Hamilton - An American Musical

[Midpack]

I assume many here have seen it (long ago), but I don't recall a thread, and search didn't return a hit

We enjoy theater, and we've seen most of the big Broadway shows over the past 40 years (though none actually on Broadway). We'd highly recommend Hamilton to anyone who hasn't seen it, or may be on the fence. It's probably the best play we've ever seen!

Most of the music is conventional show tunes, with a little colorful language (not much). If you're put off by the hip hop, pop, rap parts of the score (I was initially), it's actually easy to understand in person. There are only a couple passages where the pace is so fast it's hard to get. We can't stand hip hop or rap, but we just loved Hamilton.

We went last night, bought tickets in Sept, it took that long to get good seats at a decent price.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer, who also played Hamilton first on Broadway, is a genius!

I listened to the music and spent some time reading up on Hamilton's life beforehand, something I need to do to fully appreciate most plays. Hamilton is very dense work, so it helped that I knew the story and characters, but probably not necessary for most of you - it's something I always do.

Hamilton is/was probably under appreciated among Founding Fathers, by us at least.

King George III is absolutely hilarious, worth the price of admission even though his role is small.

 

[Moemg]

Did you see it on Broadway ? Everybody I know who has seen it loved it .

 

[Midpack]

Did you see it on Broadway ? Everybody I know who has seen it loved it .

Chicago

 

[MichaelB]

Chicago

My kind of town, Chicago is.

 

[donheff]

I'm waiting for it to come to DC

 

[nun]

I'll see Hamilton as a touring production as I refuse to get drawn into the Broadway hype. The price and scarcity of tickets is a bit ridiculous.

My best musical experience is still the 1982 UK National Theatre production of Guys and Dolls with Bob Hoskins as Nathan Detroid (I paid 5 pounds for a student standby) and the best theatrical thing I've ever seen is the Boston production of "Sleep No More" which cost $25.......so I don't like to pay big bucks for theater.

 

[RunningBum]

The show may be good but I feel like I've been inundated with snippets that are rap, and it's turned me off. I'm sure a persuasive date could talk me into it but I won't make any effort to go see it on my own.

 

[Midpack]

The show may be good but I feel like I've been inundated with snippets that are rap, and it's turned me off. I'm sure a persuasive date could talk me into it but I won't make any effort to go see it on my own.

FWIW, that was my early reaction when it came out, and they have played that aspect up for whatever reason. But it's probably at least 80% conventional show tune/pop/ballad style, honestly. And the "rap" sections are mostly slow enough that they are not that hard to follow - not "gangsta" as DW told me. Hamilton & Jefferson engage in some rap/hip-hop, the other characters are mostly showtunes/pop. George Washington, Burr, the Schuylers, King George don't rap at all IIRC.

And I am not recommending it for people who don't (at least casually) enjoy live musical theater to begin with.

The best performance IMO in the show isn't rap at all, it's King George III and You'll Be Back. I knew it was coming and it still brought tears of laughter to my eyes, along with most of the audience. In the context of the story, it's almost worth the price of admission alone.

 

[Amethyst]

I've been listening to the soundtrack on line, and I wouldn't call any of it "rap." Some of the cadences and definitely the internal rhymes [ex: "hard to have intercourse through four corsets"] are from hip-hop, but yeah, it's basically Broadway show tunes.

And I agree, the King's songs are funny as heck. He reminds me of the jilted abusive lover, who threatens to kill you if you don't realize your mistake and return to his loving arms.

FWIW, that was my early reaction when it came out, and they have played that aspect up for whatever reason. But it's probably 80% conventional show tune style, honestly. And the "rap" sections are mostly slow enough that they are not that hard to follow.

And I am not recommending it for people who don't (at least casually) enjoy live musical theater to begin with.

The best performance IMO in the show isn't rap at all, it's King George III and You'll Be Back. I knew it was coming and it still brought tears of laughter to my eyes, along with most of the audience. In the context of the story, it's almost worth the price of admission alone.

 

[RunningBum]

Well, I don't like hip hop either, or show tunes all that much for that matter, but I appreciate the reviews, and wouldn't resist as strongly.

 

[Osprey]

Saw original cast on Broadway; Was lucky and paid face value for tickets! The whole family loved it, even our son who generally doesn't like musicals.

 

[lucky penny]

I saw it on Broadway in previews & was blown away - so creative, original, thrilling & funny - & so much energy. I've never seen anything like it, & by the end of the first three numbers I was loving every second & hoping it would never end.

And speaking of lucky: a few months ago, I won the daily online lottery for 2 tickets in the front row for $10 each (they call it Ham for a Ham). Wow!!! Different cast, so maybe a tiny bit less mesmerizing than the originals (Miranda, Daveed Diggs, et al.), but still an incredible, powerful show. And yes, I'd see it again in a minute!

It prompted me to read Ron Chernow's book, which I also loved. First 40 pages or so, about his ancestors, are a little slow going, but once he gets to NYC it really takes off. And it's fascinating to see how Miranda used details from the book to tell the story (e.g. "The World Turned Upside Down" was really a British army song). Good stuff on every page - & also interesting to see that politics in those days were at least as...let's just say unruly...as today.

My office is in lower Manhattan, a block from Trinity Church, and almost every day some Hamilton fans leave flowers at his grave in the Church cemetery.

 

[Dreamer]

We decided in March to go to NYC in May. I knew that it was a long shot, but I checked for tickets for it anyway. They were sold out. Not sure what we will see. I think we are going to try going to TKTS and buy discounted tickets.

 

[Cricky]

We have tix to see it in Atlanta at the end of May...2018.

 

[gerntz]

Miranda politicized it, so not for me. I loved the book years ago when it first came out. Hamilton created the American economy from scratch.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We saw Book of Mormon after being inundated with soooo much over-the-top hype about it for years. Our reaction was "Meh" as a result. I think Hamilton might be the same for me but certainly everyone who has seen it seems to like it.

 

[SecondCor521]

Saw it on Broadway with my daughter last week - Taran Killam as King George and the songs he sang were the best part of it. Bought tickets in October. Walked past Trinity churchyard without realizing until later in the week that's where he was buried. Went to DC later in the week and saw his signature on the Bill of Rights in the National Archives.

 

[brucethebroker]

Miranda politicized it, so not for me. I loved the book years ago when it first came out. Hamilton created the American economy from scratch.

I agree with your first point-very disappointing.

 

[Ready]

For those of you who always wanted to see the Broadway show Hamilton but could not justify paying hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for tickets, you can now watch it on Disney+ for a one month subscription at $6.99. This also gives you unlimited access to all Disney content for the entire month. If you don’t want to continue the subscription you can cancel any time.

I’ve watched Hamilton twice now. Such an amazing show, and what better time to watch it than on July 4th, when the show reminds you of the history of our country. If you happen to have a 4K set the picture quality is amazing. And if you have a soundbar or AV system that can decode Dolby Atmos the sound quality is also amazing. While I would have liked to see it in the theaters the quality of this video production is outstanding and makes you feel like you are right there in the theater with the audience. I highly recommend it.

 

[Clone]

you can now watch it on Disney+

We watched it this afternoon, and thought it was quite well done. I came away with a bit of respect for the founding fathers, given that it is portrayed as a lot of conflict among many who were basically working for a common goal. I also did not realize that George Washington died so soon after leaving office.

I do not know how much deviation from historical accuracy was taken. The production was done very well.

 

[brewer12345]

This is a political show of some sort, isn't it?

 

[Ready]

This is a political show of some sort, isn't it?

It’s a play about Alexander Hamilton’s role in the Revolutionary War and the founding of the US constitution. I suppose some might find a way to perceive it as political but it’s extremely accurate in it’s depiction of the events that took place during that time period.

 

[brewer12345]

It’s a play about Alexander Hamilton’s role in the Revolutionary War and the founding of the US constitution. I suppose some might find a way to perceive it as political but it’s extremely accurate in it’s depiction of the events that took place during that time period.

I am pretty sure that Alexander Hamilton did not traffic in rap.

 

[Ready]

I am pretty sure that Alexander Hamilton did not traffic in rap.

Yes, it’s a musical. But it’s still historically accurate in every aspect of the story being told, even if it’s being told in song.

 

[brewer12345]

Yes, it’s a musical. But it’s still historically accurate in every aspect of the story being told, even if it’s being told in song.

I will take your word for it as I cannot abide musicals. Its just that the people of my acquaintance that foam at the mouth over this thing seem to all be of a particular extreme political persuasion.