Roll up, roll up!
Public booking opened for the Edinburgh Festival yesterday. Put politely, it was inordinately busy.
Apparently one man showed up at 6:30am. Clearly a bit keen, as we weren't opening for another three-and-a-half hours ... By the time I got in, shortly before 9:30, the café across the corridor was packed with about 200 people ready to get their Festival tickets. After a bit of last-minute anxiety (one of the ticket printers was causing trouble), the shutters went up at 10 and we were on the road.
For the most part, the punters were perfectly civil. A bit chatty, some of them - there were times I'd've loved to have said "are you here for tickets or a chat?", they went on so much - but no-one truly offensive. One customer who was being served at the booth next to mine did reek to high heaven, true, but the worst I got was an elderly gentleman whose opinion of what constituted a really good seat for Vaughan Williams' Serenade to music differed considerably from mine. I offered him a seat in the middle of the grand circle, admittedly in the back row, and he wasn't best pleased; even so, this paled compared to the offence he took when I suggested a seat in the stalls.
He positively wimpered. "Oh no ... I was so looking forward to the Vaughan Williams." I wondered then if he was so upset that he'd forgo the performance altogether, but thankfully he accepted a seat further along in the grand circle. Strange man.
The Berlin Phil sold out within an hour, maybe two, and seats for the two performances of The magic flute are in short supply. The others couldn't match that degree of popularity, but it was still impressive stuff.
We usually finish work at 5:15pm, but the queues were only just letting up by that stage so we all decided to stay longer, eventually bringing the shutters back down at 6:30. After tidying up, closing the tills (general administration, in other words), it was time for a well-deserved drink and a rest: the box office is closed today so we get a brief respite before the second - quieter - onslaught on Monday.
(For what it's worth, I only served one person who recognised from my previous place of emploment, though one of the stewards told afterwards that many others had wanted to say hello to me. Bless 'em.)
Apparently one man showed up at 6:30am. Clearly a bit keen, as we weren't opening for another three-and-a-half hours ... By the time I got in, shortly before 9:30, the café across the corridor was packed with about 200 people ready to get their Festival tickets. After a bit of last-minute anxiety (one of the ticket printers was causing trouble), the shutters went up at 10 and we were on the road.
For the most part, the punters were perfectly civil. A bit chatty, some of them - there were times I'd've loved to have said "are you here for tickets or a chat?", they went on so much - but no-one truly offensive. One customer who was being served at the booth next to mine did reek to high heaven, true, but the worst I got was an elderly gentleman whose opinion of what constituted a really good seat for Vaughan Williams' Serenade to music differed considerably from mine. I offered him a seat in the middle of the grand circle, admittedly in the back row, and he wasn't best pleased; even so, this paled compared to the offence he took when I suggested a seat in the stalls.
He positively wimpered. "Oh no ... I was so looking forward to the Vaughan Williams." I wondered then if he was so upset that he'd forgo the performance altogether, but thankfully he accepted a seat further along in the grand circle. Strange man.
The Berlin Phil sold out within an hour, maybe two, and seats for the two performances of The magic flute are in short supply. The others couldn't match that degree of popularity, but it was still impressive stuff.
We usually finish work at 5:15pm, but the queues were only just letting up by that stage so we all decided to stay longer, eventually bringing the shutters back down at 6:30. After tidying up, closing the tills (general administration, in other words), it was time for a well-deserved drink and a rest: the box office is closed today so we get a brief respite before the second - quieter - onslaught on Monday.
(For what it's worth, I only served one person who recognised from my previous place of emploment, though one of the stewards told afterwards that many others had wanted to say hello to me. Bless 'em.)
posted by Anthony at
08:45
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