Hamilton lottery for cheap seats to Broadway hit scrapped after site crash

The launch of the digital lottery to get discounted tickets to Broadway's hit show Hamiltonhas not been exactly revolutionary.

Composer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda says 50,000 hopefuls overwhelmed the lottery site and so no winners were selected for Tuesday's show, the first day the lottery was moved online.

Some people got erroneous messages saying they'd won one of the coveted slots.

The lottery powered by Broadway Direct offers 21 front-row tickets to the musical at the price of $10 US, the bill that displays the face of the show's hero, Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first treasury secretary.

For Tuesday's show, the 21 tickets will go unsold.

The lottery outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre had become a draw also because of the frequent free performances from cast and guest stars.

For Wednesday and until the online system is fixed, the low-tech process will be restored standing in line outside.