NEXT TO NORMAL Replaces Rush with Lottery — Page 4

I'm prone to defending the fannish, since I've definitely gotten more a few weird looks for getting as excited about musicals (and sci fi, and comics) as I do. And I can almost see what would drive someone to go and wait for rush tickets at 5am - the status it gives you, the sense of ownership it gives you of the show you love, and the community of fellow-fans who get it, which is no small thing. (I think that last factor has been a bit underrated in this discussion - lotto fanatics come in gaggles for a reason. Fandom can create a community, but in the end the community can end up sustaining and increasing the intensity of fandom as well.)

For those fans, this is going to stink for a while. But they'll still have their fansites, the stage door, and plenty of other ways to express their devotion. And from a broader point of view? This opens up discounted tickets for other people. You know, the ones who actually can't afford full price, not the ones who can buy $25 seats 50 times.

i would like to see how many of these crazies would be complaining if Alice Ripley left the show....then they wouldn't give a rats a$$. Am I right?

No, with a lot of them, it goes beyond Alice. Jessica Phillips has picked up a few fans from this crew.

I don't think that they do. I do think that it is possible to see a show a bunch of times and be a fan of it but not to do anything that these guys are doing such as stalking or going overboard in more ways then one.

When I was younger I did see Rent a good amount of times, yet, I never stage doored, I never followed the actors to the subway nor did I ever pretend that I was friends with any of them. So I do think that it is possible to just be touched by the show itself and not perform any of these acts that can be considered stalkerish or fangirlish.

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"No, with a lot of them, it goes beyond Alice. Jessica Phillips has picked up a few fans from this crew"


I'm talking the majority. MOST of them wouldn't give a damn about the show if Alice left.

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I'm still traumatized from the near pouncing I got for not loving Sweet Charity when I saw it. The fangirls next to me wanted to bite my head off when I didn't feel the way they did about the show, sat with my head down to avoid the criminal choreography, and refused to clap when I didn't enjoy something. During intermission they stared me down and almost ordered me to sit down (talking to friends on the aisle) several minutes before curtain. It was quite odd. Love a show but don't force those around you to have the same experience.

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I am very happy for the change. I have wanted to try rush in the past and have been told not to bother if I don't plan on sleeping overnight at the theatre. I think it's nuts to sleep on the street for a show that performs 8x a week, especially to do it on a regular basis, it's not like it's a superstar performer only on for one night.

Lotto is the fairest way to distribute the discounted tickets.

To watch those rush line videos or fangirl/boy videos on youtube whether it be Rent, N2N, Spring Awakening, or WICKED is just so sad, almost tragic. Many of these kids are a mess. They take absolutely no pride in their appearance, probably are depressed or anxious, hide themselves in oversized show sweatshirts, have little to no social skills, and are so deluded and live in fantasy. Some of them clearly aren't taking care of themselves.I am all for theatre being escapist fun, but some of these kids (and adults) are sad. I mean, anyone who can spend that much time rushing a show clearly is neglecting other portions of their life. They get their emotional needs met through a Broadway show and that terrifies me.

I love Broadway with every fiber of my being and it helped me out during some tough times, but what some of these folks are doing is scary to me. It's like an emotional crutch and a fanstasyland.

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I was about to similarly reply.

If I were sitting/sleeping outside all night, I would likely be in over-sized sweats as well.

I actually do know a couple of the people who have rushed that line on a pretty regular basis. While I think it's bizarre that they've done it, I do know for a fact that they (the few I know anyway) are college students who go to school AND work. They also dress quite nicely when not standing in a line at 4am

I don't think it's fair that the rush had gotten to that point where the same people were constantly in line so early, and this might seem bias, but I am less put off by students and young people doing that stuff than I am by adults who should be working.
What are your teens and early 20s for if not to do crazy things like stay in a line all night for something you love?
Mind you, to do it multiple times is nuts....but I do get it to a degree.

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I've been in "rush seats" before, and I can say that it's not just during rush that these kids are dressed that way. This breed is always wearing some kind of show shirt, or worse, shirts that are "home-made" and have quotes or "inside jokes" written all over them, so they can get more attention from their front row seats. Very sad and very disturbing. Time rushing might be better spent learning about the value of the way you present yourself to the world.

Also I concur with the question of where these kids find the time? Aren't there other, more valuable things they could be doing? Perhaps they're all in very not rigorous college programs because in high school, they spent too much time living in their deluded fantasy world rather than studying.

Also I concur with the question of where these kids find the time? Aren't there other, more valuable things they could be doing? Perhaps they're all in very not rigorous college programs because in high school, they spent too much time living in their deluded fantasy world rather than studying.

And where do they find the money? I know $25 is the cheapest price, but at 10, 20, 30 times that some of these people are seeing it during only a couple months sure can add up.

I was at the stage door of Legally Blonde one night. Another show mind you that had rush problems and fangirl problems. And, I was walking away with a group of young teen girls and one of the girls father who was basically buying everything for the girls including theatre tickets. I guess I could semi sort of see how people see shows like Next To Normal or another fangroup show that has a rush or lotto go several times. But, when it comes to something like Wicked, that one always baffled me due to the fact that the lotto is so damn crowded and it is still a hot ticket.

And, I have taken advantage of the fact that I live in New York and that I am a half hour away from Broadway. I can't tell you the number of times where I was having a bad day or in a bad mood, or hell, just even needed a good escape and I up and splurged on a favorite show. But, I do think that is different then seeing a show thousands of times just for status points. I mean, plenty of people have their favorite source of entertainment that they turn to when they are blue. Be it a book or a song or a move. That is why I see nothing wrong with turning to a favorite show every so often when your in need of a pick me up.

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Well maybe that's part of the answer - what they don't spend on clothes they spend on theatre tickets.

Hitler discovers Next to Normal rush replaced with lottery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGrsGqBKEb8

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