Recent Broadway Lottery Experiences?

[Born2cthelightsofbway]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 9:40pm

Can someone tell me how the lotteries are for Avenue Q, Wicked, DRS, and Spelling Bee? Thanks so much

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 9:41pm

Now, as summer aproaches they are very crowded. Wicked is a mob, and then the mob moves to spelling bee, avenue q is pretty popular and doesn't have many available seats, and DRS was okay when i went but since the tonys and norb's win im guesisng its growing larger too.

[GirlforTartaglia]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 9:44pm

Avenue Q had about 60 people there for Sunday's matinee for 12 tickets, and my brother won! So I sat front row!
DRS from across the street looked pretty popular as well.

[new_philosophy_girl]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 9:46pm

I went to the Wicked lottery on Thursday night and I kid you not, there were at least 200 people there...it was insane!

When I went to DRS in mid-May there were about 30 or so people there...and I still didn't win!!

I guess I just have horrible luck...

[Plum]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 9:48pm

I'd say your best chance is with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I'd also recommend buying SRO tickets to Spelling Bee before the lottery- the show is short and the theater is small, so it's quite a good deal.

[ILoveWicked330]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 10:31pm

I did Wicked lotto on Sunday and including me, we were 8 people and all of us lost. There were about 200 people. Then I was walking by Avenue Q @ 5:28 and there was a mob of people & I was like "I wonder what this is for..." & then I realized that they were drawing the lotto in literally 2 minutes so I entered but lost. Maybe 75 people there.

[jczelyph]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 10:34pm

Why do people waste their time going for these lotteries? Why not just spend $20 dollars more and buy a ticket? I cannot imagine waiting around for a poxy ticket. We don't have lotteries in the UK and I am so glad.

[ILoveWicked330]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 10:36pm

I rather take a chance on a lotto & for most shows, sit front row for $20-$25 than pay at a low of 50$ and sit far back...

[HumorousConclusion]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 10:42pm

DRS had about 35-40 people when I went last Wednesday. It was a matinee though so I don't know how crowded it is at night.

[jczelyph]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:02pm

At TKTS, you often (not always) get the good seats for the price of the cruddy seats. But whatever, children won't listen.

[liotte]

Posted: 6/27/05 at 11:52pm

I've been to all of the shows with lotteries recently.

Wicked is still the most crowded, I'd say 300 people average per show. I only win that one about once every 3 times I try it.

Hairspray is nothing, won that on Friday night.

DRS is around 50 people, also won that Friday night and sold the Hairspray tickets.

Ave Q is about 100 people on average, more on the weekends.

Spelling bee is crowded because of the wicked overspill, usually about 150 people.

Rent has around 75 people, a little more on weekends.

[MissNY]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 1:27pm

Avenue Q is also more crowded on Tuesdays since its later than all the other lotteries

[mabel]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 1:31pm

I got into the city later than expected on Saturday afternoon, so I missed getting Spelling Bee SRO before the lottos started. My friend and I got to Q just in time to drop our names in and lost. I'm not really sure how many people were there. So, we ran up to Spelling Bee and lost that too. There was a party of 3 people and they all won! Go figure!!

[new_philosophy_girl]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 1:35pm

jc...I often try the lotteries first, and if I am unsuccessful (which I always am), I then make my way to TKTS. What's wrong with trying to get front row seats for even cheaper than the tickets at TKTS?

[ILoveWicked330]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 1:41pm

Mabel -- the SRO tickets for Spelling Bee are given out after the lotto...not before

Edit: Sorry -- I didn't know that. I got SRO for Spelling Bee 1 month ago today & they said only after lotto Updated On: 6/28/05 at 01:41 PM

[Benzy92]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 2:00pm

Now you can get Spelling Bee SRO before the lottery also..

[Plum]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 2:21pm

You can get SRO tickets to sold-out performances as soon as the box office opens the morning of. I speak from happy experience here. :)

[exedore]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 3:16pm

Why risk the lottos?

Well, sometimes you have shows like Spelling Bee where all the tickets are $100 and SRO and Lotto are the only ways to get them. And yes, I run to the booth if I don't win.

/hopes for a small crowd at Spelling Bee lotto tonight, last chance before heading back to DC...2 losses so far.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 8:01pm

Is it possible to try two lotteries in one day? For example, if I wanted to try the DRS lottery, and lost, would I be able to run to the RENT lottery and try that?

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 8:08pm

Not for those two, sorry. Bee is the only one that isn't as the same time as all the others. Unless you wanted to do one in the afternoon and the other in the evening. If you're with someone you can split up and one of you can do DRS and the other Rent, just don't double dip!
Updated On: 6/28/05 at 08:08 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 8:29pm

If you lose a lottery you can always try rushing a show that doesn't sell well- a play, perhaps? And if you're in the city on a Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday, you can try matinee as well as evening lottos.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 8:35pm

So, if we lost DRS, we could rush a show, even though it would be only an hour or so before the show? Do you just show up at the box office whenever to do rush?

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 8:51pm

"Why do people waste their time going for these lotteries? Why not just spend $20 dollars more and buy a ticket? I cannot imagine waiting around for a poxy ticket. We don't have lotteries in the UK and I am so glad."

Besides being a great deal, lotteries are another way to see the show if the show is already sold out (as in my case when I went to see Avenue Q last year).

[Plum]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 9:50pm

Don't some shows draw 2 hours before curtain? That's enough time to walk over to another theater and get rush tickets.

And yes, I'd rather "waste" my time on lotteries and see 2 shows than spend the same amount of money for the privilege of sitting in the rear mezzanine of one. I'm disappointed to learn there's no lotteries in London; I hope they at least have student rush.

[jczelyph]

Posted: 6/28/05 at 10:54pm

Student 'rush' (why is it called rush?) doesn't really exist either in London. In regional theatres (where tours go - we don't have a lot of out of town tryouts in the UK) they often have student discount on all tickets, but in West End theatres they have neither student rush or student discount. At least not in my experience.

And in a rare moment of admission, I will concede that yes, perhaps lotteries are worthwhile if the price of tickets is important, or if you want to see a sold-out show badly. I acquiesce.