Richard Rodgers Ushers are the biggest babies on broadway

[LightsOut90]

give me a break.

hamilton-ushers-are-exhausted-from-massive-crowds

 

[EthelMae]

Oh, I don't know. I was an usher at a small Off-Broadway house and it could get hairy there with various problems nightly so I would guess the Richard Rodgers now is not an easy few hours for the ushers.

[FindingNamo]

The layout of the lobby does not make for easy traffic flow, especially once there's a line at the bar.  I found it really stressful getting in and to my seat.  I have no idea how people make it back from intermission if they have to go to the bathroom.

[Call_me_jorge]

What exactly do they want? A raise, more vacation time, a promise that Hamilton will close soon? I'm confused.

[asmith0307]

Call_me_jorge said: "What exactly do they want? A raise, more vacation time, a promise that Hamilton will close soon? I'm confused."

Their "spy" (Page Six's words, not mine) says that they just want a break.

 

I ushered at a NFP off-Broadway house for a little while. I also ushered at a large touring house for a short bit. I can't even begin to tell my stories of the not-so-patrons who came to see the shows. It's not the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is definitely not easy, especially when you are in a long run.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Please, give them a break. Doing any kind of customer service work is difficult, and I'm sure this particular show is a challenge. It's sold out every night without fail, and I imagine such large crowds bring at least a few jerk customers every night. Ushering can be a stressful job, but when I saw Hamilton the ushers were pleasant and professional, despite the huge crowd.

 

Namo, I will agree about the lobby- it is a nightmare at intermission. I went to the bathroom and I couldn't even walk through the crowd between the different lines for the bar, restroom, and merchandise. There was a group of maybe 5 or 6 people who also decided that the packed lobby was the perfect place to stand and have a conversation- sadly, they didn't seem to get the hint that everyone around them just wanted to head back to their seats. 

[Dave13]

Eh.  Not even going to bother reading the article. I was an usher and worked crowd control at concerts and sporting events in college. Yes it's a tough job, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I was able to see the best sporting events and concerts while being paid to do it. 

 

No different at a broadway theater.  If they don't like it, they are in the wrong business.  There is a long list of people waiting to take their spot. Good grief.  

[dramamama611]

And a page 6 article with an anonymous source....likely someone exaggerating comments they overheard that were meant to be hyperbole. (Like when any of us whine after a particularly bad day.  A teacher claiming, "This job would be great, if it weren't for those darn kids."

 

I've found the ushers at Hamilton to be excellent, hard working and personable.  (At least in the mezzanine.)  One of women up there is a hoot.

[SmoothLover]

I think the page 6 tidbit leans towards the dramatic. Most usher contracts only require them to work 6 or 7 shows out of the 8. Ushers can usually get one or 2 shifts off a week without jeopardizing their jobs.

The stress of ushering like any other job is not the work itself. It is more about getting along with the customers and the people you work with. That is usually what people will say causes them the most stress in any job. Doctors and Dentists will say that about their patients and people in finance will say that about their bosses.

[Dave19]

A lobby is not responsible for complete chaos. 

 

The kind of people in it are.

[bwayphreak234]

To the OP - I would love to see you try spending just one day working a customer service job in the theatre industry.

[lunch]

I'm not sure what "oversold" means.  Are people getting bumped from their seats like they do when an airline oversells?

 

 

In any case, it seems like their demand makes good business sense.  Giving the ushers at Hamilton a chance to swap for a week with ushers at another Nederlander theater.  The cost in training the ushers to become familiar with the layout and nuances of the other theaters and in paperwork to schedule the transfer will probably pay off in happier and more productive employees.

[ArtMan]

PThespian, I used to put up with the same crap you described and more.  But I did it as a VOLUNTEER. We were required to get there three hours before the show and could not leave until all patrons exited. We could not sit even if there were empty seats.  So basically  standing for six hours. I used to say I could put up with this if I was receiving a paycheck.  I finally had my fill and gave it up.  At least, you are receiving a paycheck. It may not be the pay you deserve, but it is still compensation.  All I received was a "free" bottled water.  

[ArtMan]

Double post

[LizzieCurry]

Don't most ushers get to rotate between houses? I know the Jujamcyn ones do.

 

Thank you for your hard work, PThespian!

[CarlosAlberto]

A friend works for the Nederlander Org. and he's on a rotating schedule between their houses.

[ArtMan]

No.  Only seven to eight times a month.  The last straw, was when I asked two drunk customers to exit (so the rest of us could go home) I was told by one to "get a real job".  I politely stated that we were volunteers, he responded "all the reason to get a real job".  At that point I made the decision to quit. When I was leaving, I ran into the two drunks in the parking lot.  The one attempted to run his mouth and I gleefully cussed him out, telling him what he could do with his mother, among other things.

[CarlosAlberto]

@PThespian. Yes he's a sub. It's a side gig. He has a full time job elsewhere. It's just extra $$$$ for his wallet.

[LightsOut90]

bwayphreak234 said: "To the OP - I would love to see you try spending just one day working a customer service job in the theatre industry.

 

"

i've done 30 hours a week for the last 5 years in midtown honey, ill gladly take a UNION gig at the Rodgers

[Dollypop]

This article is PR hype. Anything to let the public know the show is selling out.

 

[Jordan Catalano]

It's kind of like when spoiled little girls go to Starbucks and cause a scene and act like entitled little bitches because they didn't draw a happy face on their hot chocolate and their grandparents think it's cute but when in reality, the barista should have taken it away from her and thrown it in her face. It's like that. 

[Dave19]

They could also just open the cages in the auditorium one at a time when it's interval.

[Scarywarhol]

What the hell is that one supposed to mean, you hateful sack of rat mucus?

[KathyNYC2]

This is a completely ridiculous article - or non-article actually. No one actually spoke to an usher...."insiders" know this. What insiders? And is this a consensus of each and every or the majority of ushers there?

At best, I bet someone said in a casual comment - ushering at this theater is tiring (and who has not said that about his/ or her job at one moment in life) and because it's Hamilton, it gets blown up out of proportion.

Talk about Hamilton overkill? Hello...

[Dave19]

Scarywarhol said: "What the hell is that one supposed to mean"

 

Well, clearly because it’s "such a mob scene every night.” at this particular show with this particular audience, I assume they arranged some measures?