Special tips for sold out shows?

[Swanilda8]

Hi Everyone, I'm going to be in London very briefly this summer, and I'd really like to see the Ashton triple bill at Covent Garden on June 8 or 10. It's currently sold out and it's a pretty impressive program and cast, so I'm not optimistic about my chances. But does anyone have special tips for getting Royal Ballet tickets to sold out shows?

[JMcN]

I've seen advice that says to keep checking the website for returns.

 

This worked a couple of years ago for me, last time the company performed Jewels, and I managed to get a return on the front row of the stalls!

[volcanohunter]

Have you checked the authorized ticket vendors listed on the ROH site? I once resorted to them in desperation.
www.roh.org.uk/visit/tickets#authorized-ticket-vendors

 

These tend to be more expensive than what the ROH box office offers, and pickings can be slim, but the UK version of Ticketmaster seems to have some Amphitheatre seats for June 8, and these tickets are legit.

Edited May 8, 2017 by volcanohunter

[California]

I think we had a discussion about this a couple of years ago. ROH takes tickets people don't want "on consignment" at the box office.There's typically a line of people waiting to buy those at the box office. After the performance, you check back and they pay you the funds if it sold, minus a reasonable commission. At least, they were doing that in 2015 and it worked for me to get rid of an extra ticket. I thought it was an amazing system that was a win-win for everybody - something I've never seen at an American theater.

[naomikage]

Yes, Royal Opera House has this great policy that you can return your tickets to the box office if you are unable to attend the performance or whatever reason, and if the returned ticket sells you can have your money refunded (with a small handling fee deducted). So that means there are always chances of purchasing returned tickets.  

[Lynette H]

Some tickets (not many) are made available each Friday for the following week

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/help/friday-rush-faqs

 

But I would just keep scanning the site, as sometimes odd seats get returned and pop up. 

 

[Swanilda8]

Thank you so much, one and all! I am going on June 8 to see Alessandra Ferri, Francesca Hayward, and many other favorites. I'll also be keeping an eye out on the ROH website  for June 10 tickets. 

[Ashton Fan]

The 10th June is an evening when Osipova is due to dance in Marguerite and Armand. Polunin has " decided to withdraw" from the performances he was due to dance so there is a reasonable chance that some tickets will be returned for resale. The news that Polunin has withdrawn is very recent so you are unlikely to see a great deal of activity on the website for a few days at least as you have to return the actual tickets to the box office.  Of course the possibility is that the casting for Marguerite and Armand was not what persuaded patrons to buy tickets. My advice is just keep watching the website and bear in mind all three casts announced for  the Dream are well worth seeing.Although it has also been announced that Lamb has withdrawn from Mayerling on the 11 th May due to injury. There is a possibility that the casting for the Dream could turn out to be a game of musical chairs...

Edited May 10, 2017 by Ashton Fan

[kbarber]

actually I would start looking now for returned tix for Polunin performances. If one has an electronic ticket, it can be "returned" over the phone and put back in circulation almost immediately.

[Ashton Fan]

I don't believe that the ROH accepts returns by phone. The website says that original tickets have to be returned before they will be put up for resale. There was a time when the opera house did not insist on having  the original ticket handed back to the box office and the result was that there were occasions on which there was more than one person claiming the right to occupy a seat each of whom was in possession of a ticket for the seat in question because not only had the original purchaser asked the box office to resell the ticket but they had also sold the ticket on to some innocent purchaser. I think that the current system was devised to prevent this.and to avoid the embarrassment involved in holding an inquest into who is in possession of the valid ticket and thus entitled to be present at the performance.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Ashton Fan

[Bella12]

18 hours ago, Ashton Fan said:

I don't believe that the ROH accepts returns by phone. The website says that original tickets have to be returned before they will be put up for resale. 

 

This doesn't apply to e-tickets.  I've definitely been able to return e-tickets by phone.  As for paper tickets, Friends of Covent Garden can take a photo of the voided ticket and return it by email.  Others have to return the original paper ticket to the Box Office.

 

Edited to add that I suppose it's possible that the return of e-tickets by phone might  only apply to Friends of Covent Garden. You'd have to check this with the Box Office

Edited May 11, 2017 by Bella12

[volcanohunter]

At the moment a smattering of returned tickets for the program are for sale on the ROH site, including a handful of prime orchestra seats for the ex-Polunin performances. Yanowsky's final performances are still solidly sold out.

[Swanilda8]

I got tickets for the June 10 ex-Polunin performance as well, this time with very nice seats in the Grand Tier. Thanks, everyone! Hopefully this will also prove to be a good list of resources for others in the future looking for sold out shows.

[Helene]

I've pinned the topic to the top of the forum, so it will never scroll out of sight.

[sandik]

21 minutes ago, Helene said:

I've pinned the topic to the top of the forum, so it will never scroll out of sight.

 

Thanks -- I hope to get there someday!

[cubanmiamiboy]

Just keep going to the box office once you're there. When I went, it was empty, and the woman before me on  the line returned an Osipova/Muntagirov ticket for their sold out performance, which I snatched right away. According to the sales girl, this usually happens in daily basis.

[wjwm]

Ticket returns are common for most performances so keep checking the website or by phone. 

The 'authorised' ticket vendors listed on the ROH Tickets page seem to have quite a markup in price, but not nearly as much as rogue vendors who should be avoided at all costs.

The Friday Rush for buying tickets for the following week's (Saturday to Friday) performances starts at 1pm on Fridays. There are 49 tickets per show and only 1 allowed per person for any show. This system was introduced about 18 months ago when the old ROH box office was closed because of large scale refurbishments. Previously, day tickets - 67 I think - were sold each day at 10am with priority seemingly given to people who could queue at the Opera House. This disadvantaged people who couldn't queue but was very useful for London visitors as, if they arrived early enough, they were very likely to get tickets. However the current arrangement is more equitable. Friday Rush tickets disappear at an alarming rate! I think it is possible to queue for Friday Rush tickets but I have never done this.

The rules about ticket returns at the ROH seem to be in a constant state of flux. The current situation is that unwanted tickets can be returned for resale by giving full details by email or phone. It is no longer necessary to return the actual ticket. Returned tickets will only be put on sale if there are no other tickets in that location and price band available. The refund deduction for a successful sale is £4 since the end of last season - previously £2. In my experience returns may sometimes be accepted on the day of performance. Some of the information on the ROH website Tickets page is out of date in varous respects.

Helpfully, the box office will hold tickets that you want to leave for someone else to pick up. A very useful and longstanding service. The Tickets page says that the person collecting needs to bring a form with details of the ticket(s), the person leaving them and the person who will be picking them up. This rule seems to be more honoured in the breach than the observance.

Hope this information is correct!

[dancedancedance]

It looks like they don't have any authorized ticket vendors on their site anymore. I am dying to find a ticket for Osipova or Nunez swan lake in March 11 or 12!. Anyone have experience how hard.easy it is to get the rush tickets online? I'm not from the UK are there any legitimate resell sites like Stubhub etc? 

[kbarber]

I agree with @wjwm that the best way to get tix is to keep checking back on the website. Especially for Osipova performances, I find, vast swathes of tickets sometimes reappear. But you only need one so keep checking.

[volcanohunter]

Yes, check the site frequently. Last season I grabbed a last-minute return for the Nuñez/Muntagirov/Osipova Bayadère, which was also beamed to cinemas. I was also coming from abroad and lucked out shortly before my departure.