There's a pretty good chance you or someone you know recently saw Wicked during its three-week run at the Hobby Center. There's a better chance you know someone who didn't get to see it because, outside of the Lady Gaga concert, these were the hardest tickets to come by in Houston. I know this because I received multiple requests for help finding last minute tickets.
A friend of mine attended, and overheard the people in front of them talking about they got tickets for over $200 a piece! What always floors me about stories like these, is these people will actually blame the presenting organization for the high prices when it should have been pretty clear they purchased those tickets from a scalper. Don't get me wrong, purchasing tickets from a scalper can have a lot of benefits, but this isn't a post about scalping tickets.
No, it's about trying to get you, the patrons, to get a little smarter about how you get tickets to anything in the Theater District. I've mentioned in previous posts that if you want to be a part of the Theater District, you need to get out there, and read up on what's going on. Wicked is a perfect example of why this is true. Most people who are frantically looking for last minute tickets could have saved themselves a lot of stress, not to mention MONEY, if they planned ahead.
The Theater District organizations do not hide their schedules from you. They are readily available, giving you a CONSIDERABLE amount of time to plan accordingly. You also need to realize shows like Wicked are going to sell out FAST, and if you want tickets, buy them early.
There is nothing more annoying to me than people who want great tickets to a popular show the day or week of a performance. Take note, your friends in the Theater District are not really your friends if you only call them when you are looking for tickets. They'll be nice to you because, well, they want to sell tickets, but they'll curse you when they hang up the phone. Don't be that person.
Instead, take a moment out of your busy schedules to read up on what is coming to Houston. Off the top of my head, I'd say Blue Man Group and Mamma Mia!, yes really, Mamma Mia! are going to be hard to come by when they arrive in Houston. The best way to get tickets is always going to be through subscribing, but I understand that can be hard when you haven't regularly committed to that kind of investment. However, you can call the organization, and they will generally let you know when tickets for any particular show will go on sale to single ticket buyers. Please note that sometimes these dates are going to be generally presented. Depending on the performance and the organization, on sale dates are decided weeks ahead of time. These decisions are generally based on subscription sales and the successes of any pre-sale offers.
I'll also direct you to the upcoming Theater District Open House. You'll be able to find out EVERYTHING that is happening in next season, and there are always GREAT deals made available exclusively on that day. Some subscribers actually wait to renew on this day for that very reason. When we get closer to that date, I'll let you in on a little subscriber secret or two.
In the meantime, stop calling your friends for great tickets at the last minute. Surprise them by being a good patron and purchasing your tickets MONTHS in advance. You'll get better seats, your friends will like you more and you won't have to worry about getting scalped at the box office.
See you at the theater!
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