Selling theatre tickets isn’t brain surgery but sometimes I guess I over think things. Last week I spoke to a very nice woman. She needed a definitive answer to a simple question. Her question? Doris was on line at Ticketmaster.com and was trying to decide if Dress Circle or Loge (same ticket price) was better for MARY POPPINS. Easy question, right? Wrong! I have been trying to answer that one correctly for over eight years.Personally, I love the Dress Circle and always sit there, but during the long run of LION KING at the Cadillac Palace I told friend that she should buy Dress Circle, not Loge. The day after seeing the show she called to tell me that she went up to the Loge at intermission and thought it would have been better because although it is one level above Dress Circle it over hangs Row M on the Orchestra Level. Dress Circle down below is a horse shoe shaped balcony that overhangs the Rear and Side orchestra. Her thinking was that Loge is technically closer to the stage.
Not one to make a rash judgment, I took a deep breath and asked Doris two questions:
Who are you taking to the theatre?
My three grandchildren.
How old are they?
The three girls are six, ten and fourteen.
Now, I knew what to tell her. Dress Circle for sure! No second thoughts. When my daughter was six she seemed to have a secret mission to visit every Ladies Room in the city. I sometimes wondered if she was an undercover Health Inspector. I told Doris if her granddaughter had a sudden urge to visit the facilities Doris would be able to sneak out quickly without climbing over very many people and disturbing anyone.
Doris seemed happy with my rationale and booked Dress Circle. She won’t be seeing MARY POPPINS until April but seat locations aside — when they see Mary Poppins grab her umbrella and fly past them they will have an afternoon that they will never forget.
-Gemma
