Four Hours in an Internet Queue

[przed]

When the announcement was made the Benedict Cumberbatch was going to perform Hamlet on stage next year, a couple of my friends started making "wouldn't it be cool to get tickets" noises. Of course, I was the mental one who pointed out that with a little planning we could actually do it. So, I got the Barbican membership, and volunteered to get the tickets this morning.

I knew demand was going to be nuts, but I figured I'd be done in an hour. Maybe two, tops.

In the end, I was in the Barbican's online queue for a grand total of four hours, beginning at 5 a.m. this morning. (When I logged on at 5, I was told there were 3,583 people ahead of me in the queue. Yikes!) I babysat the computer to prevent cat, child and husband from accidentally closing the window, kept my fingers crossed that my internet wouldn't drop, and that their ticket system would like my browser.

And it worked!

We now have six tickets to see Cumberbatch in Hamlet in September, 2015. Yay! \o/

Even for me, that's planning ahead.

Comments

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Wow, very cool.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, brilliant! What a wonderful time you'll have--both the anticipation and the actuality! With friends!

[przed.livejournal.com]

The massive sleep debt kept me from getting excited about it yesterday (I'd been up to 12:30 at a concert the night before), but now I'm very bouncy about it all.

With the Take That tour, that'll be two England trips next year. Yay!

[forthewistful.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh...

I got an Orange Barbican membership as well and hoped to be able to get tickets on Monday morning, but reading this now makes my lose hope. Damn. We wanted to go in August 2015, but I guess we won't stand a chance, right? Damn. :-(

But I'm so very glad it worked for you! Well done!!!

Update: Got myself a Red membership and just bought two tickets down in the stalls for August 19. Wow, how I love this kind of crazy. :DDD

[przed.livejournal.com]

I was just going to give you some advice on what to do to have the best chance of getting tickets with the Orange membership, but now I don't have to. Congrats! You'll have to let me know how it is.

[forthewistful.livejournal.com]

Thanks anyway, I appreciate it.

And I'll definitely let you know. We're all so excited (two more friends decided to join, so we'll be a group of four now) and already counting the days. ;D

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

Well done - that's persistence for you! Who'd have thought a production of Hamlet would be that popular *g*.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Persistence or insanity, we're not sure which. *g*

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

Score! Well done you *g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

With five other people depending on me, I'm just glad I managed to get the tickets. \o/

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Oh, well done! That planning and commitment paid off in spades!

My friend said she was going to try and get us tickets, but I haven't heard from her yet...

[przed.livejournal.com]

It was a kind of mental thing to do, especially since I unexpectedly had to take a personal day at work for it.

Good luck getting tickets! There are definitely still tickets left. (In the four hours I was waiting, I worked out there's about 97,000 tickets available.)

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on your triumph! \o/

Right now the most distant date tickets I hold are for late February 2015 so you beat me. *g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm mostly just relieved I didn't disappoint my friends.

We got the tickets for this week's Nick Cave show nine months ahead of time, but the Hamlet tickets are probably my record for buying stuff ahead.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Excellent stamina and perseverance, my friend! God, I bet he will be fabulous as Hamlet.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Stamina, perseverance, and sheer cussedness, with a dash of insanity. *g* He should make a fab Hamlet, shouldn't he?!

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the tickets luv.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It was totally worth the two days of sleep debt. (I'm getting too old for this. Which totally won't stop me, of course. *g*)

[potztausend.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I'm still thinking if I should get a credit card (I never had one...)

[przed.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (I've just got the one credit card, but it is a useful thing for travel and ticket ordering, not to mention online purchases.)