I saw it early in previews, about a month ago, but I doubt it's gotten much more crowded since then. I posted this same info in the Dames at Sea preview thread:
I got there are at about 9:40 or so, and was about 5th or 6th in line. Side orchestra row C - marked as partial view, but I didn't miss a thing.
May I ask some really stupid questions. I have been going to theatre in NYC for decades and I have never bought a rush ticket.
So is this how it works? You show up when the box office opens and you can buy tickets for that same evening? How much are they? Do you have any choice of where the seats are? Do you have to be a student? Anything else I should know?
I walked up at 12:30 on Saturday and got B5 for the matinee, and didn't miss a thing. The leg room situation is cramped as I was up against a wall and very close to the gentleman next to me, but it wasn't a major bother.
So is this how it works? You show up when the box office opens and you can buy tickets for that same evening? How much are they? Do you have any choice of where the seats are? Do you have to be a student? Anything else I should know?
Depends on the show and the rush policy, some shows would require you to be there before the box office opens to guarantee a ticket, but Dames at Sea isn't one of them. Some shows are student rush only (Dames at Sea included) while others are general rush (Les Mis, for example) where anyone can get a ticket. It's best to look on Playbill to see what the policy is for each show. Here is the link for Playbill's rush/lottery section - http://playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/broadway-rush-lottery-and-standing-room-only-policies-116003
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
Rush tickets almost always go onsale when the box office opens on the day of the performance (usually 10am), and they will sell them until they run out, or until curtain. So it's really a question of how popular the rush is., which is why people make threads like this one, in order to gage how many people have been showing up. They usually range from around $25 at the lowest, to $40 at the highest. Most of them are are around $30-$37. In addition to the link that ClumsyDude posted, there is also Broadway For Broke People, which I have found to sometimes be more accurate/up to date than Playbill (but not always).
The most important thing to know is that each show has a different policy, so just be sure to do your research.
You almost never get a choice as to where you sit. I usually ask them anyway, because I've gotten lucky a few times and have been given a choice - pretty rare though.
Thanks for the answers. I am not a student so I guess I will take my chance with tdf. It just seems like they give better seats when they are rush tickets.
In case anyone may be interested, I walked up to the box office at 11:00am yesterday and got a rush ticket without a problem for the matinee. Seat B6 in the right orchestra. The woman told me it was partial view but I'm 99% certain I didn't miss a thing.