Hamilton Premium Tickets-Worth It?

[Melissa_K]

Posted: 3/25/18 at 9:11pm

Hello, I'm a newbie to this site, joining to post a question.

I'm traveling to NYC for the first time May 18th-22nd and am looking to see a broadway play--most probably Hamilton, because I have heard it is spectacular and I have an interest in history. The only seats available at face value from the box office are premium seats ($849 +fees). For Sunday, Rows F and H (center) have availability for the 1 ticket I would need. The other option is resale $466 +fees for front mezzanine Row C (right side).

If you were me, would you:

a) buy the premium seat

b) buy the resale in the mezzanine

c) look at another show besides Hamilton completely

I live in a smallish city that does not get traveling broadway shows. So this trip is very special to me--the only reason I would consider spending that much on a ticket.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Rainah]

Posted: 3/25/18 at 9:28pm

There is also the option to spend a few hours in the cancellation line and get premium seats for $230. It's slightly more complicated and does suck up some hours (I don't know how precious your time in NYC is to you) but it's an option to save some money. I personally would not shell out 800+ for a ticket, but plenty of folks have.

If you do, go row H over row F. I found row F to be just a little too close to really get the full impact of the show. Row C of the Mezz would also be a pretty great seat, depending on how far to the side. What number is it? 

[B.JAMES]

Posted: 3/25/18 at 9:30pm

Hamilton is great, but I personally wouldn’t splurge on the premium seat. I think that the front mezz seat would be worth it if you were truly interested in seeing the show. Then you could use the other half of what you would have paid for the premium on another couple of shows if you wish too.

If Hamilton wasn’t a make or break for you, I would look the day before or the day of on Stubhub and see if prices drop. I also know the theater has released some $229 orchestra seats if you hit it at the right time.

But if you want the piece of mind and want to see the show, go with the front mezz you see.

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/25/18 at 9:35pm

Sorry I know this doesn't really answer your question, but I would:

d. wait until closer to my dates, and keep an eye on TM for the release of other regular price tix and/or resale prices going down

e. your first day here go to the box office and see about any tix they might have for sale while you're here. Especially since you only need one ticket. 

f. explore doing the cancellation line, which would use up some of your hours here in NY, but would cost you less money than a resale ticket. How long you'd have to wait on the cancellation line could be better estimated the closer you get to your dates too. 

And tbh if you wanted to buy something right now, I would choose front mezz over orch. There really is no bad seat in the house (maybe minus sitting in the rear orch, under the mezz overhang) but having seen it from both orch and mezz my personal preference is that I really LOVED being able to see the full scope of the lights and entire ensemble from the mezz. 

[Melissa_K]

Posted: 3/25/18 at 9:47pm

Thanks for all the advice Rainah, B.James and Anakela!

The front mezzanine seat number is C16. If generally most seats in the house are good, I will not spend extra money on premium seats.

Can going to the box office the day I arrive really help me score a seat? I really don't want to stand in the cancelation line--first time in NYC. But I have no problem checking TM frequently. If more seats were released, any idea how far in advance that that happen? 

[Rainah]

Posted: 3/26/18 at 7:43am

Just walking up to the box office will only help you if there is no cancellation line that day. This winter, that's often been the case, but now that things are warming up there are expected to be more people in the cancellation line. But no one will know for sure until we actually start getting reports. My expectation is that the time required for the cancellation line will drop again, to 3-4 hours, but there will still be a line

[ellbellthomps]

Posted: 3/26/18 at 8:08am

Buy the resale, and spend the extra 400 on other shows.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 3/26/18 at 8:42am

It looks like the resale ticket is also listed on StubHub and TickPick. StubHub has it listed for $459 plus fees, and TickPick has it for $505 with no fees. Ticketmaster will add a ton of fees to the $466, as well. If you want to save yourself a lot of money, buy the seat through TickPick. They're a perfectly reputable reseller.

[Melissa_K]

Posted: 3/27/18 at 1:51am

Hi--some great advice! I think I am going to be cautious and try to get a ticket in the next few weeks versus the cancelation line. Does anyone have any experience with the bid functionality in tickpix? If most seats are good, I might bid for a seat with 3-5 star view. I admit to never having heard of the website, but it is great to hear it is legit. Or would you recommend paying the $505 from tickpix and not trying to find a better deal?

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 3/27/18 at 12:24pm

Absolutely not worth it.

Hand me the $1000 you’re gonna spend on a pair of Hamilton tickets, and I’ll buy your pairs to at least 4 broadway shows that you will LOVE.

I can curate one hell of a trip haha

[SarahNYC2]

Posted: 3/27/18 at 1:29pm

I LOVE Broadway shows and it took me over a year before I was able to get to see Hamilton. Now I am one of those legendary tales where I walked up, no cancellation line and purchased a 229 dollar ticket. Honestly I thought I was being punked.

However it was an amazing show but even spending 229 was more than I have ever spent on a show (besides Angels in America but that's two parts). Personally I would head to the box office when you arrive, see if they have anything that weekend. And if they don't you should be able to snag a seat to another show. I find going to the box office to work great. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/27/18 at 2:30pm

If it were the original cast, then my answer would be YES. However, it's not and you can see the show in other places nowadays.

If I were you, I would hold off buying tickets. A few days before you arrive in NYC, enter the Hamilton lottery. Some friends who visited me were able to score $10 tickets by winning the lottery. If you don't win, then go to the box office and simply ask for ticket availability. Unclaimed lottery tickets end up being resold at the box office at normal prices. 

Worst case scenario would be buying from stubhub an hour before the performance starts as that's when prices go to more reasonable ranges.

Good luck!

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 3/27/18 at 2:36pm

I would never pay premium for the cast now.  I did stubhub last year on a Thursday, (you might want to monitor the site for a few days to see how things go) and got first row mez, $400.00 tickets for 150 each with fees.