Hamilton (spoiler alert)

Posted: 7/29/15 at 3:43pm

Those of us who cruise this chat board know about the hype surrounding the new musical Hamilton.  I admit that hype had a lot to do with me plunking down close to $100 last night to see it considering, besides entering the lottery, there aren't many affordable tickets that haven't been scooped up for the next few months....let alone tickets at all.  In fact, mine was a cancellation.  The hype was very present in the air, you could feel the anticipation in the theater...not to mention that when i sat down I was literally surrounded by entertainment legends...Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfery, Gail King, Alex Trebek...there were more.

There is no scrim hiding the set so you can see designer David Korins subtle 18th Century wooden scaffolding complete with ropes and pulleys and a massive brick wall behind it all that gives you a hint of a modern day hood as spoken about in many rap/hip hop songs. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a wow factor, but this show is not about the set...at all.  They don't even use the ropes and pulleys that hang all over it. There is a turn table element where the the center circle can turn the opposite way as the outside ring that is used smartly.  They get that movie quality slow motion affect out of it which is a nice touch complimenting the hip hop music and dance.

The opening number, "Alexander Hamilton" is also subtle.  It is basically setting up the idea of WHO WILL TELL YOUR STORY after you die, the nights overall theme.  Each historical figure that surrounded his life tells you who they are...it's underwhelming. In fact so much that you immediately say to yourself, "Over hyped!" You have to remember that this is a bio musical, so there is much setting up to do in the first act.  It's a slow burn, but it is never boring.  The melodies are very modern hip hop/R&B, authentic to the form but not especially THAT dramatic, especially for the men. The ladies get more dramatic broadway pop.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics are the STAR here. They are witty, gorgeous, funny, slang, intellectual...I mean Stephen Sondheim could take some notes here. I think the major problem is this...even though Lin has the energy/personality of a star, he's not a singer.  With the rap/spoken word you lean forward because he is an expert at delivering the material, when he sings you lean back slowly losing interest....and Hamilton has a pretty significant singers track. The show would sail much better in the first act if a different actor played hamilton. Lin should go to the tv/film world and claim the star that he really is as a persona.

It isn't till Jonathan Groff enters, playing King George, that the show starts to take off. Jonathan, in a career best in my opinion, plays a small role but milks EVERY INCH of the comedy out of it. He is light on his loafers, egocentric, pretentious, and out of touch with the hip hop sound which is straight up hilarious (tony nom is in his future)

By the end of Act One you are hooked by the EXPERT mix of hip hop and colonial american culture. The end result is nothing short of riveting. The correlation between Alexander Hamilton and hip hop artist the likes of Jay-Z, both minorities from the streets who made their way to the top of their professional worlds is fascinating. Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography does most of the grunt work filling in the story for the lack of almost every other element...the dancers are basically the props and set.  His work feels grab baggy...some of it pulled form the bag is ok other pulled is genius...especially a dancer used to represent the bullet that kills him (BRILLIANT).

One wonders what Tomas Kail (director) really did to make Hamilton what it is....then again the lack of seeing his hand at work is probably a strength to the piece.  Alex Lacamoire's orchestrations are cool, other times they feel cheap. Paul Tazewell's traditional colonial costumes are simple, elegant, and combined with the style of the modern music/ attitude of the performers, don't need to reference the hip-hop world at all, and that's intentional....smart!  Howell Brinkley has some theatrical moments with his lights but again this isn't about the effects...he accents the massive brick wall throughout the show during different dramatic events that sets the mood quite wonderfully.

The cast is the other MAJOR wow factor here. Daveed Diggs as Thomas Jefferson is a skilled freestyle rhyme performer and he's also a gifted comedian.  The take on him by lin and Ron Chernow is refreshing. Renee Elise Goldsberry, as his wife's infatuated sister is picture perfect; she is a true broadway triple threat. Jonathan Groff again is hilarious, but the the star of the show is Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr, Alexander's enemy so to speak. He is funny, sexy, ferocious, slick, skilled at rhyme, i could go on. His is the musical theater performance of the year in my opinion. Somebody hand this man the Tony now =))

During the second act the show's storytelling and style all come together in a way that is electrifying...think of a bob fosse creation.  The drama keeps building and the show just sails into the harbor leaving you wanting more.  The series of speeches before congress made to feel like a a rap battle is nothing short of GENIUS.  In the end what you have is a show with GREAT STYLE...will you pop the cd in probably not, do you need to see it again probably not, will it change your life the way something like RENT did probably not.  But what was written and has been staged and now is being performed is done by experts in the musical theater field....and musicals once again have been changed for the better because of it.

 

 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/29/15 at 3:46pm

I'm glad you liked it but you didn't need to start your own thread when this one exists for exactly that purpose.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1084696&dt=366

 

Updated On: 7/29/15 at 03:46 PM

[ZannaDo]

Posted: 7/29/15 at 3:47pm

Thanks for the review, but couldn't disagree more re: Jonathan Groff. I guess if you haven't seen Brian D'Arcy James, it's hard to explain how much more the role can be than what Groff does with it. He's fine, and funny, but overall was a disappointment for me.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 7/29/15 at 4:05pm

What a wonderful and very grounded review. Thanks for sharing!

.even though Lin has the energy/personality of a star, he's not a singer.  With the rap/spoken word you lean forward because he is an expert at delivering the material, when he sings you lean back slowly losing interest....and Hamilton has a pretty significant singers track. The show would sail much better in the first act if a different actor played Hamilton. Lin should go to the tv/film world and claim the star that he really is as a persona.

I can definitely agree with this. It's strange to say, but Lin really is the weakest one onstage. I almost wish he would have taken a back seat for this show and had just been apart of the crew and not the cast. Not to say he is horrible or anything, he's giving a very good performance. His acting and singing is just not as powerful as Leslie, Jackson, Groff, Renee and Soo. I've seen Hamilton 3 times (twice with Lin and once with  Javier).Suffice to say, this might be the rare time where I actually prefer the alternate over the actor that created the role. 

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 7/29/15 at 4:21pm

Great review! Having just seen it for the first time on Monday, I appreciated reading your thoughts. I agree about Leslie Odom, Jr. He was the STAR of the show for me. 

I also agree about Lin Manuel in the title role. His ability to freestyle and the emotion he brings to the role are tremendous, but singing is not his strong suit. I wasn't in any way disappointed by it, but I would be perfectly happy to see Javier as A. Ham. In fact, I wish they had announced that he'd be doing the Saturday, then Sunday matinees when tickets first went on sale because it might mean there would still be some available. 

I'm wondering if people have tried exchanging those tickets and if it's been allowed. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/29/15 at 4:25pm

re James vs Groff

Having seen both, I come out on the Groff end too. Different strokes, of course, and that's fine. I think that difference is summed up by "how much more the role can be than what Groff does with it." That's precisely why I prefer Groff: I think James made it more than it should be. The role, as written, brilliantly telegraphs KG3 without becoming bogged down in the side bar and I think Groff conveys the way in which the founding fathers viewed him (at least as related by Chernow) rather than pushing for a musical theatre moment. That said, I understand how you could see it differently.