‘Hamilton’ tickets: You can still be in the room where it happens
Psst! There are still tickets available for “Hamilton” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando. And not 10-times-their-value resale tickets either. I’m talking basic tickets at multiple price points right from the arts center’s website.
It’s a far cry from the frenzy of 2018 when demand for tickets to the first touring production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical to visit Central Florida crashed the Dr. Phillips Center website.
But it’s not unexpected. “Our projections are on track,” said arts-center spokeswoman Jacklyn Ramos. “Our sales expectations are being met, and we are exactly where we thought we’d be.”
So, how is it that seats are still available? And not just in the nosebleed section or the far corners of the other Walt Disney Theater tiers. Honest-to-goodness decent seats.
Like everything else these days, COVID-19 is a factor. Many cultural organizations still haven’t seen a return to pre-pandemic attendance levels.
“Coming out of the pandemic has been a heavier lift,” is how Ramos put it. “Not just for Broadway, for all shows.”
The pandemic also affected theatergoers’ buying habits: People don’t want to commit to a show and then get ill.
“Many guests are waiting until closer to a show to make buying decisions,” Ramos said. “It really has changed across the whole industry.”
There’s also the natural life span of any show. Even the brightest and biggest hits fade with time. For many who saw “Hamilton” when it arrived in February 2019, once might be enough.
And shows can be perceived differently as culture evolves.
In an era of increased diverse casting in theater, that aspect of “Hamilton” — in which people of color portray the nation’s white Founding Fathers — doesn’t stand out or cause the excitement it originally did.
Too, the musical has faced increasing backlash for they way it glosses over the issue of slavery.
“Why Gen Z Turned on Lin-Manuel Miranda” read the headline of a 2020 Rolling Stone article.
Miranda himself tweeted that year that “all the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game.”
“Hamilton” also lost some mystique when it became available on the Disney+ streaming service for home viewing — although that also has raised the show’s profile.
“I think it helps,” Ramos said. “You may not be a ‘Broadway person’ but you know ‘Hamilton.’ ”
The fact seats remain available for “Hamilton” is also partly by design. The arts center decided to book the show for an extended stay in part to make sure those who missed out in 2018 would be more fortunate this time.
“We took a chance on an extra week to make sure people definitely did get a chance to see it,” said Ramos, noting that sales to season subscribers and groups already have exceeded projections.
Adding the fourth week of performances also meant the Dr. Phillips Center could expand on a community-giveback initiative that was a huge success in 2018.
Corporate sponsors, private donors and Orlando and Orange County government officials have raised $236,000 to treat more than 1,200 students, teachers, families, foster children, social-service groups, first responders and veterans to the multi-award-winning Broadway musical.
Among the social-service organizations: Pace Center for Girls, which offers emotional and behavioral health services; Zebra Coalition, which serves LGBTQ youth; the
Parramore Kidz Zone for children from that underserved Orlando neighborhood; and Lighthouse Central Florida, which assists the visually impaired.
Participants receive free transportation to the arts center as well as a brunch
with “Hamilton” trivia and giveaways. Students and teachers get access to additional educational material about the show.
“These experiences fuel a lifetime of enthusiasm for the arts and offer youth a broader and brighter outlook on life and
their future,” said Robert Newkirk, executive director of the Foundation for Foster Children.
So there are seats for those who couldn’t otherwise see the show, and seats remain for those of us who fortunately can. Sounds like a win-win to me.
‘HAMILTON’
Where: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando When: Through Nov. 20 Cost: $49 and up
Info: drphillipscenter.org