laurel c

Review of The Wilbur Theatre

As an avid fan of RuPaul s Drag Race , I was incr...

As an avid fan of RuPaul s Drag Race , I was incredibly excited when my son purchased tickets for us to see Haters Roast: The Shady Tour 2019 at the Wilbur Theater in Boston. As a disabled person with a service dog, I was concerned about my ability to attend. I called the Wilbur to learn about the accessibly of the theater and they assured me that they have a fully-accessible disabled section on the ground floor.
When we arrived, there was already a long line outside. It was cold and raining (Boston in March!), but they wouldn t open the doors, so we waited. As instructed, we went to will-call and they seated me and my son at the left rear corner of the floor seating; I later learned it was Section G, Table 5. The space we shared was approximately 3 feet wide, and there was at most 2 feet of floor space between our seats and the iron partition in front of us. It was tight, but we were relatively comfortable and excited to see the show. My service dog is a professional, so she tucked herself into the space at our feet and settled in.
I was in the aisle seat with my son beside me, and on his right was a large group of people around two high-top tables. When an older, grey-haired woman - Jill - brought them beverages, my son asked if we could also order drinks. She said we could purchase drinks upstairs, and then walked away. She did not explain why she refused to take our drink order.
Five minutes later, Jill returned to tell us there was a woman with a knee problem who had to put her foot up. She asked if we could make a space between us for her to do so. We explained that we barely had enough room as it was, so we could not fit another person in the space we were allocated. Jill shrugged and left, then returned a few minutes later and told us to make room. We said there wasn t enough room. I even tried to explain that I had called and was reassured that there would be an accessible place to sit with my son. She answered that everybody s got to see the show . After some back and forth, I asked if large group next to us could also help make room; she said that we were in the disabled section and they were not. The woman with the hurt knee was going to sit with us -- between us, specifically -- in the disabled section. Jill was rash and abrasive, and clearly wasn t going to allow us to sit together or enjoy the show. I was overwhelmed and frustrated, and asked to speak to the person in charge of seating. Clearly frustrated and unwilling to budge, she said that she was the person in charge. I said this was unfair and that perhaps I should leave. She replied well, let me know what you decide and walked away. We left before the show even started.
I called the next day (March 12) to discuss what happened. The person that answered, Erica, was dismissive and unhelpful. I asked to speak to the manager, Erin Hubay. Erica said she wasn't in the office and wouldn't tell me when she was expected back. Erica would not take my information, so I eMailed the Theater. After 10 days without a response, I eMailed again.
When Erin called me later that day, she said she had received my earlier eMail but was too busy to respond. I was at first encouraged, hoping that I had finally found someone to resolve this confusing and upsetting situation. It didn t take long to discover that rude dismissal wasn t just Erica s approach to dealing with complaints regarding discriminatory treatment of disabled patrons.
Erin and I had a very uncomfortable conversation in which she repeatedly interrupted me to explain why I was wrong about everything I said and the situation that occurred was wholly my fault. Shocked and exasperated, I told her that I would file a complaint. She said that was fine and hung up.
It took me awhile to be brave enough to write this out. It is hurtful and embarrassing; they treated me like a second-rate human being. I chose to post this review because knowledge is power. I hope that the next disabled person who visits is brave enough to stand up for themselves if they get stuck in The Wilbur s disabled section .