It’s like clockwork. Every few weeks since The Orpheum announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton was coming to Memphis in 2019, some shocked theater fan contacts the Flyer, scandalized by exorbitant ticket costs. Thing is, until this week, no tickets to Hamilton in Memphis have actually been on sale. None will be available till May 3rd, and the Orpheum warns against using third-party websites other than Ticketmaster.
“These sites are charging what they think they can get when tickets are in short supply,” Orpheum President and CEO Brett Batterson explains. “They hope they can get tickets and fill the orders, but people who sent money six months ago could be told they don’t have a ticket. Or worse, they might be sold a counterfeit ticket.”
Courtesy of the Orpheum
“I am not throwing away my shot” … at scoring tickets to Hamilton.
Scalping and third party sales aren’t uncommon, but the enormous success of Hamilton makes it a unique problem for theaters.
“Hamilton has been a phenomenon like I’ve never seen in my career,” Batterson says. “We’ve had big shows like Wicked, Book of Mormon, and Phantom of the Opera, but Hamilton has taken off like nothing before it. So we’re doing more to protect the consumer than we’ve ever done. We’re requiring people to go online and become ‘verified fans,’ which proves you’re not a robot or a scalper. We’re not doing that to make it difficult to get tickets. We’re doing that to make sure tickets get into the hands of consumers.”
Tickets will also be available at The Orpheum May 3rd, but can only be purchased in person. To make the process fair and make camping out unnecessary, The Orpheum will give out numbered wristbands and then hold a lottery. “If you’re in line by 8 o’clock you’ll get a wristband,” says Batterson, who’s expecting the musical to sell out in three to four hours.
Those who don’t get tickets on day one may not be out of luck. “There will be other tickets released between the on sale date and the actual show,” Batterson assures. “So people should keep looking at Ticketmaster, even if they don’t get tickets on that day.”
Batterson also warns ticket buyers to cover their codes if they take selfies. Counterfitters love ticket selfies.
