Delighting Broadway audiences since 2011, The Book of Mormon is on many theatre goer’s radars. In the past shows have been sold out weeks in advance and it seemed only those with a lot of cash and the ability to plan ahead were able to see it. But that’s not the case!
Last night we won The Book of Mormon lottery, allowing us to buy two tickets at USD$32 each for the 7pm show, front row, centre.
It was awesome, and this is how it happened:
The Lottery
Many of the shows playing both on and off Broadway offer rush tickets for performances on that day. Usually heavily discounted these tickets are great for those of us who don’t plan anything too far in advance, aren’t overly picky and are happy to buy tickets a few hours before the show.
The Book of Mormon does their rush tickets in the form of a lottery. Due to the popularity of the show, rush tickets sold normally from the box office would sell out in minutes, so in an attempt to make the tickets available to everyone the lottery system was created.
The Book of Mormon runs lotteries six days a week for both matinee and evening shows. For the 7pm show, the lottery runs from 4:30pm – 5pm. Anyone can enter and everyone is given a card to fill out with personal details. The draw is strictly limited to one entry per person, however each winner can buy a maximum of two tickets. The lottery is drawn at 5pm and you must be present if your name is called, if not you lose your ticket and another name is drawn.
Waiting for the lottery in front of Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
It’s a fun process. We entered the lottery first on a Saturday night and there were a lot of people. We didn’t win but it was good to understand how the system works. We decided to come back Tuesday afternoon since we were in the area and try again. For half an hour of our time, it was a price we were happy to pay.
The lotteries usually give entrants the opportunity to win a spot in the 14 seats in the front row, as well as 10 additional seats around the theatre, some two together, some just solo.
The lottery draw.
On Tuesday afternoon there were half the number of people present as there had been on Saturday night, and our entry was the first drawn from the barrel. We were overloaded with excitement!
The win meant we could buy two tickets for USD$32 each in the front row of the 7pm performance. A photo ID of the winner is required and the tickets needed to be purchased with either cash or credit card from the box office as soon as our name was drawn.
Before the Show
Our seats were sensational. Usually I’m concerned when buying rush tickets in the front row as often the stage is right up against the legroom of the front row seats, however in the Eugene O’Neill Theatre the orchestra pit is between the front row and the stage, allowing for a great front row view of the performance.
Everyone sitting in the centre front row was a lottery ticket winner and were all so incredibly excited to be there. As I looked around at the sold out theatre and thought how much money others had spent to sit in a seat a row behind me (approximately USD$477 per ticket), I was even more grateful that rush tickets and show lotteries exist for those of us who aren’t super rich but still love theatre.
Our front row centre $32 tickets were directly in-front of the premium $477 tickets.
The Performance
The Book of Mormon didn’t disappoint. From the first few lines we were laughing and enjoying a satirical look into the world of Mormons through the eyes of the creators of South Park. The language is explicit and much of the content is unapologetically politically incorrect, and whilst it’s considered edgy for Broadway it was so enjoyable for the audience.
The actors performances were high spirited and involving, all the musical numbers were hilarious and well performed. We loved every second, and having not known a lot about the show before we won the tickets other than being told, ‘The Book of Mormon was THE show to see on Broadway,’ we were thrilled with our win.
So my advice to anyone who is coming to New York and wants to see The Book of Mormon is to see it. If you can afford the standard USD$169 for a pre-booked seat then great. If you are able to spend between USD$299 – $477 for a premium seat 4 rows from the front, even better. But if you’re like me and think of how many days you could spend in another country for the cost of a single show ticket, in addition to the lottery there are ‘standing room only’ tickets available for purchase for USD$27 on a first come, first serve basis. And whilst I really wanted to see the show, standing up watching for two hours didn’t really appeal to me – I wasn’t that much of a die-hard fan. However those waiting for standing room can also enter the lottery.
So whatever your budget give The Book of Mormon a go, you never how lucky you may be.
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