Thoughts on the current Hamilton BROADWAY cast

[Messytheatregirl]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 10:22am

Is it just me, or is the current Hamilton cast on Broadway terrible? I first saw the new cast in February only to be extremely disappointed in everyone, but I thought it was just an off-night for everyone and didn't make a big fuss about it.

I went on Friday night of last week and if anything, it was worse. Specifically, the sisters do not deliver the energy required for the show. Lexi Lawson does NOT have the pipes for Eliza nor adequate acting skills. She seemed bored and like she was just going through the motions, and I love Mandy, but she sounds strained and tired. 

I want to hear what everyone else has to say, but overall, the energy just isn't there anymore. It's so disappointing to see mediocre performers casted in such a terrific show. 

 

 

[RndmAnswrs4RndmQstns]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 10:36am

I think it’s hard for any cast to live up to their original, especially one so finely tuned as Hamilton’s.

That being said, I somewhat agree with you (on Lexi Lawson, specifically). I don’t think they were terrible; my mother and I really enjoyed ourselves. However, you’re right, most of them seemed tired and uncharismatic. I left feeling like the highlights were Anthony Lee Medina, Brian D’Arcy James, and James Monroe Iglehart’s Jefferson (his Lafayette left much to be desired). Javier felt lackluster (but I think he we recovering from illness/injury).

Overall, I think the show holds very well on its own without a cast that makes it sing like the original. I still left in an exceedingly good mood.

[barcelona20]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 10:42am

Don't forget the incredible Daniel Breaker.

[RndmAnswrs4RndmQstns]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 10:50am

Didn’t see it with him (wish I had!). I saw it back in June.

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 10:55am

I wasn't blown away by the cast.  yes, I thought the women were weaker. Though I really enjoyed Euan Morton and I saw the u/s for Madison (don't recall his name but really liked him)  Unfortunately, my biggest disappointment was James Monroe Iglehart.  He has such poor diction that I couldn't understand anything he said.  He seemed to have the energy but could not understand one. word. 

[SchuylWERKsister]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:01am

I’m sure whatever Mandy is doing is better than whatever Montego calls herself doing in the Chicago production. It’s amazing what Memphis has done for her.

[Will3700]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:09am

I saw the show Sept 23rd It had taken a long time to get tickets as we live in Texas and only get to NYC about once a year so when we were here in Jan I went to the Box Office and found Box Seats available for Sept and took them. We built our trip around Hamilton but got Hello Dolly tickets back in Jan too. We ended up with 8 shows including Deconstructing Patti, Dear Evan Hansen(2nd time) War Paint, Come From Away. Miss Saigon,and 1984. I was so underwhelmed by Hamilton after hearing all , the hype and listening to the cast cd nonstop,that I considered it the 7th best show on the trip. It might have been I wasn't .happy with the seats and that threw me off but I still was not as impressed as I wanted to be. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:27am

I feel like only a very accomplished rapper should be filling the role of Lafayette/Jefferson. What Daveed created was something almost alchemical that came after years and years of practice and refining of his craft.

What's happening now is, in order to keep the machine running, they have to fill in musical theatre actors who have very little rap background (if any at all) in the role. When I saw the show in July 2016, Seth Stewart was on for Daveed (two weeks before DD left), and he was absolutely terrible, in that his diction, accent, and rapping were all out of whack, as if he was trying to strike a balance between the three the entire show. It sounds like Iglehart may also be falling into that same trap.

[SchuylWERKsister]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:40am

quizking101 said: "I feel like only a very accomplished rapper should be filling the role of Lafayette/Jefferson. What Daveed created was something almost alchemical that came after years and years of practice and refining of his craft.

What's happening now is, in order to keep the machine running, they have to fill in musical theatre actors who have very little rap background (if any at all) in the role. When I saw the show in July 2016, Seth Stewart was on for Daveed (two weeks before DD left), and he was absolutely terrible, in that his diction, accent, and rapping were all out of whack, as if he was trying to strike a balance between the three the entire show. It sounds like Iglehart may also be falling into that same trap."

The Chicago Lafayette is quite good. If he were in the original cast he may have also won the tony for the role. Very strong work and understanding of the character.

[Messytheatregirl]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:40am

I also would like to add that calling them "terrible" was a little harsh, but I'm just extremely disappointed and mad at myself for spending so much money to be so underwhelmed.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 11:43am

I saw Hamilton in March, and I thought the cast for the most part was really good to excellent. I preferred the actor who played Alexander Hamilton over Lin on the cast recording. I thought maybe Aaron Burr was the weak link just because after hearing how much Leslie Odom, Jr. pretty much tipped the balance to making Burr the more memorable or at least award-worthy role, I didn't get that same sense at all with the Burr I saw. That said, I did like his rendition of Non-Stop only because I thought his voice fit the reggae sound better than Odom's. Acting-wise I didn't think he was amazing. I do wish I saw Odom just to compare. The women seemed more than fine to me. Maybe had I seen the original cast rather than just listen to the cast recording, I would have noted the difference.

[AllThatJazz2]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 12:05pm

You're all making me nervous now! (We have tickets for December).

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 12:09pm

I saw James Monroe Iglehart back in May and liked his portrayals but found his rapping less than optimal. I was surprised to learn later on that he was/is a member of Freestyle Love Supreme and participated in early workshops of Hamilton while being developed. It seems to me he should be acing the rapping, with that background!

The problem I have with the show, which I'm sure is part of being a long-running production, is that you as an audience member never really know who you're going to be seeing until you sit in your seat and look at the printed slip in the Playbill. I was hoping to see Brandon Victor Dixon as Burr but instead I saw a swing. He was good, but I wondered how Dixon would have been. 

Several friends saw the show pretty recently for the first time, and they all really enjoyed it.

 

 

 

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 12:31pm

I saw the current cast last month. Javi was out (doing his Shadowhunters thing) and Donald Webber Jr. was on as Hamilton. He was perfectly fine -- but he's not Javi.  And I know Lexi gets a lot of flak here, but I thought she was really good -- at that performance, at least. Certainly better than she was the first time I saw her last year. (Maybe she had an "on" night?)

I did not care for James Monroe Inglehart at all.  He bounced around the stage a lot, but there was little in the way of characterization -- or pronunciation.  You kinda lose the point of the rap battles between Ham and Jefferson when you can't understand what one of them is saying.  I was also disappointed with Euan Morton as King George. He just came off as nasty.  Being able to drain most of the humor from the part must be a special talent.

My assessment of the current NY cast was undoubtedly colored by my having seen the LA production 2 weeks before.  Michael Luwoye, Joshua Henry, Jordan Donica, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Rory O'Malley, et. al., are taking no prisoners at the Pantages nightly.  Overall, they kick the NY cast's butt. 
 

Updated On: 10/17/17 at 12:31 PM

[frannygreenglass]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 12:37pm

Well I know Mandy as "The Beast" and she always kills it when I've seen her.  She posted this song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda on Facebook recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iMcroRC2uk

It's inspired by the real story of her parents. :)

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 12:38pm

The current Broadway cast sucks. Honestly. I’ve said many times on here that Mandy Gonzalez gives a bizarre and incredibly underwhelming performance as Angelica. Iglehart felt like he was doing a karaoke club version of Daveed Diggs’ Laf/Jef. Javi is giving an exhausting performance, but you can see and feel it exhausting the hell out of him. 

Anthony Lee Medina is the cast’s current saving grace and is exceptional in his role. I’m less offended by Lexi Lawson’s Eliza, but eagerly waiting the next take on that role. 

Have yet to see Jones, Morton, or Breaker. But my next ticket isn’t until late next summer, specifically because I can’t stand several of the performances in the Broadway production right now. 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 1:01pm

Maybe I would have liked a nastier King George. I saw Taran Killam and I'm sure he gave a performance that people wanted out of King George which was comparable with what Jonathan Groff gave, but I always found those songs and the humor to be flat even though most people seem to be having a good time with it. I think I just have a problem with the way Lin wrote that part.

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 1:52pm

I honestly thought Euan Morton was great as George, by far the most realistic choice to play KGIII yet. He has to work for the audience's approval, compared to the previous actors in the role so far who have all been well known. Daniel Breaker is literally INCREDIBLE as Burr. He is less physically and presence wise then  Odom, Dixon and Henry, naturally, and this works so well for the part. You can clearly see in his portrayal how Hamilton would be easily more likable and popular than him. Yet at the same time, he plays him with such intelligence, able to get intention or unexpected humor out of every line of dialogue. He truly WISHES he was as great as Hamilton, and in the current pairing of Javier and Daniel, you can truly see that dynamic played out. It's fantastic. I agree Anthony Lee Medina is really incredible as Laurens/Phillip, I think J. Quinton does a wonderful job with Mulligan/Madison, and I saw Jevon McFerrin as Lafayette/Jefferson, who was still not Daveed, but handled the rapping well and was very entertaining in the part. Mandy is good, not as good as Renee, but those are high standards. I think that Bryan Terrell Clark has Washington's presence down, but doesn't work hard enough to make you feel for him and show himself as much as the character asks. Lexi Lawson, however, really doesn't have what the role needs. I cannot wait for a new Eliza.
Overall,
I think the current cast is pretty strong. It's lacking some emotional depth that was so present in the OBC, but a lot could be fixed by simply replacing a few actors, mainly, Lawson, Iglehart and Clark.

[Rhoda4]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 2:05pm

I was lucky to have seen the entire OBC back in October of 2015 and without a doubt it was one thrilling evening of theatre.  (In fact probably my favorite since regularly attending theatre since 1980.)  I had great seats downstairs which were purchased for a regular price before the pricing craziness began.   I saw the show again last month.. it was a different experience.  My seats were upstairs and I found that i focused on the show as more of a whole, especially the choreography.  I agree with many of you regarding some of the performances being a bit flat now.  I am seeing the show one more time this weekend with a person who has not seen the show at all.  It will be interesting to hear what his take is on it.  

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 2:14pm

I am making a return visit next Friday after having only see the show once over a year ago right before the original cast left. This thread has me worried...

[mariel9]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 2:18pm

I saw it in April & thought Inglehart, Weber (as Hamilton), & Medina were all fantastic. Lexi has improved a lot since she started. Generally, I thought the current male cast members were great, and the women weak, which is disappointing. I've also found, though, that people who didn't see the OBC are happier with the current cast.

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 3:00pm

I’m going for a return trip this April and I’m really hoping for a new cast. Was lucky to see the OBC so im taking my parents this time. They will live whoever is on the stage but I’m really hoping for a replacement for Lexi

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 4:23pm

Also, sorry, but it took 18 posts for somebody to even mention Bryan Terrell Clark as Washington. I (and many others, it seems) totally forgot about his performance. Which is kind of antithetical to, you know, George freakin' Washington.

I've been unabashed in my love of Hamilton on here, which is why I'm also so quick to point out my disappointment with this cast. You shouldn't have people looking to the touring cast for a "better" version.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 4:23pm

bwayphreak234 said: "I am making a return visit next Friday after having only see the show once over a year ago right before the original cast left. This thread has me worried..."

Would really love to read your thoughts on the show the second time around, bwayphreak!

[chelseaburnside]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 6:51pm

Felt the same as many of you - having seen and loved the OBC, the replacement cast was very underwhelming. Just didn't really seem to pack the punch the way so many of the original cast members did. Also, I think this is an unpopular opinion but I hated Javier's Hamilton, compared to Lin. Hamilton felt like a totally different - way less likeable - character. I'm seeing the LA cast a few times in the coming weeks and I've heard great things so I'm very excited to see what they bring.