Is Hamilton worth it?- Page 2

[Stellasteve]

Posted: 2/2/19 at 12:33am

I understand. When things are hyped so much, it is hard for them to live up to expectations and the skeptic in us wants to disbelieve. I sometimes get that way. But the only true way to know is to experience for yourself. Three hyped shows I avoided for years:

1) Rent—did nothing for me when I finally saw it 10 years in
2) The Producers—did nothing for me when I saw it with Jason Alexander and Martin Short
3) Book of Mormon—loved it when I finally broke down last year and went

In the end, I’m glad I went to all three so I could experience them and evaluate for myself.

I recommend waiting for the demand to fade a bit and ticket prices to level off. Or win the lottery. But try it to decide for yourself. To me, though, Hamilton lives up to the hype. It may not be perfect, but it is ground-breaking and I found there’s a lot more that works in it than needs to be improved.

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 2/2/19 at 2:16pm

I agree with much of what has been said.  If you're asking the question, you must have some passing interest in seeing it.  If so, I'd go.  Otherwise, you're just going to get the responses that you, well, have received.  Some like it, some don't.  Which doesn't help you much.  If you have any interest at all, I'd see it.  

I just recently saw Wicked for the first time.  I held off for a long time because I don't like the Wizard of Oz, and the hype for this musical was just a little too much.

But as a Broadway fan, I felt I should see it so I'd at least be able to converse about it.  And maybe deep down, I did start to develop an interest in seeing what the excitement was about.  I broke down and bought a cheap seat at the Pantages for the tour.

Did I like it?  Yes.  Could I have lived without it?  Yes.   But I saw it, so now I can at least have something to reference when people are talking about it.

IMO, I think there are some musicals (beyond those you really want to see) that you should see just so you can have a reference when talking with your theater friends.

Did I like Hamilton?  It was okay.  It was entertaining.  But like several people have stated, it didn't bring out the emotional response in me that it did for some.  I thought the hype was overdone, and I was glad that I only paid face value for it.  But I'm glad I saw it, just so I have that reference as a theater buff.

I think many have played it up as a musical of its time with all the references to immigration it has brought out.  It also had the black cast playing white characters which was provocative.  And it was another musical, a la LMM, that had a prominence of rap.  It was edgy.   It was progressive.  That got people excited about seeing it.

The immigration piece never resonated much with me though because I saw a huge disconnect in the message.  While people cheer in the audience when the line about being a land of immigrants is sung, it didn't really move me.  It's obvious we are a land of immigrants.  Not even the pro-wall people would debate that point.  The present issue at hand is legal immigration vs. illegal.  The discussion of the wall has been about a need for security.  Security goes hand-in-hand with immigration policy.  And that was brought up long before the present administration took over.   After 9/11, a lot of people were talking about it.  

So I thought that whole message in the musical was pretty irrelevant to the actual debate at hand.  But it got people excitable about the issue.  And, I think, the musical was entertaining enough.  It was a one-timer for me though.

 

[binau]

Posted: 2/2/19 at 2:30pm

As mentioned, I really think Hamilton is best and almost completely captured on the OBC recording. If you know it well, I don't know if there is much reason to see it live with a second rate cast. The staging isn't really necessary to tell the story in my opinion. Wake me up when the OBC filmed version has been finally released.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 2/2/19 at 7:53pm

Skip23 said: "I agree with Jordan.

I think the strength of the show is in the music. Buy the cd or stream. I’m not a fan of the constant movement and obvious lighting. And the plot basically falls apart in the second act.

And without the original cast, you could get a few clinkers when it comes to performances.

An iffy proposition at best.

I find your assessment very interesting, in that I practically got my head bitten off by members of this board last year for starting a subject asking if anyone else thought that Hamilton was over-directed, which I did and still do (I have seen it again since then). 

I agree with you that the music is the star, but I do believe that it is a great musical which would be even better if there wasn't such constant motion on stage, specifically by the overworked members singers, who I imagine have to eat huge amounts of food just to not lose weight. 

I have seen three different casts to now (original, replacement (which still had some originals, although I can't remember who), and the Chicago replacement cast.  The roles were so well-written that all key cast members I have seen so far were outstanding, although I doubt that anyone is ever going to come close to David Digg's performance; and, even though he may not even be the best AH, you can't top the 'specialness' of having the author play the title role

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 2/3/19 at 1:43am

I recently saw Hamilton in Puerto Rico and I had never seen it before. I was most impressed with the score. I did think that the directing was a little too slick for its own good and it took away from the book emotionally. As much as I respect Lin M Miranda, I thought he was the weakest link performance wise, and things particularly fell apart in the 2nd act during the Hurricane number. I felt like the role required an actor with a larger presence who could fill a theatre of that size  The rest of the cast was top notch especially vocally so they swallowed Lin up. I am not sure Lin's calling is that of a musical theatre performer. He would be great lets say on television  in a half hour comedy playing a young father raising  2 adorable children. And to his credit he is one of the few people that does very well giving interviews for he has a strong sense of humor and is very intelligence.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 2/3/19 at 8:35am

I’ve seen HAMILTON twice: once last year with the Philip Cast and Joseph Morales; and last month with the Angelica Cast and the final performance of Austin Scott. I’ve listened to the OBCR so many times, hundreds of times, that I’ve lost count. And I still listen to it every day at work, on repeat, without fail. Loud.

To say that you can live without seeing HAMILTON also applies to every single show that has ever hit Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in every theater across the US and the world. Every single one of them. I can’t even imagine the shows I never got to see in the decades leading up to my awakening, but I survived. Did I miss historic legends, great art, once in a decade events, and performances of the century? I’m sure I did. But, I still manage to wake up every day and go to work, eat three meals a day, and look ahead to other great shows with those staggering losses.

But sarcasm aside...

HAMILTON, to me, is a great show. The music is great, the cast is at times quite wonderful, and the choreography is entertaining. Is it as good as the OBC? Tours rarely ever are. But it gives those of us who missed the OBC a chance to see the show.

The closest you’ll get to seeing LMM is Joesph Morales, but don’t let that take away from the others who portray Alexander. Austin Scott was fine, he could’ve talked and sang louder. But he’s been replaced by Edred Utomi. I hear he’s very good. And I think the time is getting short for Miguel Cervantes in Chicago. It’ll be interesting to see who replaces him.

But the actor playing Alexander Hamilton isn’t always the shining star of this namesake musical. The cast member playing Eliza is often quite wonderful, as are the ones playing Angelica and Philip, Thomas Jefferson, Washington, Laurens, and Hercules Mulligan. If anything, this show is an ensemble piece. All the others, besides Hamilton, are just as important. And King George rocks in his very limited time on stage.

HAMILTON isn’t a household name where I’m from. I’ve talked about the show and asked dozens of friends and co-workers about this iconic, sung-through, game-changing piece of musical art and all I get back is a blank stare. HAMILTON? What’s that?

Many here have said that HAMILTON isn’t a must see. What show ever is? It’s all a matter of personal opinion, tastes, likes and dislikes, and tolerances to things that are different. We also have forum members on here that have seen soooooooo many shows they’ve become numb to everything except the absolute exceptional.

If you get the chance go see HAMILTON, go see it. But if you don’t ever get to see it, you’ll be no better or worse for it.

Personally, I absolutely loved the show and I’ll see it again at some point this year, and next year if it comes close and I win the lottery. And as long as it plays on tour I’ll keep trying and I’ll keep seeing it.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/3/19 at 10:25am

brdwybuff said: "LesWickedly said: "Don’t go then. They’ll be fine without you."

Wow! That was rude. I am seriously asking for ppls opinions."

I see that you’re rather new here. All part of what makes this Board so unique. And keeps the number of posts down to a manageable limit.

If you have the time, read the Chernow biography that so excited Lin. Or listen to the audiobook.

If you have any interest in history you won’t be wasting your time and you’ll understand the musical better than if you go in cold and have trouble following the lyrics.

You’ll get an exciting view of what those times were really like and not the myths you were taught in school.

JFK was famously quoted at a state dinner honoring Nobel laureates, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

Well, maybe not so much.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/3/19 at 10:28am

Interesting to see how many people here thought the OBC was the best cast of the show. I saw the OBC, and loved it. However, when I made a return visit a couple years later, I found the new cast to be far superior, and I loved the show even more with them.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 9:10am

I saw the original production shortly after it opened, but will admit that although I liked it, I wasn't completely enamored by it.  That could be because I sat in the very last row of the theatre.  As I made sure not to listen to the cast recording prior to seeing it, a lot of the lyrics were unintelligible from where I was sitting.

I saw it a few months later.  That time 8th row center orchestra.  What a completely different experience.  It was then I understood what all of the excitement was about.

I saw it twice in Chicago.  I absolutely loved Joshua Henry as Burr and Karen Olivo as Angelica.

I saw the Angelica tour 3 times last summer, and will say, that the Angelica tour was the best overall company of the 3 productions I had seen.  Not a weak link in the cast, and the energy from everyone was fantastic.  Edred Utomi is my favorite Hamilton, and Nicholas Christoper is neck and neck with Joshua Henry.

I'll be seeing the Broadway production on 2/17.  I wanted to see Michael Luwoye before he departs.  I'm curious to see how the Broadway production will measure up to the first 2 times I saw it.

My only disappoint is that I never got to see Christopher Jackson as George Washington as he was out both times I saw it on Broadway.  Sydney James Harcourt was wonderful.  Austin Smith was on the second time.

Updated On: 2/4/19 at 09:10 AM

[RussT2]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 9:47am

brdwybuff said: "*edited:

Would you recommend seeing Hamilton?

Thanks!"

I've seen it twice and I'm going for my third time this May. It was the most exciting and emotional show I've ever seen. I'm going to be 51 this month so I've seen my fair share of shows in my life and this is the best one I've ever seen. It's just my opinion of course.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 12:24pm

DottieD'Luscia said: "I saw the original production shortly after it opened, but will admit that although I liked it, I wasn't completely enamored by it. That could be because I sat in the very last row of the theatre. As I made sure not to listen to the cast recording prior to seeing it, a lot of the lyrics were unintelligible from where I was sitting."

I saw it on Broadway last summer, so missed the OBC, but the rest of my experience was very similar to yours. We were in the second row from the back of orchestra right and the mezzanine overhang made it seem like we were looking through a mail slot in a door. I was less than blown away, but I've never been a fan of hip hop music or its attendant culture and the show had been so hyped by then that my response was perhaps not surprising. I can't help wondering whether I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I'd seen it early on, before the mania started, or if it's just not my cup of tea.

I have only one song from the show in my music library, and it's "The Schuyler Sisters", because I like the female vocals. I wish there was a version of it without the male rap.

[Poconopanther]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 2:33pm

I’ve seen Hamilton 3 times on Broadway (once with the original Cast). I love it, and see or hear something new each time. That said...it’s a Broadway show, meaning sing and dance to live music. If you like that sort of thing, you will enjoy Hamilton. If, however, you need to be convinced, you may not enjoy the show. 

[mikey2573]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 8:13pm

I saw it last year on Broadway and I did not like it at all.  I appreciated the talented cast and the terrific staging, but could not follow the story at all.  Much of the lyrics seem to be exposition, telling us what this person or that person did.  Exposition does not make good drama.  What makes it worse is that much of the exposition is done with rap, which does not fall easily on the ears or the brain.  There needs to be time for the ear to hear a lyric and the brain to process it, and rap really doesn't allow that.  I am not a huge expert on opera, but I believe that Recitative is deliberately done in the style of normal speech so that important exposition can be heard and understood by the audience.  This simply does not happen with HAMILTON, and therefore I found myself lost. To compound the confusion you had some of the lead actors playing different historical figures.  This  really unnecessarily complicated the entire show.  Like someone else here said, I am glad I saw it so I know what people are talking about, but I have no need to ever see it again. 

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 8:26pm

No.

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 11:12pm

Yes, but you should probably lower your expectations. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 2/4/19 at 11:53pm

If you have to lower your expectations to enjoy a show, seems the show isn't the problematic part of the equation...

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 1:31am

I just don't get, there are now 40 contributors here, how any one of them can make up YOUR mind, either way, to go see any show.

Sure, get opinions and watch all the clips out there---there are almost enough so you really don't HAVE to go, and decide if the music gets you.

If you weigh up all the pros and cons and the pros win, you go and then hate it, who you gonna blame?

BWW

Just go and buy a bloody ticket.

 

[nikkitax]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 1:33pm

Hi guys, 

Would you recommend this show to a foreign tourist?

 I'm very curious about it but it's a lot of money!   

 

Updated On: 2/5/19 at 01:33 PM

[Sue Tribute]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 3:56pm

nikkitax said: "Hi guys,

Would you recommend this show to a foreign tourist?

I'm very curious about it but it's a lot of money!

 

I'm new here but I've seen Hamilton 3 times after reading Chernow's book twice (once via books on tape) and reading Hamilton, The Revolution by Jeremy McCarter and LMM several times and Hamilton by Richard Sylla and many other light-reading books about Hamilton. (I don't consider Chernow's "light" reading but others are.) 

If the person has heard the hype and is curious about the show, it might be good to see it, even if the experience is expensive.  

If it were my friend from a foreign country, my concerns would be the following.

Does the person:

1. Speak or understand English?

2. Appreciate musicals as an art form?

Is the person:

3. Interested in World History as well as American History? 

4. Curious and willing to be adventurous to add to life-long memories?

5. Unconcerned about the cost?

I enjoy Hamilton because it sparked an interest in history that has changed my world view on many aspects.

I also appreciate the fact that one of LMM's motivations is to educate our nation's students and adults of all ages regarding a major part of our history that was intentionally suppressed.

The show was especially inspiring for me because of the immigrant story.

It's refreshing to see an entity in show business that is so generous with time, talents and money. I don't know of any other show that has given away more tickets for $10 than Hamilton.

For me, even if I saw the show and couldn't understand it and didn't particularly like it, I would appreciate the fact that I was supporting a worthy cause involving highly noble motivations.

But that's just me.

Updated On: 2/5/19 at 03:56 PM

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 5:03pm

On a sort-of related subject, I just got an email from TickPick advertising $99 seats, including fees, for tomorrow's matinee. They're in rear mezzanine rows C and D.

[denali.fire]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 5:06pm

Absolutely not.

[Lot666]

Posted: 2/6/19 at 2:24pm

Sue Tribute said: "It's refreshing to see an entity in show business that is so generous with time, talents and money. I don't know of any other show that has given away more tickets for $10 than Hamilton."

Generous? I don't know. It doesn't seem like much of a hardship to give away a few $10 seats when the box office price of tickets for your show ranges from $375 to $849.

 

Updated On: 2/6/19 at 02:24 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 2/6/19 at 2:50pm

Lot666 said: "Generous? I don't know. It doesn't seem like much of a hardship to give away a few $10 seats when the box office price of tickets for your show ranges from $375 to $849."

But that could also mean they are losing $839 of potential income for every lottery seat, so... it is something they don't have to do.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 2/6/19 at 2:54pm

"2) The Producers—did nothing for me when I saw it with Jason Alexander and Martin Short"

Unless you saw Lane and Broderick, this show really was not that great.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 2/6/19 at 3:00pm

"I think it is one of the most important musicals ever written and presented. I've seen it four times and would see it four more."

I was fortunate to have seen it with the original Broadway cast and it was wonderful !! I saw it Labor Day weekend and I don't think it had officially opened yet so the hype was not as crazy yet. My family and I saw it in London last December and it was very good. In a way I think I enjoyed it a bit more because I may have not caught every lyric the first time - lol.