Yes, I paid $95, possibly more for Dear Evan Hansen at Second Stage. I can check tomorrow morning because I always save my ticket stubs. I was planning a trip to New York and had one free spot. I called the box office at least a week in advance and was told the show was sold out. They offered me the SR for $95. I really wanted to see the show so I took it.
Some times, especially with small off-Broadway theaters, when the box office or their website states that a performance is sold out, what they really mean is they currently are not selling tickets for that particular performance, which is not really the same thing as definitely sold out. It's a little tricky, but I wasn't born yesterday. I could have gambled that there might be tickets available for that date when I got to New York, but I didn't want to take the chance of not seeing the show.
I don't regret paying $95, and I ended up sitting in the first row. The performance was powerful, better than it was on Broadway. I cried throughout the show and got to meet Ben Platt afterward. My recollection is that he chatted with me for a good 15 minutes after the performance. I've met him a few times in Chicago and New York before Hansen and also later on. A friend of mine (and his wife), who are fairly well known theatre enthusiasts, actually invited several of the cast members to their apartment for lunch at some point during the Broadway run.
I saw Hansen two more times on Broadway, again with Platt and then with Ben Levi Ross. |
