Is standing room uncomfortable?

[Adescalzo14]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:36pm

So I've always wanted to rush a show or do the standing room, but I'm hesitant on the standing room because I don't know If I would be very uncomfortable and I want to focus on the show. So does anyone have any experiences with the standing room they would like to share?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:38pm

I don't know your body, but I've never had a problem with standing room except the time I made the bad decision to wear Doc Martens.

[Adescalzo14]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:43pm

Well with the standing room are you just standing in front of something or is there nothing behind you?

[labellaragazza1]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:44pm

Depends on the show. I did it for OOTI and there was a bar to lean on. The show was only 90 min so I just had to bend my knees every so often and shift a tiny bit. Didn't bother me at all. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:44pm

There's usually nothing behind you AND there's something in front of you.

[LxGstv]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 2:52pm

Well, when you go to a music concert and it’s general admission you tend to stand for the duration of the show... it’s the same thing, except in a broadway theater...

Also much easier to get to the restrooms at intermission!

[haterobics]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 3:02pm

Easy to find out. Figure out what show you want to see, and get the running time. Then find a movie you want to see that has about the same running time. And then stand in your living room and watch it. 

[S394206H]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 3:14pm

Come From Away has a padded wall to lean on! That's a good one to do standing room for- it's only one act and runs for about 100 minutes, which isn't actually all that long to be on your feet.

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 4:28pm

Well- if you are extremely tall maybe, but as a 5'11 person, the time I did the standing room this week went fine. In the Schubert, there is a velvet padded bar to lean on and a wall in front of you. It's really good for the price, and you get a great night out of it.

[FrizzyAnya]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 4:55pm

The only time I’ve ever regretted standing room was when I did three in a row (Friday night, Saturday matinee, and Saturday night). And that was after standing/sitting in SRO lines for many hours that day. Maybe not the easiest SRO experience by the end. But well worth it!

I’ve done SRO quite a few times (Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, The Boys in the Band, and something else I’m forgetting) and I’ve never done it where I didn’t have something to lean forward on. So it’s always been fine for me. Standing without something to hold onto sounds hard, but it’s never like that.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:06pm

Yeah, every Broadway theatre I can think of (that does SRO) has some kind of bar or ledge that you can lean one. Not like a general admission music concert at all. 

Other advantages: you usually get a great view of the stage, and you can beat the crowds to the bathroom, and to the doors at the end of the show. 

 

 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:10pm

I always thought standing room was this myth because I never noticed anybody standing during a show in any of the shows I've been to and I've sat in all kinds of places.

[slumdogdelaware]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:20pm

I've done standing room for Dear Evan Hansen and Book of Mormon (twice) - definitely not a bad experience. You also get quickest access to the bathrooms at intermission. My feet do start hurting towards the end though. For DEH, there were girls next to me that ended up getting seats in the orchestra after intermission, so that's always a possibility. 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:25pm

Only time I was uncomfortable was when I spent the whole day walking around the city then stood for the show. Also doing 2 shows in the same day is rough. By the end of the night my legs were so sore that when I finally sat down I couldn't get back up...lol.

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:28pm

There’s a chance you’ll be moved to sit if you’re lucky. I was moved to second row when I had standing room for Evan Hansen and moved to a last row orchestra seat during Book of Mormon standing room. But don’t count on it. It honestly may have been become I’m young, I was the only one moved at Evan Hansen even though I arrived when the show had already started.

 

If you’re trying to see a show on the cheap this is one of the best ways. Your feet may start to hurt towards the end but it won’t distract from the show.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:32pm

Also it depends on how douche security (not ushers) want to be.  I think it was Hugh Jackman's show when I did standing room.  I crouched down for three seconds, because my legs were bothering me.  Security pounced on me immediately and told me I needed to stand.  

[raddersons]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:38pm

I love standing room -- there's no one's head in front of you to block the view. If you're at a show with really expensive tickets (Hello Dolly) then the people sitting in front of you paid $200 for those seats. You paid 1/4 of that for basically the same view. 

Depending on the show and the theater, sometimes the upper half of the stage (let's say anything 12 feet above the stage) is obstructed by the overhang of the balcony . For Dolly that meant maybe 2 minutes total of the show that you couldn't see. Book of Mormon you saw the whole show. Next to Normal I bet you missed quite a bit. 

Just about all of the theaters have a padded wall or bar to lean on in front of you.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/21/18 at 5:42pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "I always thought standing room was this myth because I never noticed anybody standing during a show in any of the shows I've been to and I've sat in all kinds of places."

 

Well, as per the name, they only sell it when it's completely sold out. So any less-than-sold out shows you've been to wouldn't have had it. Plus, not all the theatres have SRO spots built in, so that lowers the chances even further. You'll almost always see it at theatres where there is an open walkway area right behind the back row of the orchestra (as opposed to when the back row is right up against a wall). A few theatres have SRO up in the mezzanine - the Cort and the Stephen Sondheim immediately come to mind - but most of them are in the orchestra. Keep your eyes open in the future, especially at very popular new shows, and I bet you'll see people standing at some point. 

[Lauren2]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 12:53am

I have done standing room quite a lot and its not too bad. I have done it for Come From Away, Newsies and Boys In The Band. Usually at the theatre there is a ledge for you to lean on (I usually lean on them a lot!). Sometimes as other people said you get a seat in the theatre. I was Standing Room for Boys In The Band, and a nice lady offered me a seat which is nice, so I didn't have to stand anymore! For Boys In The Band and Come From Away they are have no intermission so it is not that bad. For Newsies, I would just sit on the floor during intermission and make sure to stretch or bend my knees so I would not cramp up. Also as other mentioned you are close to the bathroom, and merch table and everything. And you also have the fastest exit if you want to go to the stage door after! If you want to do standing room go for it! It is a nice cheaper option, but just wear comfortable clothes and SHOES! Hope that helps.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 1:03am

Over many years, I have stood 20 or 30 times.  Years ago, for decades, standing room cost pretty much the same as the cheap seats, so as long as you bought in advance, you didn't have to stand.

What I discovered somewhere along the way:

-- As mentioned, it is great knowing that you paid 1/4 of what the people 2 feet from you (whose necks you are breathing down) have paid.

-- I am fast...I have ended up seating during Act 2 for a good number of those performances, so that is a plus.

-- The better the show, the less you mind standing...so the first time, try to pick something that you are pretty sure you are going to like, based on familiarity with the score (if a musical) or word of mouth from people you trust, etc.

-- Try to pick a shorter show the first time...if you can't deal with that, you are in trouble.

-- Personally, I think it is harder to stand for a non-musical.  In a musical, even if you are tired, the next musical number will frequently make you forget you are tired.  With a play, I personally think that standing makes it harder to enjoy...it is easy to get distracted if your legs start to ache.  (To this day, I am a huge walker; but get me to stand in one place for 10 minutes and I start to ache).

Years ago, I had a close friend who attended the same performance of Nicholas Nickleby, but stood...for eight hours; by the end of the performance, he was exhausted, but he loved the show.

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 1:39am

Is the Richard Rodgers/Hamilton the only theatre that does SRO in the mezz?

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 4:41am

Uncomfortable is in the eyes of the beholder. Obviously, not as comfortable as sitting in row 4- center seat in orchestra. However, all depends on how much you want to see a production- how much money you have- and your ability- at whatever age, to withstand a long period of standing. If it is a show you badly want to see and the only way to see it is to get standing room- you gotta do what you gotta do. Not the best option- obviously- but worth it to some.

[flossie2]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 6:36am

I used to do standing room until knee problems prevented it. Sometimes, like at Jersey Boys, the ushers showed the standees to seats before it began. Just beware that if you are short, depending on the theater, you may not be able to see over the railing. One time the box office warned me, another time the usher let me sit in a chair in the back of the aisle. All theaters are different as to the height of the rail.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 8:40am

SomethingPeculiar said: "Is the Richard Rodgers/Hamilton the only theatre that does SRO in the mezz?"

 

No - see my post above. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 9:05am

First time I did standing room was back in study abroad in London at the Globe Theatre. Now THAT is standing room (you stand with nothing to lean on in front of you) and it was quite tiring... especially since Shakespearean plays can last over 3 hours.

However, on Broadway, I never had any issues. Then again, I've only done SRO for musicals. When I did SRO for Hamilton, my friend and I practically danced to the beat most of the time while standing. We had an AMAZING time and didn't feel tired at all.

If you're short, I highly suggest asking the box office for an SRO spot on the aisle. 

After watching several shows on Bway, I much prefer SRO behind the last row of orchestra versus sitting up on the rear balcony but that's just me.