Next to Normal rush- Page 4

[tking001]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 10:41am

"The thing about changing from a rush to a lotto is that they'd have to pay someone to pull it which I know some shows have been hesitant to do."
Why couldn't they just have a security guard do it who is already at the theater. That's what RENT did one of the people's job's were Lobby Security & Lottery

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 10:44am

I didn't find it ridiculous when I saw the show for my first time and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

Updated On: 7/19/09 at 10:44 AM

[claudioislove]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 2:19pm

dramamama- Sorry, I got confused by what everyone was saying. Angry people aren't always very clear, and apparently this topic is making a lot of people very angry.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 7:36pm

I personally have a preference for rush because there is more of a guarantee.

If there is a show I really want to see, I can guarantee I will get discount tickets by waking up at the crack of dawn to get on line. Then again, I'm not the type of person to see shows a multitude of times, so that only involves sacrificing the occasional weekend or day off to make this happen. With lotto I sometimes make a number of trips into midtown before winning, if I ever do.

I also enjoy the rush experience overall. Then again, I was sleeping on the street for Rent tickets back where it all began, so I have an appreciation of the history of the practice and the community it can create.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 7:45pm

AdamGreer at 14 and 15 years old, this IS a mortgage for them!

And I have never done rush or lottery. I doubt I ever will. I do look for discounts whenever they are available. I'm too old to play around with that.

I WILL stand in line for Shakespeare in the Park, however.

[heo1128]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 7:55pm

See, I don't really understand why it's more acceptable to wait in line for Shakespeare in the Park tickets for 8 hours than to wait at The Booth for 4. I mean I understand that Shakespeare is more of an experience and it's only around for a limited time and it's free, but it's the same idea.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 8:17pm

I didn't mean to say it was MORE acceptable, just that I was willing to do it -- because that's the way theater in the park was always meant to be. (Although if the trend continues as it did for 12th Night...I might not continue.)

I don't think it's 'wrong' for anyone to choose to rush or do lotto for any or every show....it's just not for me. A once a year thing is different. I have too much I want to do in Manhattan when I go in...waiting around doesn't fit in.

[heo1128]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 8:21pm

Oh no I didn't mean any offense towards you, dramamama. I was just saying in general it seems a few people are appalled by the N2N rush but don't seem to mind the Park rush. I totally understand that it's not for everyone and rushing is quite time consuming, but if people want to do it I say go ahead and let them.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 9:26pm

Maybe the difference is the park productions are an extemely limited run?

No offense taken!

[legally_popular]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 9:43pm

It's not just the getting there early and the amount of time you have to wait, it's the people who rush it over and over (next to normal).

[mina3]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 10:00pm

Guys, calm down. The producers are discussing the switch from rush to lottery, and it'll probably happen. They know exactly what the rush line is like and they understand the benefits of lottery vs. rush. It's just a matter of figuring out the logistics - give them a little time. They never expected it to get like this (though of course it's awesome that it did).

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 10:05pm

Rushing over and over has become the norm since Rent. It's just what the young'uns do now. If they change it or don't change it won't really make a difference. Those people will still show up and get to see the show at a highly reduced price over and over.

Because they are young and have the time.

It's not right or wrong.....it just is.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 10:27pm

I really hope that's true about the switch to lotto. It would absolutely be the most fair thing to do.

[legally_popular]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 11:41pm

"Rushing over and over has become the norm since Rent. It's just what the young'uns do now. If they change it or don't change it won't really make a difference. Those people will still show up and get to see the show at a highly reduced price over and over.

Because they are young and have the time."


1) It's not just young people though, which is even more scary. And I'm a "young'un" too but I don't do what they do.

2) Rent made the right decision for switching to a lotto.

3) A lotto WOULD make a difference. The same people who rush over and over would still be able to enter the lotto as much as they want, but at least it'll be more fair to draw names at random. Everyone will get a chance. The same people won't be seeing the show every time. And it won't involve people camping out in Shubert Alley or getting there so early.


And who's getting angry? I don't sense anger from any of these posts, we're just discussing it.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 4:53am

I know this isn't the place to do it anymore, but as I headed into the car at 5am to get in line, the car battery was dead. Any advice for a Tuesday? Still 6ish?

I hate bad Mondays...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 7:00am

From the sound of it, the day does not matter.

And I agree with Legally, no one needs to calm down. We are discussing.

But my point was that rush, in general, and "serial viewings" (of anything: tv shows, youtube vids, movies) is much more a "young'uns thing". I'm in my (cough, cough) mid 40's and cable and the ability to BUY a movie had just starting happening in my late teen years...I'm not wired to see a tv show over and over......until a show went into syndication, you almost never saw an episode again...and even then, it was a re-run in the summer: ONCE.

Just like you guys are the master of texting, you also own the repeat factor. I text, and, indeed, I see shows more than once. But on a much more tempered pace.

No criticism involved....just observation.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 9:05am

It's a moot point as apparently my opinion/thoughts don't matter, but the over 30 times has been spread throughout the three runs of the show. NOT just the Broadway run. Viewings of the Broadway run have been spread out since March. And when I see it, I plan and save. My reference was to those who say "I just get something at tkts" because if I'm saving for rush, that's not going to be enough for a tkts ticket. Do I choose to go to theatre over other things like incessant clothes or shoes or purse, etc. shopping? Yes. That's my choice. Do I have anyone else depending on me for financial support? No. It's me and my pet bird.

And when I hear "out of control" I tend to think of things like fights breaking out, and that's just not happening. People are getting up and getting there early and waiting very patiently reading, talking with each other, playing games, listening to movies. That's hardly what I call "out of control".

In a way, a lottery would be better as there are more opportunities for people who work during the weekdays to get there. BUT a lottery will not cut down on or eliminate repeat/serial viewers... If anything it gives them MORE chances to see the show if their funding is unlimited.

And that's all I have to say on the subject.

Updated On: 7/20/09 at 09:05 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 10:28am

Jordan -- I don't care how many times you see the show or how many times you rush. I don't think that anyone is doing anything wrong....as long as everyone is playing by the rules!

And I think your opinion matters.

(Really over Thirty? Wow.)

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 10:48am

But are there any rules about how early you can get there? It is not like YOU (I'm not talking to anyone in general) have to get there at 4am. Nobody is making you. People just want to make sure they get tickets to a show they want to see. So why not be safe than sorry?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 10:56am

There are not any rules about that. Even if they said...you can't line up until 6am....the same people will simply walk around the block or hang out somewhere else until then. It would be like a huge game of musical chairs!

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 12:13pm

I wasn't directing that at you dramamama611. :) We're cool. And thanks! :) (Yes...yesterday made 38 times spread over the three runs of the show. It just connects with me on a level I can't explain...and it's ultimately cheaper than therapy. HAHA!)

And I agree. If people were causing fights and other disruptions, I would definitely agree that it is out of control. But no one is fighting on line that I've seen ~ to the contrary everyone seems to be very agreeable and either chats with those around them or keeps to him/herself.

[Rudy2]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 12:57pm

I have yet to see the show but will indeed do so. If the show had had a 2-hour before curtain kind of rush I would have already seen it; a morning person I am not, and I have to get in to the city from Jersey.

That said, at least for me, I have mixed feelings about the switch to a lotto. Even if I had to kill myself by getting in early to get on the line, such as it would be now, I guarantee myself a ticket so long as I get there on time.

A lotto would be great because it means there is no longer an advantage over me by New Yorkers. However, it also means that I could spend the $17 to get into the city and get no tickets.

So it's a draw, to me. I think with the switch to lotto I will be rushing very soon.

[leegirlyy]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 2:50pm

my friends and I are going to rush next to normal this sunday. we want to see the 3 PM show instead of the 7:30 PM show. I was thinking of getting there 6:45-7, is that okay or earlier?

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 2:50pm

Too late.^^

[leegirlyy]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 2:52pm

what time would be better?