Musical Feeding Frenzy
Book of Mormon tickets in Dallas already in dangerously short supply
Tickets for The Book of Mormon, coming to the Winspear Opera House in Dallas August 21-September 1, go on sale to the public June 17 at 10 am. But two pre-sales, including one for American Express cardholders, have already taken a big dent out of available seats.
Season ticket holders got first access back in April, when subscriptions to the entire Broadway series first went on sale.
But the real frenzy went down on June 12-14, during a three-day AmEx pre-sale, when cardholders deluged AT&T Performing Arts Center's box-office line. On Wednesday, callers endured four-hour waiting times on the phone, with nearly 2,000 people on hold at one time.
A box-office salesperson said that the block of AmEx tickets was sold out by noon on June 14. "The [AmEx] sale was crazy," she said. "It will be crazy on Monday too."
The process was complicated by AT&T's order system, requiring ticket buyers to select a performance date and time; if that showing is sold out, the buyer is sent to the end of the queue to wait all over again.
Subscribers may have gotten first dibs, but they were also required to buy tickets to Peter and the Starcatcher, Porgy and Bess, Godspell and Disney's Beauty and the Beast — not likely to appeal to the stereotypical twentysomething male lining up for Mormon. The massive hit, from South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone (along with help from Avenue Q's Robert Lopez), is chock full of explicit language, crude jokes and hilariously clever songwriting.
In any case, access to that subscription is no longer available. It ended June 15.
The box-office staffer guesstimated that whatever seats remain would likely be in the orchestra or center section. "There's only single seats left. We'll have no real access to what's left until Monday," she said.
To join the mania, visit attpac.org/bom or call 214-880-0202.
