at 4:30am, no tix and behind her a college student on spring break that arrived at 8:30am no tickets.  After that, everyone else were late-comers

I needed a pair so passed on the singles being offered at noon.  I could have just said yes and accepted one of the two singles and been off the line after 8 hours.  My husband texted to take a single if it comes up again, but as much as I want to support my fellow Puerto Ricans on Broadway and see Hamilton, the experience wouldn't be the same without my husband.  I can't do the line again and try for a pair anytime soon as I called out today with aches and headache from the experience, so Tickemaster resale in the rear mezz it will need to be.  It's more than a line sitter with cancellation tix but at least I know it's a guaranteed entry with no hassle of getting line sitter updates. 

So much for trying to saving money to see Hamilton.

Best of luck to all the people who show actually show up for hours on the lines every night!   Number 9 isn't bad!  Just take whatever is offered!

"

 

Updated On: 3/12/16 at 10:43 AM