Switching to better seats?

[TorontoBroadwayFan]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 12:17am

Hey everyone,

 

I'm headed to NYC tomorrow and have 10 broadway shows booked! Thanks for all the suggestions and advice I've received on the boards theatre fans!

 

My question is, is it acceptable to switch seats after as the lights go down or during intermission? Here in Toronto, it is considered okay, so I want to make sure I know what the protocol is before attempting it.

 

The only time I switched seats in NY, the whole mezz was empty and the ushers told us to move up to front mezz before the show even started.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 1:07am

If the ushers tell you that you can before the show starts, that's fine. It would be best to wait until intermission otherwise. It is distracting to see people move and you also never know if the people who belong to the empty ones will show up. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 3:03am

If there are lots of seats in your section, you can check with the usher. Sometimes they know if they are sold or not.

 

 

[darreyl102]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 3:22am

I've only done it during intermission, but i have done it before and never had a problem. often times i survey the theater to see if i see any open seats that are closer then mine, and move to them during intermission if no one has claimed them. chances are, if they weren't filled during act 1, nobody is going to claim them for act 2.

[LimelightMike]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 3:38am

...Or, you could just purchase better seats, lol

[LarryD2]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 6:04am

Occasionally, ushers will "dress the house"--i.e., move patrons in the back down to better seats prior to curtain. However, this usually only happens when there's a large swath of empty seats, and it's preferable not to move yourself prior to intermission. The unwritten rule is that seats that are open after the first act are fair game.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 11:17am

Went to see Gigi Wednesday night. Even with papering,back half upstairs totally empty. We were told to move if we wanted. A shame as show was not the train wreck the critics said it was.It was quite entertaining .

Take note J2 .Being positive despite your comment. 

[TorontoBroadwayFan]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 2:33pm

Thanks all. Some of my seats are excellent, some much less so...for example, I got last row for curious incident. First up tonight I'm seeing a Fun Home. Splurged on those and have some hopefully nice 100 section seats!

[LarryD2]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 2:39pm

"Take note J2 .Being positive despite your comment."

I think this comment was directed toward me. What I said--which is true--is that you shouldn't move prior to intermission unless an usher sanctions the move. That's because those seats might be occupied by latecomers. As someone who's worked FOH, there are few things as disruptive as trying to seat a latecomer and finding someone already sitting in those seats, then having to shuffle those people back to their ticketed seats while trying to seat the latecomers.

So rule of thumb, as I said: don't move yourself prior to intermission. If an usher tells you it's all right to move, that's a different story. At intermission, whatever's empty is fair game.

[loliveve]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 4:21pm

I sat in the last row for "The Curious Incident..." I actually liked it because you can see the entirety of the stage so well, including what is drawn on the floor and stuff.

I moved up at "Gigi" too.  That was a weird experience.  There were several rows of empty seats when I saw it as well, so I asked the usher about moving forward (thinking, perhaps that the ushers would be moving people.)  The guy I asked responded that normally they would be moving people, but he was told the house was pretty full that night.  But, he told me to go ahead and move, but wait about 10 minutes after the show started.  After a few songs, I moved up-- much to the consternation of another usher who flickered her flash light on me. I was surprised since I'd moved with the other usher's blessing, and just pointed to him. It look like he told her that I was okay and then she just gave me a stern annoyed look, and that was the end of it.  I was also surprised since I wasn't the only one who moved, and about a dozen people moved as soon as the show started. I waited as the usher asked, and then was the only one who got "caught" so to speak.  

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/15 at 4:40pm

To Larry

The remark was directed at me on off topic.You are good.