Hamilton Cancellation Line

[Buddy Plummer2]

So, I know the Public has the policy of taking names for cancellations when the box office opens. My question then: if the box office opens at one on Sunday's, how early should I line up? I have my entire morning free, so if someone says 8am, I'll be there, but given how much tickets have been going for, a part of me wouldn't be surprised to hear that people are camping out over night for this..

[sorano916]

I was there last Sunday. I arrived at noon and was like ninth in line overall. Since lotto started at 12:30, I put my name in for that and then waited still for the waitlist which started at 1. The first person in the line actually got her name called for lotto so she and her husband left before putting their names on the waitlist.

The thing about two show days is to put your name on the waitlist for both shows at the same time. While I ended up being eighth for the matinee list, I was third for the evening list, which I got in.

[ZannaDo]

A friend did the cancellation line two weeks ago and got there at noon on a Sunday and was fourth in line for the matinee, she got in off the wait list and said that 8 people got in total. It seems to fluctuate wildly but I'll second that two-show days are probably the best bet since you can put yourself on the list for both shows and often, the evening show is not as crowded.

[Buddy Plummer2]

^awesome; I was planning on the evening show so this works perfectly

[luckyleo81]

I did the cancellation line today after getting tired of the lottery. I got there at 10:30 and was 3rd in line. The first person said she got there at 9:30 and the doors were already open, so if you've got a few hours to waste and a book to read it's not too bad. I would say the line didn't really pick up until around noon though, like the other posters said. The lady handing out the lottery tickets told us people in the front of the line that they always have cancellations, so we should be golden...cut to there being no tickets available for the matinee. However, there were around 5 tickets for the evening performance. A ton of people on the line only put their name on the matinee list or didn't show back up for the evening wait list (probably scared away by the fact no one got in for the matinee), so I ended up being 2nd on the list for the evening, and the last person to get a ticket got there around noon, although she was technically maybe around 10th in line in the morning. If you really want to see the show, have the time to spare, and can afford the full ticket price I think the cancellation line is definitely the way to go. I would point out to Buddy Plummer2 that according to the schedule online there are no Sunday evening performances for the next 3 weeks.

[Buddy Plummer2]

^literally, just after my last post, I checked the website and saw. Gonna try for tomorrow's matinee (hoping the daylight savings plus the awful winter weekend will keep people away, but who am I kidding, I'm looking for any kind of reasoning for why sitting in line for 5 hours tomorrow makes more sense)

[BruceWayne5148]

Planning on doing this this week. How much were your cancelation tickets?

[luckyleo81]

Full price, $122 ($120 for ticket plus $2 service charge). The 4th person in line didn't even put her name on the waiting list after waiting for 2 hours because she thought the tickets would be half priced from prior experiences with cancellation lines at the Public. They are definitely not.

I do feel a little better about spending all that money now though being that a comparable seat for the Broadway run is going for around $300.

[madela2]

What time do they start selling the cancellation tickets to the waitlisted people?

Or is it an anytime up until showtime kind of thing?

(Sorry, never done a cancellation line before)

[luckyleo81]

They say to be in the lobby a half hour before the show starts, but for both the matinee and the evening show they didn't tell us anything until about 5 minutes before the show was supposed to start.

[center]

Just to give an update, for the matinee yesterday, they sold 3 tickets. The first pair went to someone who got there somewhere after 9:00, and then there was a single that went to someone who got there sometime after 10:00. The man in charge whom we spoke with said he'd never seen anything like this. He said there really was no pattern for good times to line up or when there might be more tickets available. That being said, it was by far the most pleasant "rush"-esque experience I've ever had - inside, access to bathrooms, and wifi!

[madela2]

thanks to you both luckyleo and center!

[SDV]

Hi all,

What time would you recommend lining up on days with only evening performances? Should I still get to the theater in the morning or is afternoon sufficient? Also, if you put your name on the list for cancellations, do you have to physically stay there all day or just come back an hour or so before curtain? Thanks for any guidance.

[Claudia Draper]

Anyone tried the cancellation line, lately Impossible?

[haterobics]

Claudia Draper said: "Anyone tried the cancellation line, lately Impossible? "

 

It's like going to vegas and playing the slot machine. People do win, but there is no way to know if you will be one of them. You can increase your odds and stand there all day and be first in line, but that also means if no tickets are available, you invested the most time to achieve nothing.

[charlieoflondon]

I tried a few weekends ago. (3rd evening perf and 4th matinee). I was front of the queue on the Saturday (I started queueing as the matinee hit the interval) and stayed till 8pm. They had no tickets and the box office was crazy busy because they had over 100 people turn up with fake tickets. So didn't get a ticket and ran around the block to see Spring Awakening at the last minute.

On Sunday i joined a friend in the queue at 11ish. We were second in the queue. When the box office opened the girl in front of us got a ticket straight away. At about 1pm 2 premium seats got returned and we passed on those (too much money) and some guys behind us in the queue snapped them up. Then at 1:30 the box office called us up to the window as 2 row k centre stalls had been returned. $167 each and we snapped those up!

The box office people and security guys were all lovely and helpful. They said there had only been a couple of shows over the last few months that there had been no returns for. We later found out that 2 people behind us got tickets too.

So I reckon I queued for about 8 hours over the 2 days. Totally worth it but get there early!

 

 

[NYfanfromCA]

charlieoflondon said: "On Sunday i joined a friend in the queue at 11ish. We were second in the queue. When the box office opened the girl in front of us got a ticket straight away. At about 1pm 2 premium seats got returned and we passed on those (too much money) and some guys behind us in the queue snapped them up. Then at 1:30 the box office called us up to the window as 2 row k centre stalls had been returned. $167 each and we snapped those up! "

 

So you got there at 11:00 AM on Sunday and by 1:30 PM you had two seats in K for the matinee?!  That's fantastic!  And this was your second or fourth try?

 

[haterobics]

^^ Well, he said he joined a friend in line, so that person probably got there, earlier, one would imagine.

[Phantom of London]

Would it be that the calculation line is at the Richard Rodgers and not the Public please?

[haterobics]

Phantom of London said: "Would it be that the calculation line is at the Richard Rodgers and not the Public please?"

 

Yes, the cancellation line at the box office is at the location where both the show and the box office are now.... the Richard Rodgers.

[charlieoflondon]

NYfanfromCA said: "charlieoflondon said: "On Sunday i joined a friend in the queue at 11ish. We were second in the queue. When the box office opened the girl in front of us got a ticket straight away. At about 1pm 2 premium seats got returned and we passed on those (too much money) and some guys behind us in the queue snapped them up. Then at 1:30 the box office called us up to the window as 2 row k centre stalls had been returned. $167 each and we snapped those up! "

 

 

 

So you got there at 11:00 AM on Sunday and by 1:30 PM you had two seats in K for the matinee?!  That's fantastic!  And this was your second or fourth try?

 

Second try. My friend got there at 10/10:30ish I think. The girl right at the front was there at 8 or 9.

 

"

 

[charlieoflondon]

haterobics said: "^^ Well, he said he joined a friend in line, so that person probably got there, earlier, one would imagine.

 

"

Not that it's particularly important... but Charlie can be a girl's name too!

[NYfanfromCA]

charlieoflondon said: "Second try. My friend got there at 10/10:30ish I think. The girl right at the front was there at 8 or 9."

 

Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know what time you started the line.  If I find time and can bring all of my meals and sit there and eat, maybe I might try this!

 

[macnyc]

charlieoflondon said: "...They had no tickets and the box office was crazy busy because they had over 100 people turn up with fake tickets. "

 

Wow, this is amazing, over 100 people who had been sold fake tickets, just for that one performance! I feel sorry for them, and also for the box office personnel who have to deal with this situation. It must be really difficult having to tell someone their tickets are bogus.

 

 

 

"

 

[nightnic001]

So if I arrive at around 9:30-10ish, for a Saturday mat, I have a good chance of getting cancellation tickets?