Hamilton San Francisco — Page 4

(Insert Clever Name) said: "broadwaysfguy said: "hi insert clever name
last row in orch at orpheum are still very good seats especially center section because thats where the sound mixing is
and also you get the full effect of all the actors on both levels of the stage

amazing cast and hamilton is the best musical ever"

Actually I meant the last seats on the end of the row like off to the sides. Bought them because I’ll be in town and they are cheap and I loved the cast in PR but am a little worried about the view"

I sat in Orchestra Row C partially obstructed on the far right side of the theater recently. There were three brief moments where a character sang but was obstructed by the right balcony or was standing too far back on the balcony to be seen. I don’t think it was more than 10 seconds each time. When you consider how reasonable those seat prices are, I think it’s a great value and didn’t feel like I missed anything. There was enough happening elsewhere on the stage that we weren't just staring at an empty stage. Hopefully your experience is similar.

(Insert Clever Name), I think you'll be fine.

It looks like your seats are partial view, not obstructed. Some of the obstructed seats that are very close to the stage are pretty far off to the side and you miss a lot. But the partial view seats are OK, especially if you've seen the show before. Anything you miss, you can fill in the blanks. And there are some advantages to sitting on the side, because I have noticed things (ensemble choreography and the like) and I didn't see in better seats.

In rows N and M, you are far enough back to avoid too many issues. I just saw it in Row J on Friday. They weren't partial view seats, but the partial view seats were all around me. It was fine. I've sat in partial view seats before.

Personally, I think house right are probably better when off to the side, but it sounds like you already bought your tickets. You'll be fine either way.

Don't worry. I don't know why the seats on one side are partial and the others obstructed, but I would always pick partial view. The seats at the Orpheum go out wide, but Hamilton in San Francisco also plays the main action a lot closer to the center compared to how it's done at the Richard Rodgers. And you're far enough back.

broadwaysfguy said: "wow hamilton sf just showed up on goldstar with 95 rear mezz and side mezz seats
also noticed top premium seats in center orch and front mezz arent selling and being discounted down to as low as 200 a few days before show

the san francisco cast is terrific, so looking like hamilton is reaching saturation after five mos in sf in 2017 and almost four months on this run....

im really surprised and think part of it may be that people dont think good tickets are available at reasonable prices...

"

I noticed that too. However, $95 for side/rear orchestra is the same price as what's listed on SHN's site. Rear center orchestra is $150. Anyone know if this is this lower than before?

I think in this case Goldstar is just a way of letting people know the tickets are there. I agree that the issues could be 1) People don't know there are tickets at reasonable price points, 2) people who are willing to pay $200+ have already seen it.

PatrickDC said: "I wonder if it’s run it’s course. I don’t think much about it. Used to the lottery — the app is cool though I clearly suck at Hamilton trivia! I don’t have TV so I don’t know how much advertising they’re doing. I get pop ups and ads but those are likely targeted at me and not the general public. And maybe I don’t have that many theater going friends but I just don’t hear much chatter about it. Last week I rode the F up to Castro, past the Orpheum and thought oh yeah. HAMILTON is still here. "

I feel like that must be a side effect of living or working in the City. Jersey Boys was like that for me when I lived in there. I’d periodically see a sign on a light pole or an ad on a Muni train or an ad in the Powell Station and think “is that show still here, or did someone forget to take it down?” Now I’m in the South Bay, so we don’t have much exposure to what’s playing in the City without seeking it out.

The market for Hamilton tickets in San Francisco has gone soft. It still sells out, but prices are way down not just from 2017 (when everyone wanted to see it even if they didn't care about theater) but from when it opened earlier this year. This isn't entirely surprising, but the acceleration of the price decline is striking.

I was trying to get tickets for shows in March to take my older daughter, who hadn't seen it, and the show was a tough ticket right after it opened for its second run. I was able to sell tickets I bought by mistake that month. But by May, when I was hoping to unload another pair I'd bought because I'd seen it in March, I couldn't sell them for anything close to face value and decided to go instead.

I do think regular people still believe Hamilton is an impossible or really pricey ticket. At this point, you can buy perfectly good rear orchestra tickets for $95, and better seats for $150 just from the box office. The prices were $250 or more just a couple of months ago. But I don't know how many people know that.

The current cast is good, the show is still excellent, but the dynamic does make me wonder about Hamilton's long-term staying power on tour. It certainly shows no sign of weakness in New York City, but the producers' strategy of striking while the iron was hot and having multiple tours running around the country - while sensible - may have saturated the market.

None of this is an awful problem to have for a show that's still raking in money, and I hope more people see it now that prices aren't sky high. But as someone who's seen it five times, there is something about Hamilton's fundamentally optimistic view of America that feels a little out of step right now. The Constitution, Alexander Hamilton's pride and joy, has been taking some hits of late. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a brilliant musical that also appeared at the perfect moment. Is its future as an Obama-era relic, much as Camelot was associated with the Kennedy presidency? I don't think so, as I think the musical is too good overall, but it doesn't capture the zeitgeist as well as it once did.

Updated On: 6/19/19 at 03:24 AM

bear88 said:The current cast is good, the show is still excellent, but the dynamic does make me wonder about Hamilton's long-term staying power on tour. It certainly shows no sign of weakness in New York City, but the producers' strategy of striking while the iron was hot and having multiple tours running around the country - while sensible - may have saturated the market.

That's probably truly, but also, the hard fact is that San Francisco is no longer a theater town and it is more a reflection on that. The people who can actually afford to live in SF are generally not interested in theater and I hear lots of complaints from East and South Bay people that they don't want to come into the city anymore because the homeless problem is so bad and BART is so uncomfortable. Wheeeeee I live in a completely F*'ed-up city.

I glanced at the Hamilton SHN site and TodayTix to see what's available because I might want to catch it one more time before this cast leaves. Prices have drifted down on TodayTix some more for lesser seats ($80 including fees for orchestra rear and sides, mezzanine rear and sides, and the balcony; and $49 for whatever the box office will give you at the last minute).

I don't know how much people who wait it out have to pay. I may find out soon.

As for the Bay Area theater scene, it's almost always a buyer's market with a few exceptions. The Berkeley Rep seems to do pretty well, with a good subscriber base, few discounts, and the occasional out-of-town tryout (Ain't Too Proud sold out its entire run). ACT shows are easy tickets, and bargain offers are often repeated because there are still plenty of seats - better for me than for ACT. Vietgone was a notable exception; in the smaller Strand Theater - it played to packed houses for a long while but I was still able to get inexpensive tickets toward the end of its extended run. The upcoming sequel has been moved to the larger Geary. A lot of theaters can fill small venues (the Hillbarn Theater (south of SF) seemed to do well with its excellent production of Sweeney Todd earlier this year). I've only been to the New Conservatory Theatre once, and it was almost sold out for a New Year's Eve show. There are plenty of small theater companies around the area so people like me don't lack for options.

As for Hamilton, I assume demand will pick up as the holidays and the show's impending departure for LA approach. It's important to keep expectations in mind. No show, no matter how much of a sensation it makes, is going to maintain that level of demand (and high prices) forever - at least not on tour, even if it still sells out. New York City is different because it's the place to go to see theater - so people will see a show or two even if they don't usually see plays or musicals at home.

Updated On: 9/28/19 at 08:03 PM

bear88 said: "I glanced at the Hamilton SHN site and TodayTix to see what's available because I might want to catch it one more time before this cast leaves. Prices have drifted down on TodayTix some more for lesser seats ($80 including fees for orchestra rear and sides, mezzanine rear and sides, and the balcony; and $49 for whatever the box office will give you at the last minute).

I don't know how much people who wait it out have to pay. I may find out soon.

As for the Bay Area theater scene, it's almost always a buyer's market with a few exceptions. The Berkeley Rep seems to dopretty well, with a good subscriber base, few discounts, and the occasional out-of-town tryout (Ain't Too Proud sold out its entire run). ACT shows are easy tickets, and bargain offers are often repeated because there are still plenty of seats - better for me than for ACT.Vietgone was a notable exception; in the smaller Strand Theater - it played to packed houses for a long while but I was still able to get inexpensive tickets toward the end of its extended run. The upcoming sequel has been moved to the larger Geary. A lot of theaters can fill small venues (the Hillbarn Theater (south of SF)seemed to do well with its excellent production of Sweeney Todd earlier this year). I've only been to the New Conservatory Theatre once, and it was almost sold out for a New Year's Eve show. There are plentyof small theater companies around the area so people like me don't lack for options.

As for Hamilton, I assume demand will pick up as the holidays and the show's impending departure for LA approach. It's important to keep expectations in mind. No show, no matter how much of a sensation it makes, is going to maintain that level of demand(and high prices) forever - at least not on tour, even if it still sells out. New York City is different because it's the place to go to see theater - so people will see a show or two even if they don't usually see plays or musicalsat home."

Does the San Francisco run of Hamilton have a confirmed end date at this point? I may try to see it again before it closes.

I've been in the Bay Area for about a decade now. Yes, the cost of living can be ridiculous, but the amount of accessible, reasonably priced theater is a big perk. I regularly see things at Berkeley Rep, ACT, New Conservatory Theater, 42nd Street Moon, SF Playhouse, etc. Frankly, there's more things to see in the area than I can usually fit in! Not to mention most touring shows that come through the Orpheum have some availability on Goldstar.

I worry sometimes about whether this buyer's market is sustainable, but it's definitely a great resource.

(On that note, I'm seeing Caroline or Change tonight!)

I have seen a lot of theater in the Bay Area, but Kitsune, I'm with you in not having caught shows at all the local theaters. Of course, every time I go to a new one, I'm then deluged by offers and pleas to buy their season package or the latest play. There are many things to criticize about the Bay Area, but the number of shows and theaters is not one of them.

Also, I'm curious about the local production of Caroline or Change.