The Thread for HAMILTON Fans/Obsessives [SPOILERS AHEAD]

[BroadwayConcierge]

Finally!!!

[ethan231h]

YAY!!!! Looking forward to seeing her in september!

[ampi2]

Elizabeth Judd is going on as Angelica for the first time tonight! 

[gypsy101]

wow I'm shocked Lexi has returned. Part of me thought we might see her quietly leave the production.

[ethan231h]

Anybody see Elizabeth as Angelica tonight?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Judd as Angelica! https://www.instagram.com/p/BIeIJhihsR3/

Also, still holding out for any Lawson reviews as she gets back underway in performances 

[mikem]

Going back to Alysha and the final gasp, I would agree with the poster who said that it would be strange for an understudy to have the option of not doing the gasp, which is a significant moment in the show.  A replacement might be able to make discuss modifying that with the director, but not an alternate or understudy.  She's doing it now, so maybe she just had a brain freeze and didn't do it at some point.

 

In terms of whether to listen to the show beforehand, there will be a lot of different opinions, but I've talked to many people who weren't familiar with the lyrics beforehand and who don't listen to a lot of rap who found it hard to keep up because they come at you very fast.  So it may be a good idea to listen ahead of time for some people.

 

In terms of parking, the Mariott Marquis is literally right next to the theater, but I imagine the parking is very expensive.

[Jud Faginsky]

I saw Hamilton for the first time on July 12 as I posted a few days ago. I believe that was Lexi Lawson's second performance before she missed a few weeks. I thought she was fantastic. She has a lovely voice and showed a lot of vulnerability as well as fire if that makes sense. She stood out in a cast full of standouts.  

[petewk87]

For those of you who have seen the show multiple times from different seating areas, if you were to pick seats between orchestra A 1 and 3 versus front mezz A 1 and 3, what would you pick? A friend of mine is considering buying tickets on TM resale. I understand for the orchestra you get to see the subtle expression, but do you miss the lighting (e.g. floor) and choreography much? For front mezz, do you lose much intimacy? What is puzzling is that orchestra A1 and 3 are technically premium, while front mezz A1 and 3 are just regular seats... 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Mezz without question. I actually tell my friends to avoid the first five rows of orchestra. Way too close for a show you really need to take in a lot of breadth and scope. Intimacy is not lost up there.

[aaaaaa15]

I've sat very front orchestra and very front mezz and enjoyed both for different reasons. I did front mezz the first time and if it's their first time seeing the show I'd recommend that as you get a wider picture. You really do miss out on how great the lighting is from the front orch. I'd only recommend front orch to the people that know the show really well, in which case it's amazing to see the expressions of the cast that close.

[sydney16]

How is Lexi compared to Phillipa? 

[petewk87]

Javi just tweeted that he would do a Sunday show if it's a 2-show day, TBD...does anyone know if there are such Sundays, with two scheduled performances?!

[Wee Thomas2]

not according to the website:  http://www.hamiltonbroadway.com/index.php#tickets

[petewk87]

right, though the Hamilton official website doesn't even have the recently added performance on Nov 6th... (unlike Ticketmaster)

[LizzieCurry]

Considering how long it takes them to update the cast list, this shouldn't be unexpected.

[toofunktastic2]

Michael Lluwoye debuts tonight: https://instagram.com/p/BIn2_QTgHjf/

[BroadwayConcierge]

^Must hear how he is!!!

[Newtothis2]

I tend to be a lurker on most message boards, musicals or otherwise, but considering how help I find threads like this, I felt obligated (and excited) to pass along what I thought of tonight’s (Tuesdays) show. To preface this all, apologies for typos—it’s late. More importantly, I don’t want to make anyone feel like their opinions are invalid, I just want to share how I felt in case it’s useful for other Hamilton junkies. I realize we will all disagree about many things, which allows this message board to provide a wider range of information. I.e., I really hate confrontation, particularly on message boards, but I'd love to keep posting intel if we can all politely and respectively discuss/disagree with each other on the below--I'm putting a lot out there, and I'm sure others felt differently.   

I’ve seen the show twice, once from Row Q-ish in the orchestra, and in D 103 tonight (front mezzanine, center stage. I’ve paid through the nose both times since I’m rarely in NY, but what can I say, I’m a sucker when it comes to this show.) I definitely liked the mezz better. I felt like I got a better feel for the (unbelievable) scale. And the lighting. Oh my god the lighting.

I was very disappointed when I saw the cast list for the performance—a lot of last minute changes and I still haven’t seen Chris Jackson (he must have known I was coming!). But, for the most part, my disappointment quickly and completely dissipated.

I thought Michael Lluwoye was fabulous. Fabulous. [Insert all other synonyms for fabulous]He has an amazing voice, can rap, and you almost can’t tell which mode he’s in because it all seems to flow naturally from him. He developed his own interpretation of the character and ran with it. It was beautiful to see an actor put his stamp on a role and execute it so perfectly. I was blown away.

Seth was also brilliant as Lafayette and Jefferson—I was terrified he wouldn’t be because I couldn’t find much on him online. From the little I found him before the show, it seems like he has a serious dance/hip hop back round, and it showed. No so much during the dance scenes (those were great too), but in his body movements/stances/positions as he played the character, particularly when interacting with Lluwoye as Lafayette. Talk about expressive (but not inappropriately excessive) body language. And I think it might have pushed Lluwoye to up his game (which he certainly did). I loved them together. Seth’s French accent was also to die for. So well done. Campy-er than Diggs’, but he pulled off so so well.

Mulligan, Laurens, Lafayette, and Hamilton had a wonderful dynamic during the first act—so many different personalities but so chummy. I loved them together.

Sydney was pretty stellar as Washington for an understudy. Way better than who I saw last time. Very understated and wise, except for the moments where Washington comes out of his shell, which fit perfectly. I couple hiccups here and there, but 95% awesome.

Now for the ladies. I loved Phillipa to death last time. She stole the show for me. Lexi was ok—only because it seemed like she was having trouble with her voice. When she was on he game, she was lovely. I liked her interpretation of Eliza mostly, so hopefully she gets better.

I actually really liked Alyosha (sp?) as Angelica. I thought she nailed it. If I hadn’t seen Renee I wouldn’t have known she is only a standby. I don’t know if she was just particularly on tonight, but mad props.

And Jasmine. Oh Jasmine who I didn’t get to see last time. I LOVED her Maria Reynolds. He voice is so beautiful and special. And talk about hitting the high notes. She also really stood out to me when she was in the backround, and always in a way that enhanced the ambiance. Sigh. She was everything I hoped and dreamed of.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of Austin Smith as Burr. I feel like he could get there with a lot more practice. There were moments when I really connected with his interpretation, but he just didn’t seem to commit to a consistent character. And his voice wasn’t what I’d hope for in a Burr.

Happy to answer specific questions.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Thanks for your detailed review.  I have had the same luck (or un-luck) of not seeing Christopher Jackson as George Washington twice!!  I saw Sydney the first time I saw the show and he was wonderful. Austin was on when I saw the show in March, and I liked him as well (gorgeous voice).  Austin has been on plenty of times for Burr, so if he isn't there yet in terms of character, etc., I don't think he ever will be.

[aaaaaa15]

Thankyou for that review!

[LizzieCurry]

PSA: Luwoye

[thirtythirtyninety]

Thanks for the review!  I particularly appreciate your glowing words for Michael Luwoye, as we'll be attending the show on a Sunday in Sept.  Very excited to see his performance now!

[neonlightsxo]

Thanks for the review.

"I was terrified he wouldn’t be because I couldn’t find much on him online"

Seth Stewart played Graffiti Pete in the original company of In The Heights.

https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/seth-stewart-393721

 

"Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of Austin Smith as Burr. I feel like he could get there with a lot more practice."

To be frank, he's been on for Burr A LOT so I don't think practice is the problem.

[broadwayboy223]

If anyone is curious I believe they  are rehearsing some of the Chicago and upcoming New York casts together. Mandy and Karen were in a picture together posted by Lin. 

[LizzieCurry]

Here's the photo.

https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel/status/760845849517780992