Whether standing in line at Proctors, waiting online trying to get into the website, or calling the box office, people weren't throwing way their shot to see hit Broadway musical "Hamilton."
Buyers were buzzing from the line wrapped around the block Monday, then as the entire theater filled, waiting for their chance to buy tickets. When the box office opened at 10 a.m., groups of 50 moved into lines at the box office. Things got quieter as the day worn on, but the excitement never wore out.
“All my friends have seen Hamilton. I've been waiting to see it,” said Ron Simon of New Paltz. “This is an unbelievable opportunity.”
People from all across the Capital Region and beyond spent hours waiting for a shot to buy tickets to the Tony Award winner for Best Musical.
“[We’ve been here] since like 6 o'clock this morning!” said Liza Sepulveda of Schenectady.
And Proctors staff spent thousands of hours prepping for the frenzy.
While the online system's queue crashing multiple times gave way to a social media frenzy, and eventually to Proctors doing away with the queue altogether, at the theater, buyers didn't seem to mind waiting.
“It was great,” Messitt said. “It was a very equitable way to do it. I didn't think so when I first heard about it, but now that I'm here, it's not so bad.”
And there was a sense of camaraderie among those who spent hours waiting.
“We had such a great Hamilton family that we never even knew before today, but from today, we felt like we were best friends,” Sepulveda said.
Sepulveda went with her cousin to get tickets for her daughter, who is obsessed with the show. After making her purchase, she was heading to school to pick up her daughter and tell her about their great seats.
“I think she'll be beside herself,” Sepulveda said. “She's gonna be crying for sure.”
Proctors CEO Philip Morris said they are expecting to sell out of the tickets that have been released so far, but says they may release more tickets at a higher price point in the coming weeks.
As for resale sites, public relations director Michael Eck said they're advising people not to purchase tickets from anywhere except for the Proctors website. Many tickets on resale sites now are counterfeit, and there is no guarantee that even after Monday’s sales, the tickets are legitimate.
No one will actually receive physical tickets until a couple weeks before the show. Not even subscribers have them in hand yet, so it’s important to note if someone on a resale site says they have them, they do not.
"Hamilton" runs Aug. 13-25 at Proctors. If you are still hoping to get your tickets, keep trying.