Now is the Time to Get in Line!
Shakespeare in the Park's Twelfth Night is now underway—through July 12! So prepare for miserable line experiences unless you want to pay for these free performances featuring Anne Hathaway as well as Michael Cumpsty, Raúl Esparza, Audra McDonald, David Pittu, Jay O. Sanders, Stark Sands, and Julie White.
Once again it's possible to get in a virtual line, so good luck with that! While you're waiting, here's a nostalgic look back at the horrors of the line for Hair.
UPDATE According to a security guy, those who got in line by 10:30 this morning were able to at least score vouchers for tonight's performance. I suspect the rate of line growth after that time was relatively slow, because I got there at 12:53 pm and I came fairly close to getting a voucher even though I had joined the line more than 9 lamp posts from the pedestrian crosswalk near the box office. But for those of you who care: I came home to find that the virtual line had come through for me! I just hope it doesn't rain on the show tonight....
UPDATE The stand-by line looked promising around 6:15 pm. At that time it extended back for two lamp posts.
Showing posts with label lines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lines. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rush Ticket Drama Before Eugene Onegin
Last August I wrote about nasty drama on the line to see Hair in Central Park, and tried to envision improvements at the Metropolitan Opera as well as Shakespeare in the Park.
"I wish the line systems at Shakespeare in the Park and the Met could be improved to avoid that kind of conflict and pain," wrote I. "It just sucks to leave the people in line to play such a big role in enforcing the strict rules. There's got to be a better way. Handing out place tickets in the order of arrival might be the best strategy."
More ticket line trouble broke out at the Met on Monday afternoon, as opera fans gathered for rush tickets to see the well-reviewed Eugene Onegin.
To the surprise of many, there wasn't much of a line in the chilly construction zone where a bunch of early birds lined up at the front while, around a corner, some others waited on a bench.
The problem arose when later arrivals inserted themselves ahead of the bench-sitters. This is a phenomenon known as cutting, but the grown-ups who cut the line acted like schoolchildren when challenged by the bench-sitters.
I'm learning that you can tell when, deep down, cutters know that they're trying to pull a fast one. They aren't the ones who'll go to management for backup. Or, if they do go to management, they'll try to pretend that they haven't been set straight. Instead, they'll just try to stand their ground—even when, in this case, they wouldn't even have lost much by going back a little bit in line.
The woman from the Met who intervened in this case was terrific, but the Met could still do better when it comes to managing the line. Policy should be spelled out clearly, on site and online. Line supervisors should be on hand for more of the afternoon. And, while I'm at it, more of an effort should be made to make the line comfortable instead of making it an endurance challenge out of Survivor: At the Met.
I should note that the Met is now offering advance online ticket drawings, which might end up being part of the solution.
As for Eugene Onegin, it grew on me as it went along, gradually winning me over. The early pastoral scenes were pretty, but I didn't get drawn into the action until the balls and the duel and the intrigue of the later scenes. And Piotr Beczala earned the crowd's favor with his sweetly voiced Lenski. Bravo!
The other Eugene Onegin performances this season will be on February 14, 18, and 21.
Here you can hear Beczala performing "La donna e mobile," from Rigoletto.
Source (2:17)
"I wish the line systems at Shakespeare in the Park and the Met could be improved to avoid that kind of conflict and pain," wrote I. "It just sucks to leave the people in line to play such a big role in enforcing the strict rules. There's got to be a better way. Handing out place tickets in the order of arrival might be the best strategy."
More ticket line trouble broke out at the Met on Monday afternoon, as opera fans gathered for rush tickets to see the well-reviewed Eugene Onegin.
To the surprise of many, there wasn't much of a line in the chilly construction zone where a bunch of early birds lined up at the front while, around a corner, some others waited on a bench.
The problem arose when later arrivals inserted themselves ahead of the bench-sitters. This is a phenomenon known as cutting, but the grown-ups who cut the line acted like schoolchildren when challenged by the bench-sitters.
I'm learning that you can tell when, deep down, cutters know that they're trying to pull a fast one. They aren't the ones who'll go to management for backup. Or, if they do go to management, they'll try to pretend that they haven't been set straight. Instead, they'll just try to stand their ground—even when, in this case, they wouldn't even have lost much by going back a little bit in line.
The woman from the Met who intervened in this case was terrific, but the Met could still do better when it comes to managing the line. Policy should be spelled out clearly, on site and online. Line supervisors should be on hand for more of the afternoon. And, while I'm at it, more of an effort should be made to make the line comfortable instead of making it an endurance challenge out of Survivor: At the Met.
I should note that the Met is now offering advance online ticket drawings, which might end up being part of the solution.
As for Eugene Onegin, it grew on me as it went along, gradually winning me over. The early pastoral scenes were pretty, but I didn't get drawn into the action until the balls and the duel and the intrigue of the later scenes. And Piotr Beczala earned the crowd's favor with his sweetly voiced Lenski. Bravo!
The other Eugene Onegin performances this season will be on February 14, 18, and 21.
Here you can hear Beczala performing "La donna e mobile," from Rigoletto.
Source (2:17)
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