TheSecretArden said: "I’m not usually one to come and complain on these boards, but this morning’s publicity stunt was easily the worst box office experience I’ve had after seeing 100+ shows in NYC. I got in line around 8:40, with around 80 people ahead of me. I knew I wouldn’t win one of the lottery seats, but figured I’d stay in case some sort of promotion was offered / to see Andrew (who - side note - was the single highlight of this morning. Just as kind, personable and funny as you’d expect.)
After about 20 minutes, two security guards emerged and realized that lines had started forming on both sides of the theater. Without any way of knowing who was there first, they chose to merge the shorter line into the longer one, pushing the rest of us back by at least 20-30 people. This put several of us in front of a hotel next door that was bringing in many carts of large boxes. The manager of the hotel came out and asked us all kindly to make space for her employees and for our safety. Realizing their error, the security guards then cut the line in half and had those of us in front of the hotel move the line back to the other side of the theater that the other group of patrons had just been told to merge away from.
Fast forward to tickets going on sale: despite it being clear there would not be enough tickets through the promotion for everyone, it took the box office 45 minutes before they sent a representative out to our back half of the line to let us know they’d be offering consolation tickets for $46. At this point, several people left, but even so it took another hour from where I was to reach the front of the line, where we were then told the discount was only available for Wednesday performances. I witnessed the staff member in the lefthand box office stall speak harshly toward several patrons who had waited two and a half hours only to find out they could not get affordable tickets for the day they had planned to see the show. Fortunately, I wanted to go on a Wednesday anyway, but if I hadn’t, I probably would have left at that point and never purchased a ticket at all. Even so, my ticket is second-to-last row in side balcony.
I’m sorry if any of this sounds ungrateful or overly frustrated, but the fact that the box office staff treated customers with disrespect after our wait in support of a publicity stunt that they had planned poorly left a really bad taste in my mouth. I’m excited to see this show thanks to Andrew’s generosity, but I’ll think twice before purchasing a ticket at the Jones again. I hope we as a community can continue holding space about the affordability of Broadway, avenues for access, and how those who have to make use of those avenues in order to support and see theater should be treated by staff whose job is to provide a smooth and positive consumer experience."
I was there at 5:30, 7th in line, and you’re missing some key details. There were not 2 lines. There was one like that during the night, when it started to pour, decided to wrap back under the theater marquee. And then proceeded towards 7th Avenue. It was all very orderly, and security once they arrived and got the whole picture, acted very professionally. Both sides had driveways, so people were going to be moving one way or another, but I heard of no issues with people’s spots in line being taken or moved etc.
bix offive due have a hiccup early on when there care readers stopped working after 1 transaction, but otherwise it was smooth and I was done by 10:15 the latest.
