Tuesday, August 09, 2011

SRO at the KC

I’ve been wanting to see Wicked for several years. For some reason I couldn’t talk anyone into seeing it with me while it was here in DC.

By the time I got serious about buying a ticket, the only ones left were hundreds of dollars being sold through Stub Hub. I love the theater, but not at that kind of price.

The only time standing room tickets are sold for Opera House performances are when a show is sold out. That was exactly the case for tonight’s performance, so I was able to buy a $35 ticket.

My previous experience with a SRO ticket was at The Shakespeare Theatre, where I ended up slipping into an empty seat in the fifth row on a $10 standing room ticket. I figured the same would be true tonight even though the performance was sold out.

However, as I scanned the audience before the show I couldn’t see even one empty seat. There were 8-year-olds occupying some of those $250 orchestra seats. But they were all filled nonetheless.


Fortunately I had my husband’s cane that turns into a seat with me. No usher would have dared to take that away from me. As I proceeded to sit down, the rest of the SRO crowd looked on in awe.

I had a perfectly good view of the stage from the back of the theater. And although the seat wasn’t perhaps as comfortable as a cushy seat, at least I could sit down for the entire performance.

The sets and costumes were utterly amazing. There was nothing much memorable about the music or the fractured Oz story. I was really happy to have gotten my Wicked fix at a discount price.

5 Comments:

Blogger Steve Reed said...

I loved Wicked when I saw it years ago, but that was with the first-run Broadway cast. Maybe with a road cast it's not quite as riveting? Anyway, I'm glad you got to see it -- it's certainly been a theater phenomenon. And thank goodness you brought that portable chair-cane! What an ingenious invention.

2:23 AM  
Blogger Kevin Wood said...

I'm usually it the same boat when it comes to shows--so put me down as a potential 'date' when the next show pops up on your radar!

8:25 AM  
Blogger e said...

That chair/cane sounds interesting, have you got a photo?

2:25 PM  
Blogger Barbara said...

Steve -- The fact that the play is sold out for every performance obviously says something about its appeal and its success. And there were important lessons about accepting people with differences, even green ones! But nothing really grabbed me musically. I'm not going around humming songs today as I would be if I had seen The Sound of Music, for example!

Kevin -- WIsh I had invited you. Next time for sure.

E -- Here is a link to the chair, which is really quite a useful thing. My husband often uses it while waiting in line when we are traveling.

4:13 PM  
Blogger Gary said...

Glad you got to see Wicked. Like Steve, I saw it when it was first on Broadway and loved it. I guess because I have the cast recording some of the songs have stuck with me but if not for that I don't think I'd remember much. Still, I loved the show and had a great night at the theater.

2:10 AM  

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