Hamilton in Chicago - Page 5

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 4:37pm

The Private Bank Theatre is very unusual.  I saw "Hello, Dolly!" with Carol Channing and sat in the mezzanine, I had no problem seeing anything.  I saw "Virginia Woolf", with Kathleen Turner and sat in the fourth row on left center.  The theatre considered those seats obstructed view and there was nothing wrong with anything at the performance.  A lot of money has been spent on refurbishin the theatre and it is the closest thing to an actual Broadway theatre with seating capacity that Chicago has.  The Oriental and Cadillac Palace are both former movie theatres converted to theatre houses.

[macnyc]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 4:53pm

If it has a capacity of over 2,000, that's larger than most theaters on Broadway.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/28/16 at 4:55pm

It has about 1,800 seats. That's slightly smaller than the largest Broadway house

Updated On: 9/28/16 at 04:55 PM

[nightnic001]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 1:36am

Just got back from a great performance of Hamilton. This was my 3rd time seeing the show and it is in great shape in Chicago.

 

First off, the PrivateBank Theatre is really pretty, but seems very tall. I was in the orchestra, but that top balcony seemed forever away.

 

Set: Is nearly identical. I got to meet David Korins the other day and he said it is nearly identical except that it is 6 feet narrower than the Rodgers set.

 

Onto what everyone really wants to know about, the cast! I am going to go character by character.

 

Hamilton: Miguel was awesome. He reminded me of Javi vocally, but Lin in rapping. He is a good combination of both. He is really on the short side which worked for some moments and other times he just looked really small. Overall, fantastic.

 

Burr: Joshua Henry has a powerful voice and he made some intersting acting choices, but his Burr seemed to fade into the background. I was more intrigued with Brandon’s choices as they were so different from Leslie (in a good way), whereas Joshua reminded me of Leslie in many ways. I noticed his absence more than I have with the other 2 Burrs I have seen. He came alive in Room Where It Happens and killed the finale.

 

Washington: I was not a fan of Jonathan Kirkland. Chris Jackson was fantastic in the role. Nicholas Christopher was fantastic in the role (I liked some of his moments better than Chris to be honest). Jonathan Kirkland was fine. He didn't bring that extra “umph” that Washington needs. Like I said with Miguel, when he looked down upon Hamilton it really worked and added something to the moment, Hamilton was literally looking up to Washington.

 

Lafayette /Jefferson: Chris Lee was solid. French accent needs a bit of work, but it will get there in time. His swagger when he plays Jefferson was great. He has a great walk that he kept through the whole 2nd act. Daveed is still my favorite Lafayette, Andrew is still my favorite Jefferson.

 

Laurens/Philip: José Ramos was adorable. He played Laurens a bit more hopeful, and Philip was dorky and it worked really well. He has a great voice that I wish I got to hear more of. It was especially great after seeing Anthony give a really phoned in performance this summer. Granted, he was amazing the first time I saw the show, so I think he was having an off day.

 

Mulligan/Madison: I thought I would miss Oak’s size and presence but I really didnt. Wallace Smith did a great job and had a great shift between Mulligan and Madison. Great overall. 

 

King George: All hail Alexander Gemignani. He was a hoot. Much different than Rory. He was very stoic in his first song and became more and more distressed and manic in the latter songs. He got more laughs from his line readings and inflections than his physical stuff. His vocals were fantastic as well. I loved his take on the King. 

 

Eliza: Thank goodness. Ari Afsar was great. I was very disappointed in Lexi Lawson and was worried that Eliza was going to be hard to cast. Yes of course no one can replace Pippa’s sweet innocent voice, but Ari did a great job.

 

Angelica: Karen Olivo is fantastic. Not much else to say. She is truly fantastic

 

Peggy/Maria: Samantha Marie Ware was quite funny as Peggy, a little more aggressive and sassy. Her Maria was very sexy and seemed to amp up the sexual vibe of Say No To This.

 

Ensemble: On fire. Special shout outs to Holly James and John Michael Fiumara. Both kept stealing my attention (in the best way possible)

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 10:00am

Wikipedia says it seats 1800.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PrivateBank_Theatre

 

[sorano916]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 10:36am

Which should be better at the PrivateBank: Left Orch, Row E (middle of the row) or Center Mezz, Row E (two from the center aisle)?

Updated On: 9/30/16 at 10:36 AM

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 10:51am

The should both be OK. The Orchestra view might be slightly obstructed depending on how far over you'll be but the Mezz is extremely cramped. 

[sorano916]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 11:00am

KJisgroovy said: "The should both be OK. The Orchestra view might be slightly obstructed depending on how far over you'll be but the Mezz is extremely cramped."

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

[nightnic001]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:32pm

Also! I forgot to mention that the stage is very tall. Much taller than the Rodgers 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:35pm

^yeah ive seen pictures. I heard people in the first two rows were getting booster seats. Aren't those lottery seats? 

 

[nightnic001]

Posted: 9/30/16 at 3:42pm

I didn't see any booster seats, but yes first 2 are lotto. I was in the 10th and I think any closer would be rough. 

[sorano916]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 4:36am

Any thoughts on the The Silversmith Hotel? I stayed at the Hampton Inn the last time I was in Chicago but it's all booked for the weekend I'm going. The Silversmith was popping up with good reviews and the price is reasonable. Location doesn't look terrible.

[chi-town_bwayfangirl]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 6:14pm

Any guesses as to whether Miguel be playing all 8 performances of Hamilton for the first few weeks? Or will his alternate, Joseph Morales, be going on?

 

edit: answered my own question - he tweeted that he'll be going on during Sunday evening performance. 

Updated On: 10/1/16 at 06:14 PM

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 9:07pm

I have two tickets to Hamilton (Chicago) on Tuesday night Oct. 4 for a trip I'm not going to be able to make. These are Left Orchestra, row P (sorry, misread my tickets earlier), side aisle. I'm looking to get my money back for them ($404 total for two tickets) and I can transfer them to you via Ticketmaster. If anyone has any interest please message me.

Updated On: 10/1/16 at 09:07 PM

[Leaf Coneybear]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 9:57pm

Jorge, I saw Book of Mormon from the front row and I am a very short person (4"11) and the stage wasn't too high, even for me. A booster seat would have been helpful, but it wasn't bad. 

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/1/16 at 10:22pm

chi-town_bwayfangirl said: "Any guesses as to whether Miguel be playing all 8 performances of Hamilton for the first few weeks? Or will his alternate, Joseph Morales, be going on?
edit: answered my own question - he tweeted that he'll be going on during Sunday evening performance. 

"

BTW, when I spoke with Broadway in Chicago on Thursday, the person denied that the alternate would be going on on Sunday evening.  I was asked "Where did you hear that?" I said "From the actor's twitter account"  and the B.I.C. guy said it wasn't true.  

 

[chi-town_bwayfangirl]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 1:36am

Just saw it tonight (after seeing OBC 3 times in NYC last September and this March...only ever saw one understudy, Seth Stewart as Lafayette/Jefferson) and loved every minute of it. There were plenty of new takes by the actors and all of them worked and made it more interesting!

And @nightnic001, I totally agree about Holly James in the ensemble - she was great!!!

It took me a while to get past Hamilton being older than Washington - Chris Jackson is very much a (founding) father figure. But the age gap was less noticeable to me as the show went on. And I loved Jonathan Kirkland's deep voice in the Cabinet Battle introductions!

And every time, Farmer Refyted is so much better to watch than just listen to! So funny  

 

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 4:31pm

Yay!  I got a single ticket to join my family tonite. Box office had a single at a fair price and no ticketmaster fees!  

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 4:46pm

I was so pleased to see Holly James had been cast in this - she was one of the best parts about American Psycho. I'm glad she's being noticed! Wish I could get to Chicago and see this.

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 5:14pm

Excellent, ggersten!  Please report back!

[casedilla2]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 5:15pm

ggersten said: "Yay!  I got a single ticket to join my family tonite. Box office had a single at a fair price and no ticketmaster fees! "

Congrats! May I ask how that worked? From what I understand, Hamilton in Chicago will not be having a cancellation line. Did you have to wait in a line, or did you just walk up to the box office and ask? And at what time did you get your ticket? Sorry for all the questions!

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 5:23pm

It was about 145 and I just went to the Box Office window and asked for the 8 pm show.n. It was a single which likely helped my cause but do not know when or how released

It is sixth row center orchestra and not premium priced.  It was under $200.  

Also we just learned we did not win the lottery 

 

 

 

Updated On: 10/2/16 at 05:23 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 5:47pm

Sometimes the real impact of a show can't be measured until you've pulled out of the vacuum that is the theater district of New York City.  After seeing the show in Chicago last night, any doubt I may have had about the success of the show long-term has been erased.  I'm certain that for the next few years, this show is going to be the big deal wherever it plays.

I saw the show once off-broadway and three times on broadway, so I've had the lucky experience of seeing a few different takes on the roles and I'm happy to say that the opening Chicago cast is living up to the expectations set for them by their broadway predecessors.  I have to start by giving some serious credit to the ensemble--they're busting their butts up their and selling it.  They, by their looks, are VERY young, but they did the roles great justice.  From reading their bios in the playbill, it seems that many of the ensemble are primarily dancers who have just started to venture into musical theater.   That's obvious by how they move on stage.

Miguel Cervantes plays Hamilton with a lot of intensity.  He reminds me more of Javier Munoz then LMM in the sense that he sings better then he raps, but that his rapping is not poor by any means.  Visually, it's interesting to watch his interaction with the cast because he appears to be fairly short.  It reads as if he's fighting to keep up with the big kids.

Joshua Henry comes alive in the second act--his "Room Where it Happens" and the "World Was Wide Enough" are great.  I still feel like he's finding his footing in the role.  His voice, however, still makes melt. Hearing him sing "Wait for It" was a highlight.  I think that given a few more performances, he'll be making a big impact.  He's nearly there. I believe we'll see him in the role on broadway sometime in the future.

Ari Afsar, Karen Olivio, and Samantha Ware make a great set of Schuyler sisters.  Ari very graceful in her movement and has a great voice.  Karen is intense and seemed very at ease in the role.  She has the right balance in her performance and she hits the right notes.  She was very well received by the audience.  Samantha Ware is possibly the best Peggy/Maria Reynolds I've seen because she makes the distinction between the two very clear. Her Peggy was a frustrated kid who was scared of some things in the world around her. She feels a little like a kid stamping her feet and saying no, but it works.  Her Maria was sexy and the right amount of vulnerable.  Her intentions were clear as soon as she walks on stage and hits the turntable in the red dress.  You don't just feel like she's a women down on her luck.  

Chris Lee really, really tried as Lafayette/Jefferson.  His Jefferson was better then Lafayette, but I just felt slightly let down.  If you've seen Daveed, you have to accept that he was a unicorn.  I think we've seen other actors do the role well, but they will never quite have what Daveed had. Chris will grow with the part, I'm sure, but he'll never be Daveed (or Andrew, for that manner).

I've seen three Washington's before seeing Jonathan Kirkland.  Chris Jackson, Nicholas Christopher, and Sydney Harcourt all were able to making feel like Washington was a living messiah for these men.  They absolutely owned their space and brought tears to me eyes during one last time.  Kirkland didn't have that effect on me.  He doesn't have the physical size of the other men and his singing just didn't have the same impact on me.  Though Jackson isn't significantly older then the other cast members, his command of the stage and presence made him read as an older father figure.  Cervantes looks older then Kirkland and that did take away some from the idea that Hamilton was a young man trying to move up when he met Washington.  It was slightly awkward during the "Don't call me son!" part.

Wallace Smith was just fine as Mulligan and Madison.  He played the two roles very differently and is a really solid pillar for the rest of the cast.  I have to say that after seeing him in the bigger roles I've seen him in (Hud in Hair, Enjorlas in Les Mis) and knowing he's also played Simba, among other parts, it's a bit surprising that he's taking a decidedly supporting part.  He's definitely at the level, name-wise and talent-wise, where he could lead a sit-down production or tour.  Mulligan/Madison is a well written part, though, and he does good.  His Mulligan is funny and his Madison is a mix of sickly and sneaky.  You can't ask for it much more different then that.

Jose Ramos is a fabulous Laurens/Phillip.  If I were to find out tomorrow (hypothetically speaking) that he was being pulled to join the broadway cast, my answer would be asking what took so long.  He's passionate and just a little wild as Laurens.  He has fire in his belly and you know.  He transitions into being a little kid so well.  His Phillip moves like a kid--sort of awkward and gangly at first and then as the show goes on, he becomes more adult like--and is just the right amount of goofy. Very well done.

Like many, I doubted Alexander Gemignani as King George.  I just didn't know he was funny.  Turns out, he does humor very well.  He plays the role very differently then the other King Georges have.  He plays it more manically and you see a breakdown of him during the show.  He becomes a bit nuttier each time he comes on stage.  I'm very familiar with him and his acting, but I was not aware how expressive he was with his face until seeing him in this.  His smirks and expressions were eaten up by the crowd. 

The choreography and music were tight, the ensemble sold it, and without a measuring tape, you'd have no idea this wasn't the exact same set as broadway.  I saw the company's six or seventh show ever and I'm not surprised that not everything felt 100% solid yet.  But is the show well performed?  Absolutely.  Is it going to be a huge smash hit?  It already is in Chicago.  The crowd loved every minute of it and it was a great night out.  Seeing this cast this early on has made me 100% confident that the show holds up without a cast of Tony winners or huge names.  The show truly is the star.  Seeing a big name in it just adds to the experience. 

If you have the chance, go see the cast in Chicago.  They're a great reminder of how Hamilton continues to evolve.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 6:31pm

Leaf Coneybear said: "Jorge, I saw Book of Mormon from the front row and I am a very short person (4"11) and the stage wasn't too high, even for me. A booster seat would have been helpful, but it wasn't bad. 

 

"

Well apparently Hamilton has brought in an extremely tall deck. https://instagram.com/p/BK61C7ZgkxO/

Also any idea if the show will be breaking the Chicago theatre record for weekly gross? I imagine it will. 

[Bobbigrl27]

Posted: 10/2/16 at 7:45pm

i have 2 sets of tickets for a March performance and I'm trying to decide which are best.  My first set are Balcony my CLC row D, seats 417-421.  I decided the next day that I wanted better seats and bought another set in MEZZ L row A, seats 9-13.  Now I'm second guessing which seats to keep. The MEZZ seats are nice because we don't have anyone in front of us, but they are limited view and from a picture posted on "a view from my seat", it looks like we won't be able to see the back left side of the stage and walkway.  The balcony seats are more centered, but I'm afraid we might miss some stuff at the front of the stage.  For those who have been to the theater, which seats do you think I should keep?  Here's a link to the picture I was referring to. 

http://aviewfrommyseat.com/photo/63876/PrivateBank+Theatre/section-Mezzanine+Left/row-F/seat-13/