Would Europe and Australia really care for Hamilton

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 11:52pm

Like do you think the show will tour well in countries outside of US? Part of the reason it's so big in the US is that it's such an American story. Like does England really care enough about the US to care for a musical like Hamilton. I mean they are the villains of the show lol. I mean I doubt anybody outside of the US has even heard of Alexander Hamilton. I have a friend from Canada and although she liked the album she said she didn't get some aspects from it and some references and she's from Canada.   

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 11:55pm

I doubt anybody on the US heard about Alexander Hamilton until the show came out. So why would the us care about someone they don't even know?

Updated On: 4/6/16 at 11:55 PM

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 11:58pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I doubt anybody on the US heard about Alexander Hamilton until the show came out. So why would the us care about someone they don't even know?

 

"

I mean kids learn about him in history though. And I mean he's on the 10 dollar bill...But even if they hadn't heard of him Hamilton is also about the formation of the country of America making it very appealing to Americans. Why would British people care about that?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/6/16 at 11:59pm

Why would the US care about the first lady of Argentina?

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:03am

I'm sure lots of people in America knew of Hamilton's existence, but probably only peripherally. We know he's on the ten-dollar bill. Many of us (I assume) know he was the first treasury of the Secretary. I knew he had died in a duel against the Vice President. That was really the extent of my knowledge of Hamilton but I'd think much of the informed people of America knew those three things about him before the musical Hamilton. The main reason why I was surprised about it was because I thought: why do we need a musical about Alexander Hamilton?


As for the rest of the world: they seem to love many things that I would think would be mainly an American enjoyment. I assume the people England know about our history with them, they'll probably find the King just as funny (if not more) than we do. I think the rest of the world will love the show.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:05am

Or impoverished french revolutionaries. I think the notion that non-US people can't possibly get this American story is just plain dumb. Non-US people could even know more about Hamilton than people here did before the hype.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:05am

Nah, it'll never work.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 12:05 AM

[Broadway Forever2]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:13am

ok I concede that it's possible to do well especially with all the hype. I'm just curious about how they'll respond. Like my friend from Canada liked it and the music but she didn't understand a bunch of it. She had no idea who John Adams of James Madison were either lol. She asked me who James Madison was and why "he follows Jefferson around like a drone"

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 12:13 AM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:15am

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Why would the US care about the first lady of Argentina?"

This guy gets it.

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:31am

I don't mean to be rude but as an English person I'm bored of this argument.

I had never heard of Alexander Hamilton before. It didn't matter. Everything you need to know is in the show. It is explained that it is the revolutionary war, that George Washington is the president, that Thomas Jefferson is the secretary of state, that Madison becomes president, that Hercules Mulligan is a spy. It is all there in the show as long as you watch and listen.

Plays about British monarchs have been done in New York. London's longest running show is Les Mis which concerns the aftermath of the French revolution. 

As for England being the villain - it was 300 years ago. We're over it. A large proportion of our country dislikes the monarchy and laughs at them too. We're not as patriotic as a lot of Americans are. 

Also this is our history too. Losing control of America is a huge event in British history and if it hadn't have happened our lives and our country would be very different. I think that would be interesting for any British person.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 12:31 AM

[¿Macavity?]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 1:32am

You could very well ask the same question about Les Miz. Who cares about the small tid-bit at the end of the French Revolution? It's all in the themes. Though that may not be the best example as Les Miz is based of an incredible novel. The Hamilton book may be good too, but I haven't read it yet. :)

[Lousy]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:44am

Well considering Jeffrey Seller's statement about possibly bringing Hamilton to those regions has gone viral in Australia, I'd say the interest is definitely there.

[binau]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:08am

As an Australian and British citizen, I think the OP raises a fair point. Personally, I wasn't initially interested in Hamilton because I didn't know anything about Alexander Hamilton (or thought I cared much about US history). However, it was hard to ignore the hype and once becoming familiar with the material it did interest me - it's a great show. If the hype and good word-of-mouth continues overseas, I think the show could be successful. But I don't think a one-sentence description of the show would be of much interest to many Australians or British people (in particular Australians). The challenge will be getting people inside - not keeping their interest while they are inside. Again though, it's hard to ignore the hype though and it just keeps building. I can't imagine what is going to happen when it wins Best Musical. 

That said, I don't quite buy the comparisons to Les Miz. Personally, I think the historical aspects of Hamilton are much, much more detailed/complex and have a greater importance to the story than the historical aspects of Les Miz. I mean, Hamilton is basically a historical retelling. Yes, there are some universal themes but nothing like Les Miz - which to me feels like a very universal story that has been tacked onto the french revolution setting. I personally see this as a strength of Hamilton. 

Evita comparisons are probably more appropriate I think. 

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:17am

(Les Mis isn't about THE French Revolution, but a French revolution. But the rest of your point is totally valid.)

 

 

I love Shakespeare, except the Histories, as they aren't American. (Doesnt that sound silly?) And your Canadian friend from Canada? Doesn't know less about these peeps than most Americans. But the fact that she purchased and listened to to the CD proves there is interest beyond the U.S..

 

Art is art; it's more than the obvious content.  It's about people and emotions and universal themes.

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 4:08am

With regard to Europe, I don't think this show could be done in another language. 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 5:26am

qolbinau said: "But I don't think a one-sentence description of the show would be of much interest to many Australians or British people (in particular Australians)."

But I would argue that that was the case for most Americans too. Unless you're a big history fan, 'rap musical about the life of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton' sounds bizarre and potentially awful.

Most Americans haven't bought tickets to this show because they're super interested in the concept, they've bought them because of the intense word-of-mouth and hype that surrounds it. It's not like Americans were flocking to see Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

If a musical has enough praise and enough hype people will want to see it. Especially in this day and age where hype can travel over the internet and social media, something it couldn't do in the age of 'Rent' for example. 

In short - no the concept wont make people eager to buy tickets in other countries. But that's not what made people eager to buy tickets in America either.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 05:26 AM

[StephieElise]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 5:42am

Like qolbinau I'm an Aussie who really wasn't interested in Hamilton when I first heard about it, until I finally caved to all the hype, bought the cast recording and the next day booked tickets (before even booking flights!). For those of us who follow theatre (and there are a few of us!), yes, we will be ecstatic to have Hamilton here (frankly, we're happy to get anything that's not a revival)! It may be a harder sell with the general public, but definitely not impossible with the right marketing. We don't have too many Mormons here but Book of Mormon is selling well and doesn't open for another 8 months! Some schools do teach about the American Revolution (e.g. in my state there is a year 12 subject called 'Revolutions History', but schools choose only 2 of the 4 revolutions in the syllabus [American, Chinese, French & Russian] and not every school will offer the subject), so that may produce some interest too. I think it will do well here, keeping in mind that shows in Australia definitely don't have the longevity of shows on Broadway (and have to move to several cities to be successful).

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 6:02am

Yes, The Book of Mormon is another good example. I remember a ton of British theatre fans saying that it wouldn't be a success in London and it ended up being the most successful new musical in years, despite Mormons not being a big thing here. 

You can attribute some of that to the South Park connection but I think the vast majority came with the hype that had transferred from New York and I think the same will happen with Hamilton. 

Just looked on the UK iTunes - the Hamilton cast recording is sitting at no.1 on the soundtracks chart that includes film soundtracks also. It's sitting above the recent Batman vs. Superman, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the ever popular Frozen soundtrack. It's also at no. 73 in the overall chart, outselling British artists like Ellie Goulding's latest album (that came out 2 months later than the Hamilton OBCR).

I think anyone expecting the show to be AS popular in London, Australia etc. as it is in New York is naive. I think the Broadway production will always be the most successful, but I also think it's naive to think audiences from other countries wont get it.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 06:02 AM

[Mr Kelly]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 6:18am

 yes, we will be ecstatic to have Hamilton here (frankly, we're happy to get anything that's not a revival)! "

 

I agree with this 100% (as Cats tours Australia for the umpteenth time). 

 

As a fellow Australian, I would love to see Hamilton here but am unsure how it would go. Generally musicals in Aus seem to be tailored to either families or 'girls nights out' and thus shows like Dirty Dancing and The Sound of Music sell well. I don't believe Rent had a particularly long run in Australia. Book of Mormon may be the tipping point- if it succeeds then maybe Australian producers will be keen to have more new 'different' musicals 

 

[pupscotch]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 6:42am

Eurotrash said: "With regard to Europe, I don't think this show could be done in another language. 

 

"

I agree. Though I don't know much about the translation process, a lot of the show works really well in English, and might not work as well in German or French.

[decast]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 7:00am

You guys have managed with Shakespeare and Billy Elliot amongst others, so I think us Brits can manage Hamilton. I don't see how a story about a period in American history (which actually incuded Britain) is any different from a story about a period in French history, Argentinian, Vietnamese, or a story set in Washington Heights or in the South Pacific. It's just another story, and it's brilliantly told, so I don't see why people don't think us Brits wouldn't 'get' it. That's a bit like assuming we wouldn't 'get' Spielberg's Lincoln film or something.

The world is a very small place now, we have a lot of on American culture here, sadly that includes the Kardashians, but you know, a musical about American history is really not going to be too much of a foreign thing to us. Personally, I spent my early 20's consuming The West Wing, (in hindsight I get a few of the Hamilton/Burr references now!) and truthfully would have a better shot at naming more American presidents then British Prime Ministers at this point. 

 

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 07:00 AM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 10:28am

Eurotrash wrote: "With regard to Europe, I don't think this show could be done in another language."

 

If Sondheim's lyrics can be successfully translated, I'm sure HAMILTON's could be as well...very carefully.

[Eurotrash]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 10:50am

I just can't see it being done in German. Aside from in the UK, it's the music rather than the the book that makes it too culturally niche, for a wider global market, other than as a fringe event.

[Kad]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 11:01am

There is clearly more to Hamilton than, "AMERICA, F*CK YEAH." Like any good piece of art, it is able to reach universal themes by delving into the specifics of a person, place, or time. It's already achieved distance from the 18th America century it depicts by using contemporary music, language, and aesthetics.

 

Also: why does this argument never come up when a Stately British Historical Drama comes to Broadway?

[Petralicious]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 11:08am

Wolf Court, Les Miz, Evita as stated above are all very popular in America.  

You cannot get more American than Grease or Rock of Ages, they are world beaters