She’d already seen the hot musical once, in New York, and ever since has had the soundtrack on steady rotation.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the PrivateBank Theatre: the Cubs made the playoffs, and they now have a chance to clinch a trip to the World Series on the same night Woo was hoping to see Hamilton.
14 comments:
This is interesting. With most shows I would say it shouldn’t be even a slight concern because Broadway Shows and Baseball games typically have very different target audiences, so even if their dates over lap it wouldn’t be a noticeable problem. However, something that Hamilton has done that not a lot of other shows are able to do is bring in people that aren’t the typical target audience for their shows. Shows aren’t successful when theatre fanatics go see it, because of course they are going to see it. But when my computer science boyfriend likes it I start to say hey maybe this show is not just good, but special. Unifying. SO I think for Hamilton specifically this could be a big marketing concern. If you are able to pull interest from people outside of your typical target group, you better be able to keep them on your side.
Out of all the years since the Cubs were last in the World Series, Hamilton had to pick this year to be a smash hit in the city. There are plenty of overlaps, but I think for most people who have the option of going to either Hamilton or see the Cubs in the world series the answer is pretty clear. But I am sure there are plenty of people who are having a tough decision to make and it seems that there are some that see both options as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Id be really excited to see Hamilton, but up against the possibility of seeing the cubs break the curse and win the world series for the first time in over a century, id be at Wrigley. I don’t really know what the parking situation is but I hope there is enough room for two packed houses.
Funny to think that supply and demand actually works. It also must be surprising to some how much baseball still has an effect on a city. Theatre and baseball are two large parts of my life so I fully understand this conundrum. Now, the fact that Karen had already seen the show should have made her decision easily. If you are a theatre lover in Chicago you should love this because it is not an insubstantial drop in price on game days. If I were in Chicago I would definitely invest in Hamilton tickets for two main reasons. The first being that the price of these games are ten times more expensive than Hamilton tickets on the same evening. The second is that even if money is no object, there is no guarantee that there will be a game six or a game seven. I personally love that this conundrum exists as the theatre part of me loves that there is a production which draws people to theatre as much as Hamilton, and the baseball part of me loves the potential of the Cubs finally winning a World Series.
I think it’s great that so many people want to see both the cubs game and Hamilton. The fact that so many people want to support both of these is amazing. However I have a problem with Clark’s idea of checking the Cubs score during Hamilton. No matter how discreet Clark is, I think that he will be distracting others and himself, taking them both out of the world of the play. When you see a show, the world created is the illusion and what makes it magical. Also, tickets to Hamilton are so sought after to be distracted during the show, to me, is ludicrous. However, since I’m not a sports fan, I can’t say what I would decide to do. To me, Clark’s decision ruins both the Cub’s game, since he doesn’t get to see it, and Hamilton, by ruining the world. Nevertheless, I hope that Clark decision makes him happy and that he is able to enjoy the show and the game.
Theatre VS. Sports…and…fight! But seriously, I really love the fact that this is even a conflict. I know it is sort of an old stereotype, but it really shows that a person can love sports AND theatre. I know! Shocking! Right? However ridiculous it may seems to us that we can love two (some would say opposite) things, it just shows how much of the individual we have become, and breaking out of the old ‘Stick to the Status Quo” sort of mind set. To the point that we have created a new status quo; it is almost expected that we are well diverse in interest and hobbies, that we can dance and play baseball. (‘I Don’t Dance’, and Yes it is High School Musical.) A particular passion is fine as long as you have other things (preferable separate) that you enjoy. And that is how we define a person and how we create good characters. The typical jock is boring, but a jock that sings and plays basketball, laughable at times, makes an interesting template for a good, not one dimensional character. That is truly beautiful. More and more we are allowing ourselves to explore become who we truly are, which is a good step in society, don’t you think?
Yet another post about Hamilton- I am so happy! Like alexa stated above, this argument of theatre vs sports has been going on for an amount of time that outdates me. however, never did I think that audience members would be interested in BOTH. This reminds me of A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum. Apparently Zero Mostel, who played the lead, had a great deal of improvisation in which at each performance he would remind the audience of the Yankees score MIDSHOW. I find this hilarious and extremely problematic. Seeing a show is about immersing yourself in a new world for 2.5 hours, to continuously check your phone is not only disrespectful to those who created this world, but it is a disservice to you the audience member paying hundreds- and in Hamilton's case, sometimes thousands for a ticket. Though their patronage is valued- if the audience wants to be distracting, I'm sure they can see Hamilton another time-- it will absolutely continue to run.
I think it is really interesting that people are trying really hard to give up tickets to the show that is almost impossible to get tickets for in the first place. I also find it interesting that a baseball game and a musical can have some of the same audience members. Usually people who are into sports are not the same people that like musical theatre. The nature of Hamilton and how it is attracting a very wide range of people is causing some of those people to also be very dedicated sports fans. The fact that the Cubs games are on the same night as Hamilton shows, gives other people who are only theatre fans the chance to get tickets for cheaper prices than normal resale tickets. It is unfortunate for people that got their Hamilton tickets really far in advance and now they are conflicted with whether to keep them and miss this historical Cubs game or give up their tickets that they have been looking forward to for months.
Ok... I'm JUST saying... You can watch Baseball on TV. You can't watch Hamilton on TV. Isn't there an obvious choice here for die-hard Hamilton and Cubs fans that want to see the show at an affordable rate? Sure, it isn't the same experience...but Hamilton tickets do seem harder to come by for a reasonable price. It certainly is interesting to hear from a Box Office Management perspective that they (probably) are changing the price of tickets based on surrounding events that might effect potential ticket purchasers. I'm curious how they evaluate what is a potential event that would devalue their tickets. I'm also surprised to hear they wouldn't admit that the tickets were devalued based upon other events if it's fairly obvious just by comparing ticket prices day-to-day. It's too bad this probably doesn't happen in New York City (or they apparently wouldn't admit it if it does!)
This reminds me, for some reason, of a book I read called Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer - a book on the phenomenon of fan mania surrounding the Crimson Tide. In it, the author, an alum of the school and sociologist, interviews one couple who were so disappointed because their daughter scheduled her wedding on the same day as a Bama game. They unfortunately had to miss the wedding.
If you had tickets to see like, The Lion King, or something, I get giving those up. But for a show that requires so much time before you can get tickets, why give that up? I guess it's just because I'm not that into sports, or maybe I'm too into theatre, but giving up that opportunity sounds insane to me.
I completely understand where they're coming from when they try to give up their hamilton tickets. Sports are best enjoyed live and in person, just like theater, but in the case of sports, the events are impossible to recreate. Hamilton has a longer run of the identical shoe night after night by this is a monumental year in the history of baseball especially for Cubs fans. Hamilton may be a once in a lifetime show, but everyone thought the cubs would do well when pigs flew so I would surely choose the baseball game.
This is an interesting topic because i think it demonstrates a common themed argument between sports and the theater world. Each has die-hard fans, for sports, some ntravel across the country just to support their team in the early stages and late stages of the world series. and for many seeing a fantastic show like hamilton is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and they wouldnt miss it for the world. now, due to the Cubs' almost 71 year dry spell concerning the world series, this really is a once in a lifetime experience, and is far more fleeting than Hamilton the musical. However, in my opinion, and im sure many others, seeing hamilton on broadway would be an experience far exceeding the potentially drawn out and ambiguous world series games.
I find these dilemmas incredibly fascinating because, I understand where everyone is coming from, but everyone, at least the examples in this article, all seem to go in different directions. The diehard fans picked the game, but those with strong family connections picked family, or simply swapped if they could. One of the comments I take issue with is the man who stated that he would keep an eye on the game while he watched the musical. I do wonder now how often that is happening in shows, even now, as the series progresses. I can't imagine that it would be beneficial to other audience members of even actors who could see glowing screens. Because how else are they going to check other than their phones? If I were a stage manager or house manager I would be furious, but as a sports fan, I would probably sympathise. Lines are often fuzzy with this sort of thing, but for me I draw the line at being on your phone in a theatre, if it mean that much, the swapping tickets route seems to be the best, because if you're paying upwards of $400 dollars, why would you want to spend that money to sit on your phone to watch a baseball game?
This is a very interesting dilemma. I am not very interested in sports and never really have been so though I have a hard time relating and sympathizing with the author and the people described in the article, I really hadn't thought about this as even being a possibility or a dilemma. I think swapping tickets is the best way to go about this--surely others are in this same situation, and I would rather see it later than be faced with a dilemma such as that. I also hope that this doesn't lead to an uptick in phone usage at shows--it's already something that really takes away from theatre and I dislike how often times it is shrugged off. You're paying to go to a show, you should enjoy that show, not spend the time on your phone.
WHAT A FIRST WORLD PROBLEM?! This article is beyond aggravating. Either way, whether you go to see a world-class performance or an exciting history making baseball game, you are getting to experience something pretty awesome. I truly don't see the dilemma. This article just showcases how truly annoying people are. If you have tickets to see Hamilton, and you also want to see the Cubs play in the World Series, sell your tickets to Hamilton and repurchase them for a later date. From what I hear, the show is set to run for a pretty long time...
This dilemma being presented to us as a form of news is such an issue. I understand that is sometimes funny to write on playful topics such as these, but at the same time I find it annoying. This so called dilemma is anything but. If anything, people should be thankful that they are fortunate enough to have to make these kinds of decisions.
Post a Comment