NEXT TO NORMAL Replaces Rush with Lottery- Page 2

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:27pm

Finally!

[RemarkableTimes]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:29pm

"I rushed this a few weeks ago and got there at 8:15. There were only 5 people in front of me, and I got the last front row seat. I really thought the crazyness had stopped..."

Craziness never stops, sadly enough.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:35pm

It gives other people a chance to see the show without having to line up at the crack of down with, sorry about the generalization but I've seen the you tube rush line videos, a bunch of over-the-top, loud fangirls. It also prevents the regulars from holding a monopoly over those seats. I think they've seen the show enough at this point and if they loose the lottery a few times maybe it will enourage them to see another show or move on.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:45pm

What's funny is how some of the crazies have taken to Alice's facebook wall as an outlet to address their anger. As if Alice had anything to do with the decision, or can do anything to change it.

It's really sad and disheartening how separated from reality some of these people are.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:50pm

Well said, Mildred. (There are youtube videos of the rush line!? LOL. Oh, I must have a look...)

There are pros and cons to both a lottery and rush, and I personally prefer a rush actually. In this case however, the rush got a bit out of hand and I think they made the right decision to switch it over.

[Elke]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:53pm

That Facebook page is great fun...

they should have BOTH - a RUSH for the front row, and LOTTO for the box seats

Or the other way around, with rush for the box seats. I wonder how many die-hard rush fans will still hang on to their beloved "rush friendships". Ha!

[Marianne2]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 4:58pm

I'm going to agree with that. I walked away from the stage door after last Sunday's matinee before anyone came out because it was a little crowded and some girls I was near were talking about how they were going to tell and ask Jennifer Damiano about a possible fake account with her name on some social networking site. It seemed like they had discussed something similar with her before.

[winston89]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:19pm

I really think that this is a good idea. I would have rushed the show a long time ago but I wouldn't be caught dead in a line with those nutjobs. But, I am now happy that they are doing lotto due to the fact that I am sure that I am not the only person out there who has heard of the horror stories that go along with the rush line and that is the reason why they aren't rushing. I do think that a lotto will work and it might possibly teach those who have a hard on about a particular seat, that the world is not going to end if you don't see the show of your choice when you want to see it.

It's like they are little kids these overly crazed fans. Who want something when they want it without caring about anyone else involved.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:25pm

I'm happy about this, because I know when I was in NY in the summer, I was 1 person shy of getting a rush ticket. And I over heard some people in front of me who got the rush tickets and it was their 4th or 5th time seeing it,a nd they were from NYC too. I mean, let some people who don't have the opportunity to go see a show whenever they want to see it...sorry, it was a bad day today

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:30pm

I'm almost always in favor of rushes, but this one was out of hand. They made a good choice in changing it to a lotto.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:41pm

I'm surprised all the children haven't come on here to melt down yet! They should be home from school by now!

[winston89]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:41pm

I feel that the two shows in recent memory that have had a rush but should have had a lotto are this one and Legally Blonde. That was one show with a rush system that could have been bettered by changing it into a lotto.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:45pm

I'm surprised all the children haven't come on here to melt down yet! They should be home from school by now!

I think the sad thing is that many of the people being referenced are not actually children, or anything close to.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 5:48pm

They're too busy complaining on facebook instead of here.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:08pm

Well, really, why complain here when you can complain where Alice Ripley will notice you?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:22pm

If I had to sit there and listen to this for 7 hours, I'd shoot myself in the face.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NFjGTijHg
Updated On: 10/5/09 at 06:22 PM

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:23pm

Oh sh*t, Jordan. That's awful. To any passing fad indeed. Updated On: 10/5/09 at 06:23 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:25pm

Oh my God.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:26pm

This is the reaction I have when I see those kinds of girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJPSxaxewnI&feature=related

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:26pm

It really shocks me what people will do...

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 6:41pm

I don't understand the appeal of seeing one show so many times unless you're writing a thesis on it which I doubt any of these kids are doing. It is wonderful that the show has touched them but they seem to be, much like the rentheads (who I'm sure many of these fans are as well), trying to make a status game out of seeing the show. It's a puzzling sub-culture as they seem to put all their energy into a show at a time, moving to a new obsession only when the show closes(which of course they have a mourning period for). I think these groups scare of some patrons who would normally do rush and lotto is a perfect way to encourage new people to see the show. For me, shows that really touch me as Next to Normal does to many, I want as many people to see it as possible. I'd never think of rushing a show that much, again unless for research, as I'd feel bad about taking that new experience away from someone. The most I've seen a show was 4 times, Chicago, but with widely different casts and not even close together in dates. If I saw a show several times in a month or few month period, I'd grow tired of it no matter how much I connected to it. In fact, I'd probably stop being moved by it.

[saveusmike]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 7:06pm

Seeing that video is just kinda sick.

I will admit I have done my fair share of crazy line waiting ( Mostly when I was a big wrestling fan)

But to wait 7-8 hours for a show just to see it from the front row is kind of odd..Ecsepcially from people who call a certain seat "their" seat. I dont see how you can honestly see a show every week and still like it just as much. Some shows I get tired of after a second time seeing it.

I actually think these people like waiting on the line all night.


and a little tidbit Ljay was saying how a girl was upset on facebook bout the lotto situation, well she also had this too say...

"im going to still go sit outside the booth at 4am next week.... kidding... juuust kiiiddding!!!"

Maybe it is better we got these fans off the street.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 7:38pm

In terms of all this talk about like, emotional saturation, I do think it depends on both the person and the show. I've had my share of love affairs (and did write a thesis on a musical), but every time, I promise myself that if I ever get bored, or start to feel like I'm going for the wrong reasons, I'll stop. I think it just depends on you, and on the piece; there are people who grow tired of things after two viewings, but on the other hand, there are experiences that you can have 25 times and never grow bored of, and that can continue to move you every single time. It doesn't happen for everyone, or with all shows, but it does happen, and I think it's just about striking that right combination. I've been there, and I don't think it's imagined, I think it's 100% real. So I don't deny people that, at all. I definitely think something can still move you even if you've seen it a dozen times before; why do we come back to our favorite movies over and over again? Is it so different?

But I do think there are many cases (and it seems like this is one of them), particularly those where there's a large following, where it does become a weird "status" contest. And yeah, I think people like waiting in these lines all night in the rain because it makes them feel important, and is a way for them to display to everyone just how devoted they are. I think that's where I have trouble with this kind of thing -- if you're in love, why does it have to be about this grand display in public to prove it to the rest of the world? Just do what you do and be there, and love it. If that's really why you're there, then that's all that should matter. It's unfortunate that the people who think it's cool to engage in such extreme behavior set a precedent that makes it so that if you want to see the show for an affordable price (and not because you think you own a seat, or want Eye Contact or to be spit on,) you too have to engage in said behavior.

Updated On: 10/5/09 at 07:38 PM

Posted: 10/5/09 at 7:54pm

Emcee, I think that says it all. I completely agree.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 10/5/09 at 8:32pm

Emcee, that was perfect.