Pippin: First Row Partial View- Page 2

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 10:59am

Where are the rush seats usually located?

[gchris11]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:02am

Rush tickets are on the ends of row B, C D and the boxes!



Updated On: 5/17/13 at 11:02 AM

[dreaming]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:02am

gchris-check your inbox.

[lenstersf]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:10am

Seriously, I am surprised by the degree of negativity and doubtfulness from some posters. Completely agree with FindingNamo. There is no need to take ARTc's experience so personally.

[gchris11]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:12am

All I am saying is that you knew it was your birthday!!! That gave you a year to prepare, Pippin has been in previews since March!!! maybe you should have invested a little time and bought your tickets early!!!! Some one I know (She has seen it 21 times now) bought her mezz ticket on Wednesday. I do not understand why you felt compelled to go to the box office the day of and expect special treatment and start a cancellation line (I was there when you spoke with the young woman). That's it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:12am

gchris, you sound unhinged.

Updated On: 5/17/13 at 11:12 AM

[Kelly2]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:15am

Agree with Namo, gchris, you need to take it down like fifty notches. Maybe go see a different show. Take a walk in the sunshine. Try to go a day without using the word "Pippin". Etc.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:18am

^^ Ha!

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:37am

gchris is going to be the Aimee Kislin of PIPPIN.

[gchris11]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:38am

she was behind me last week. LOL
Actually there is a girl who buys real tickets who as of last night has seen it 21 times.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:39am

She buys REAL tickets? You don't say.

[ARTc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:39am

gchris... the woman was mistaken. There is a cancellation policy and there are cancellation lines (actual nightly). The box office staff confirmed this.

As for the issue at hand. You are 6' and your eyes are below the stage deck. You confirmed this. This doesn't bother you. Cool. For those who don't mind sitting in a seat where their eyes are below the stage deck, these seats are for you. I was lied to and there was no reason for me believe that I was just being told what I wanted to hear. I was polite and developed a rapport with the people working the box office that did not lead me to believe that I would be given anything but the truth regarding my options.

As for your other point... I had been to the Pippin box office on many occasion to see if I could purchase tickets in advance. In fact, I had been there the day after the box office opened, long before the show did. The issue is premium seating. Since Book of Mormon, and the popularity of discounted seating, popular shows - and new shows hoping to be popular - won't sell the best orchestra center at their regularly listed prices. They are held back for premium pricing knowing that they can be sold at the last minute as a cancellation. I did have the opportunity to purchase row L (the first row, other than the first two rows) that is sold at regular prices. I wanted a better seat than that for Pippin (in the end, I sat just 2 rows in front of L).

It was my choice to go the route I did. I own that. I knew I would be waiting all day. I brought a book and an apple and my partner was planning on meeting me mid day. I even had two lovely women bring me a cupcake for my birthday! (If you read this, you two made my day.)

You are happy sitting below deck level on the side, I am not. (I didn't have to and it was only my empathy for my partner and those sitting around, all of which were complaining, that I originally started this thread).

Like you I am passionate about the theater and have my preferences. My whole point was, I was willing to wait. I was willing to take the chance that I would come up empty handed. That is the choice I made in wanting to sit in a "premium" seat at regular prices.

My issue was the information I was given. I was told the seat was excellent (subjective) and that my partner's eyes would be above deck level (factual). I was lied to.

We have different tastes in seats.

I will take back my comment regarding the quality of the seat and my assumption that these seats shouldn't be sold. Clearly I am wrong. There are people, like yourself, who like these seats. I do not.

I will just factually leave it at: Row AA PARTIAL VIEW, is just that: partial view. If you sit here, be prepared to be sitting with your eyes below the deck level.

Oh... one other point. I don't wish to misrepresent myself here, or take undue focus from the purpose of this being a board of peers passionate about the theater, so I don't go into the details of my experiences both in the house and on the boards, but I assure you, if you're willing to trust that I am not dishonest: I know the theater quite well, especially Broadway. I have never seen a stage deck set that high. These seats are truly partial view.... For peace sake... IMHO.

One more point... we can agree that Pippin is spectacular and a truly wonderful theatrical experience. I hope you didn't think I was dishing the show. I loved it.

Updated On: 5/17/13 at 11:39 AM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:43am

What kind of apple did you have, ART? I think that's the only detail left out of your day passionately waiting for the THEATUH!

[ARTc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 11:47am

It was a red delicious.

Laughing!

[djoko84]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 12:44pm

Artc, if you read other posts about the show you would have known where it was good to sit. I wrote in other posts that mezzanine is the best place to sit for the show NOT orchestra. Waiting 6 hours for orchestra seats on the day of is your fault.

[billis2]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 1:17pm

Artc, I know you're angry, but I would say you were "misled," rather than "lied to." It doesn't sound like the box office personnel were intentionally giving you wrong information. It sounds like this particular production's stage configuration is different from other shows in same theater, and the box office people are just saying the same thing they've said for other shows there (and I have sat in the front row at that theater twice for other shows and I think their characterization of visibility was accurate). The communication between the production and the box office is often poorer than you might think, and they probably genuinely didn't know they were giving you wrong information.

I'm also not sure that all that much was missed from the front row. Of course, you don't know what you may or may not be missing while you're sitting there, but I don't think any important action is being missed by not seeing the back of the set.

It's still aggravating to have to deal with wrong information, but I don't think there was a deliberate attempt to lie to you.

I don't understand the whole "the Music Box doesn't do a cancellation line" thing. What theater has a policy of not having a cancellation line? That makes no business sense at all.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 1:25pm

Sorry to hear your partner had a less than great experience due to his seat. I had a similar experience for Tommy at the St James years ago - FIRST row and the stage was at least one foot over my eye level (5'7" here). Those were not even listed as obstructed view and were top dollar. Although I TOTALLY sympathize with you and (more to) your partner, at least they specified obstructed view.

Thanks for clarifying that Row B has no issues on that. I am seeing it next week and am in B2 - one of my favorite seats in a "normal" theater setup. I knew row B was back a few rows from the first middle orchestra row and nothing indicated obstructed view when I booked on Telecharge - so I jumped on it (actually E thru K 1 or 2 are my absolute favorites). I thought I might miss something on the wing of the side I am sitting on but decided to take my chances. The only other seat I could find was Row O orchestra or further back in Mezz which I LOVE (I have sat in O Orchestra at the far left side and liked it and I forgot about the bump up - but I was more concerned about the mezz overhang).

Just an aside, I always wondered why extreme side orchestra seats were the same price as prime location mid orchestra. Lets face it, it is all a crapshoot - you could get a GREAT seat and then sit behind someone with a head the size of Texas (sorry Texans, but I am referring to your state size and not the size of your heads - LOL). THAT is why I go first row Front Mezz or (if I can) side orchestra aisle (THE BEST) as you are looking over an aisle and not a head.

Updated On: 5/17/13 at 01:25 PM

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 2:17pm

I sat A-107 and had a perfect view when I saw it a few weeks back.

I was right behind the conductor.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 3:59pm

Thanks LimeLight - now I know I will be able to see the stage floor and I can stop worrying about it between now and next Friday (can you tell I tend to obsess about my seat selections for theater).

[ARTc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 6:21pm

dejoko84... if I implied that waiting 6 hours was anything other than my "choice" my apologies. I would have gladly waited about another 5 (till curtain), for the chance at another choice seat. Waiting wasn't my issue - it was my intention. Being "misled" is my issue.

billis2... I think you're absolutely right. I prefer misled, too. I found the box office staff extremely friendly and I don't believe there was any malice. I guess I just wish they had been more upfront about what they did and/or didn't know about this seat. I was initially told that my partner would have his chin to the stage floor and then when I questioned again, I asked if his eyes would be above deck level. I was told that they would be. They were not - not even close.

The importance of this aspect to whether or not this is a good seat is up for debate. Clearly others here have sat in this or similar seats and found them acceptable - even ideal. I would have been miserable and I know that my partner and the 3 people sitting to his right were very unhappy.

The Music Box does have a cancellation policy as does every other Broadway theater. gchris11 is misinformed. I believe he based his belief on the comment he overheard from a woman on the house cleaning staff. She was also misinformed. Once the box office opened, it was confirmed that there was a cancellation policy (which I already knew) and was told I could start the cancellation line. They did say that I was there rather early. I suspect I was as enthusiastic as gchris11 and all those others who got up early for rush seats. I just didn't want rush. I wanted choice.

SFFront Row... I am curious to read your thoughts after you've had a chance to check out this seat. I would appreciate your posting after you have done so. I truly hope that you find your seat perfect.




Updated On: 5/17/13 at 06:21 PM

[Phil B]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 7:16pm

I sat in the front row at Pippin, and although being so close did have its good moments, the view was extremely restricted. What annoyed me the most was that when I booked the tickets (online), there was no mention whatsoever that these were partial view tickets - the first I knew of it was when I picked the tickets up immediately before the performance, and saw that the tickets had 'partial view' written across the middle of them. I don't find that acceptable

[ARTc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 7:33pm

Thank you Phil B. I appreciate the support here. Thank you to those other posters and readers who also might have thought I had a point.

I honestly didn't want to trash anyone for their preferences. I understand that different people have different budgets and ideas of what they find acceptable. I just thought being told that a seat would allow my partner to see at stage or slight above stage level and then to find out that wasn't even remotely close, was unacceptable.

My partner did say that being so close was fun at times. He just wished he could have seen more of the choreography - below the waist when the performers were upstage - would have made his experience that much more enjoyable.

As to the nasty tone from some of the posters... I do understand loving a show and wanting to defend it. I hope I was very clear that I thought Pippin excellent theater. I was more addressing current pricing policy and seating information than anything else.

Why there seemed to be the implication that I was also misleading the reader here with my wanting "cancellations" or "special treatment" is just ludicrous. My parents saw the original, The King and I, in 1951 by standing on a cancellation line. I have seen many shows having stood on a cancellation line. There has always been a cancellation line. I suspect there always will be. The Music Box Theater does have one, gchris11 just overheard me asking a member of the cleaning crew who was ill informed and assumed otherwise. He is mistaken. His attitude... well, that's another story.

I don't begrudge him getting up early and waiting multiple times to sit in rush seats. That is his choice and his preference. He's entitled. I was wrong to say that those seats shouldn't be sold. I wasn't wrong to say I was angry that I was misinformed. I was.





Updated On: 5/17/13 at 07:33 PM

[ARTc]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 7:44pm

An interesting challenge... I would be greatly impressed, if gchris11, on his 13 visit to Pippin, ask the box office attendant about the cancellation policy. When he learns that he was mistaken, it would be a truly decent thing for him to return here and acknowledge his mistake.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 7:52pm

[bundy5000]

Posted: 5/17/13 at 8:00pm

I sat front row a few weeks back. While it was obstructed, I asked for a booster seat and they gave it to me. I had a much better time than anyone else in my row, including the person behind me (schadenfreude). While stage dooring the actors kept on saying "hey you sat in the front" so that was kinda cool. But still to this day I am seeing a chiropractor cause the only reasons my neck will be stiff like that again is if I am seeing Pippin front row again or severe amounts of pleasure