I got on Standby tonight at 7. I was the 4th lightpost down from the start. At 7:10, more than 75% of the line got in due to people not picking up lotto tickets. I recieved a ticket at 8:00pm, got seated, and the show started around 8:10. There were empty seats to be seen, not many, but a few, so i'm sure everyone in Standby got in!
So glad I took a risk to race uptown - kicking myself for not seeing Much Ado. Will return next summer!
Got in line at 5am and there were roughly 75 people in front of me. I had no problem getting tickets, but it looked like the line was at capacity around 8am.
Lucked out with great seats! I know this production received mixed-to-negative reviews, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing Lithgow and Bening.
I would urge everyone to keep trying to see this - put the reviews aside. Lithgow's performance is the truly exceptional and special and more than makes up for the production's short-comings. I've seen so many actors play Lear and Lithgow will now be the only one in my heart and the one I'll always remember.
Question for anyone who has done standby - I see that you can only get 1 ticket/person in this line. If I get in line at 6pm-ish, and then my boyfriend joins me at 7:30ish for us both to get tickets, is this "cutting" discouraged or any official rules against it?
At a specific time (6, I believe, maybe 7?) they make an announcement saying that no one is allowed to join someone already in the line from that time on and to report anyone who does.
Also, just want to say I immensely enjoyed Lithgow, Hecht and especially Eric Sheffer Stevens & Steven Boyer's performances. Unfortunately Annette Bening was really rather embarrassing. I was most excited to see her and ended up getting lots of emotionless reciting and hollow hand gesturing.
"These rabid fans...possess the acting talent to portray the hooker...Linda Eder..." -The New York Times
Going tomorrow for my first time ever. Planning to go around 6 for the stand-by line. Based on what you've all seen, does that seem okay? Any suggestions/last-minute things I should keep in mind? So excited!
Saw it last night...lucky that the weather turned out cool and comfortable after the rain.
Lithgow was wonderful overall, as were Steven Boyer and Eric Sheffer Stevens, as mentioned above. As feared (for me), Jessica Hecht did the same lilting wispy voice she's been doing in every show I've seen with her...I used to think it was a character choice. Annette Bening was a weak link, sadly - her work in the Richard III as well as this displays that while she is a fantastic actress with contemporary pieces, she seems to struggle with Shakespearean text. Jay O. Sanders was a bright spot for me as well.
Definitely worth seeing. I could nitpick about a bit more subtlety in some of the direction, but I can never complain too much about a free show in a beautiful space on a comfortable night.
I'm trying to get a ticket for the second to last performance on Saturday night. Is 6am/7am a reasonable time to get to the box office and wait in line?
Bumping this to see if anyone's been by the line the past few days. With this being the last weekend, do we think getting online around 5 tomorrow morning will be too late?
I lined up yesterday (Thursday, 8/14), got there at 6:15am, and had no problem getting tickets. I don't know how many people behind me got in, though. In line, my spot was close to the water fountain.