Friday 5: 5 Thoughts on Lining Up

5 Thoughts on Lining Up

It was a hot, humid afternoon when we queued up for a recent matinee of The Lost Boys. It got me to thinking about the first few Broadway shows I saw back in the day, including the August preview of the original La Cage aux Folles also at the Palace, albeit at the entrance on Broadway that no longer exists. That winter of 1983, I also lined up at the Winter Garden for a sold out performance of Cats and an equally busy performance of 42nd Street at the Majestic. My point is that for all three, the weather was extreme. What I don't remember is being forced to wait in a very long line outside.

1. Different security needs. OK, it was a different time and we didn't have to be walked through a scanner, or a random bag check. So I get the need for orderly lines. That said, now that the scanners do most of the work, there shouldn't be delays. It should be as simple as walking through the door.

2. Unnecessary gate-keeping. It is amazing that there weren't pile ups back in the day. Using just the examples above, neither the Winter Garden nor the Majestic have spacious lobbies. However, both also have a decent area between the doors and the seating area - room for bars and merch stands and for milling about before the seating area is open. Why can't they just let people in for heaven's sake? They used to. No bottlenecks created, no cranky patrons already feeling like sheep being herded. Of note, several theaters have almost no space between the doors and the seating area - think the Broadhurst, the Shubert, the Booth, the Golden, the Schoenfeld, etc. Still no uncomfortable herding back in the day. Is control that enticing to the powers that be?

3. Unpleasant patrons. On the flip side of that, maintaining orderly lines sets a tone of organization and standards. Why is that necessary? Well, increasingly, people attending the theater are feeling entitled, bold, and so self-important that consideration isn't even an afterthought for these rude people. Still, those of us with a sense of decorum and reverence for the art form behave as expected, but have to bear the consequences of the bad apples.

4. Overwhelmed ushers. Lining up and monitoring entrance to the house may give the ushers a fighting chance against the rude throngs who shove their way down the aisles to self-seat. Karma is a swift bitch, though. I'll admit to a certain amount of joy when these folks are inevitably in the wrong seats, and find themselves sans Playbills. If lining folks up slows down the masses enough to let the house staff do their jobs I can endorse that choice.

5. Lines, lines and more lines. All this thinking about the line to get in has made me realize just how much lining up one does at a show. The line to get in when you have your tickets. A line at the box office to pick up tickets if you don't already have them. A line to get a drink and/or snack - before the performance and/or during intermission. A line to get merch - before the show, or during intermission, or after the show. Lining up to be seated. Lining up to use the restroom... lots of lines.