Mean Girls Pink Wednesday Rush

[Sydney Hagen]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 12:18am

Mean Girls announced their rush and lotto policies earlier today, and I wanted to get people's thoughts about their really odd rush policy-
(From the official BroadwayWorld announcement:)

"Pink Wednesdays Rush Tickets:
On Wednesdays beginning next Wednesday, March 14, a limited number of $42.50 general rush tickets will be available only to customers wearing pink at the August Wilson Theatre and can be purchased with cash or credit card when the box office opens at 10:00am, Monday-Saturday. In order to be eligible, you must be wearing a visible item of pink clothing! Tickets are limited to two per customer, and are non-transferable and subject to availability; seat locations will vary, and some may be partial view. The rush policy is exclusive to Wednesday performances for a limited time only."

From what I can gather, for at least the first few months or so of performances, rush is only available one day out of the week, and only if you are explicitly wearing pink (lotto remains open for every performance, but is only offered to people in pink for Wednesday performances.) I heard a lot of opinions on this through some of my friends on Twitter earlier today, but I was wondering what everyone else's thoughts on this were? It seems to be a publicity stunt to capitalize on the popularity of the movie and catchphrase, but it seems like it could alienate people who aren't aware about the Wednesday-specific rule and would get turned away at the box office for not wearing pink. Thoughts?

[pointilismlight]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 12:41am

I mean, its a nod to the movie and I think it's kind of cute!  It looks like the show is offering an in-person and digital lottery for every performance.  In the announcement it says that if you wear pink to the lotto on Wednesday you can win a free pair of tickets but you don't have to wear pink, only if you want to be entered to win the free pair.  You can still enter the lotto if you aren't wearing pink so I really don't think anyone gets turned away?  I can't think of another show that has done an in person lotto, digital lotto, and have some sort of rush policy so I think it's kinda cool that they're doing all three especially since they don't have a super low price point.  And also that you can get a free pair of tickets which I definitely have never seen in a lotto!

Here is what the BWW announcement says about the lotto-

Pre-Show Lottery (In-Person):

As previously announced, a limited number of $42.50 same-day tickets will be made available prior to each performance of Mean Girls via a pre-show, in-person lottery. For Wednesday performances - yes, we're totally going there - Pre-Show Lottery participants who wear a visible item of pink clothing will receive a pink lotto slip and the first pink slip drawn will receive a free pair of tickets to that performance.

 

 

[Sydney Hagen]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 12:57am

Thanks for including the information about the lottery! I've never done lotto before, so i know less about how it works than rush. For the rush in particular, I do think it's a nice nod to the movie as well, I'm just concerned about people who are unfamiliar with rush policies getting disappointed at the box office. I know most people who rush shows are locals and know how specific theaters' processes work, but people from outside the city usually just know to show up to the theater early. For example, I don't live in NYC, but when I am able to go and rush a show or two there are ALWAYS tourists in the line trying to score seats for an extra show- most have done little to no research about rush policies and like I said I'm worried people would end up upset or disappointed if the box office is really gonna refuse tickets to people not in pink.

[Wick3]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:06am

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If I were in that line on Wednesday and see a person not wearing pink line up at the back, I'll probably go up to them and make sure they know they have to wear pink in order to get a rush ticket. If anything, they'll probably notice how everyone in the line is wearing pink and simply ask, what's up with the pink color?

I think it's clever and I can see them doing this during previews. I don't think it's selling as well as they want it to hence why I think they're offering digital lottery, in-person lottery, and rush. 

[pointilismlight]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:06am

Yeah - it seems like most shows don't do in person lottos anymore!  But just a few years ago I think most shows used to do them before everything was digital.  I'm kind of glad that Mean Girls and Once on This Island are doing them this year.  I like them more than the digital ones since at least that way we know how many tickets they are actually giving out.

I guess we will see on Wednesday how they enforce the rule but I'd be surprised if a box office really turns someone away especially if they had been in line for a while!  But I totally see how it could be unfair if they actually did that.  I also saw the debate on twitter and it seems like it was mostly people who were saying they dont have a pink item or feel comfortable wearing pink and it's unfair it is only on Wednesday.  But they can always buy something cheap thats pink like a wristband or something or enter the lotto for any performance without wearing pink! 

 

 

 

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:54am

I saw your post on Reddit about this but... it's not that deep. I think the "on Wednesdays we wear pink" thing is really cute, and I'm grateful they're doing rush&lotto.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:28am

Also anyone who knows that they have a specific Wednesday rush will have looked it up, and know that they need to be wearing pink.

[qafgenius122]

Posted: 3/9/18 at 8:52am

Mean Girls is really going above and beyond to make cheap tickets accessible to a lot of people, and I think that’s great. We should remember that they don’t have to do any of this. It gives the normal online lotto crowd opportunity, should they not live in the city, it gives the city folk a better odds in person should they physically show up to lotto, and as far as the rush. I think it’s a brilliant and fun idea.

As far as people showing up on Wednesday and not wearing pink, since the rush was specifically announced as “on Wednesday’s we wear pink” I doubt it’ll be an issue, and should someone unknowkedgeable happen to join the line I can imagine the ppl already in line alerting them. If you’re not comfortable wearing pink or don’t own something pink, just enter the lottos. You can’t potentially get a free pair, but those odds are gonna be low anyway.

Mad props to the producers of this show for going above and beyond and really doing something memorable and different with their ticket policies.

[99pandas]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 12:08pm

Online it says the pink Wednesday rush is for a limited time only. Do we know how long? I’ll be in NYC in July, think it’ll still be going on in July?

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 1:47pm

I’d say limited time is another way of saying only during previews, but I could be wrong. If it’s popular enough and the show isn’t a smash hit, they may keep it going. I wouldn’t count on it for July, though.

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 3/13/18 at 4:30pm

If anyone who goes Tomorrow could tell us how crazy the line is that would be great!!

[KeithMeccia]

Posted: 3/14/18 at 1:32pm

What was the earliest the line started? And how many people showed up? Looking to do this the end of April if it is still around.

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/14/18 at 3:18pm

KeithMeccia said: "What was the earliest the line started? And how many people showed up? Looking to do this the end of April if it is still around."

Friend of mine got there at 2 am (he really wanted those tickets). Ill ask him when the next person showed up.

 

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 03:18 PM

[Golenboybway]

Posted: 3/15/18 at 1:15am

Next person showed up around 5ish but line really didn’t start forming until later on

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 3/20/18 at 3:08pm

Hoping that someone who is going tommorw can report the arrival times :)

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/23/18 at 9:07am

I did the rush this past Wednesday. I arrived at 6:15 AM and the line was pretty substantial. I was 10th in line, and almost didn't stay assuming if there were 20 or less seats, I'd be out of luck. The next people didn't show up until 7:00 AM and the line by 10:00 AM was very long with at least 75 people in it. At 8:45 AM, they came out and told us they had "Around 19 seats." With a little math, I figured I was right at the cut off point. Since I had been there for almost 3 hours, I stuck it out. I was lucky and got 2 seats in the side orchestra row G, labeled partial view. The group of 3 behind me only got 1 seat and they were able to purchased rear mezz seats for 79.50 (I think, as that's what they said they would offer after).

As for the seat itself, it was excellent. The only thing we missed was part of the screens on the side, but none of the action.

For what it's worth, they didn't even seem to check the pink. I had a shirt under my jacket and never showed it.

[MusicAndPassion]

Posted: 3/23/18 at 6:24pm

They also seemed to offer those wearing pink an extra entry on a pink card into the lottery on Wednesday. For the 8 pm show the first card drawn was a pink card and that person got their tickets for free!

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 3/28/18 at 5:44am

Got here at 5. Am 9th or 10th in line about 6 people behind me.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 3/28/18 at 6:30am

Great marketing if you ask me.

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 3/28/18 at 11:12am

We got Matinee tickets and we’re the 3-5th people for those. We got second & third row all the way to the side. They had about 20 tickets to each show and about 100 people were in line.

[dbird]

Posted: 3/30/18 at 3:58pm

Has anybody heard anything about the future of the rush policy? I am coming to New York early May and I was hoping to rush Mean Girls (trying to do at least 7 shows in a week so price is a key factor). The website still stays limited time only (many assuming meaning previews) so I am wondering if I should be just better off paying full price for tickets now.

[Dramaqueen2985]

Posted: 4/3/18 at 6:20pm

Yesracoons, you arrived at 5, when would you guess the next few people arrived? 

[Dramaqueen2985]

Posted: 4/3/18 at 6:21pm

yesraccoons said: "We got Matinee tickets and we’re the 3-5th people for those. We got second & third row all the way to the side. They had about 20 tickets to each show and about 100 people were in line."

 

Yesracoons, what time would you say the next few people arrived in the line? 

[yesraccoons]

Posted: 4/3/18 at 10:04pm

Dramaqueen2985 said: "yesraccoons said: "We got Matinee tickets and we’re the 3-5th people for those. We got second & third row all the way to the side. They had about 20 tickets to each show and about 100 people were in line."



Yesracoons, what time would you say the next few people arrived in the line?"

 

Pretty soon after. Get there at like 6:30 I’d say. 

 

[KeithMeccia]

Posted: 4/4/18 at 10:07am

Any update this week on arrival times? I know its getting close to to opening and was wondering if it is getting busier. I am looking to rush this in three weeks (pending this is still a thing). Also anyone who has rushed, where are the seats located?