such a New York thing

So there's this play I want to see.  It's called The Lehman Trilogy and it's gotten rave reviews, has a short run, and is an impossible ticket to get.

The show is sold out, except for a few $450 seats through American Express. I would never!

Last week I'm talking to a friend who told me how much she loved the show. 

I can't believe you got tickets? How much did you pay? I ask.

Just $127 each. I used a line sitter.

A what? 

A line sitter.

What's that?

It's a person who stands in line for a fee.

A few years ago my friend found this guy Will on Craig's List. He has a partner Jack. I text them. Within minutes we have a deal.

Apparently the show offers rush seats for $45 at every performance. And Will has people who will get there in the wee hours of the morning to assure a first-place position in the rush-seat line. Last week we talk, and I confirm I'd like two tickets, at $127 each, for Tuesday night, April 16.

At 11:18 last night my phone rings. 

"Hi, this is Holly," the person announces. "I'm sorry for calling so late, but....."

Holly is the actual person who will be waiting in line. She engages me in a conversation that is far beyond what's needed. I've already agreed on date and price. The only thing I need to know is where to meet Holly to get the tickets and pay. That information she doesn't have yet.

Today I speak to Holly a few more times and we arrange to meet in front of a restaurant on 78th and York. She wants to know what I'll be wearing so she can find me. Huh?! It's not like we're looking for each other at Grand Central. I'm pretty confident we'll find each other in mid-afternoon on an upper east side street corner. Still, Holly wants to know how I'll be dressed just in case.

I find Holly easily. We are of course the only two people in front of the restaurant.

I pay her and get the tickets.

Tonight Zelia and I go. I've never attended a play (or anything else) at the Park Avenue Armory. It's a huge space (one city block long) in a historic building. 

Our seats (as expected) are in the very top row. The sound is excellent, but the actors on stage resemble teeny tiny shapeless people. 

The three and a half hour play is worth seeing, but I can't say I loved it. The three male leads are all superb, and the staging is brilliant. The first two acts focus on the history of Lehman Brothers and the three brothers who created it. But the third act feels rushed, and doesn't give any stage time to the company's demise.

So I leave with some new knowledge of a once powerful Wall Street investment bank. But more importantly, I now know Will.