Hamilton first timer

[SharksVsJets]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:38pm

Excuse me if this question has been answered elsewhere.

I'm seeing Hamilton (on tour) for the first time on Sunday. If I don't do any homework in advance will I be lost? Should I listen to the cast recording? Read a synopsis? I generally like to go into a show as unspoiled as possible, but I don't want to be totally out to lunch. 

Thanks in advance.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:57pm

SharksVsJets said: "Excuse me if this question has been answered elsewhere.

I'm seeing Hamilton (on tour) for the first time on Sunday. If I don't do any homework in advance will I be lost? Should I listen to the cast recording? Read a synopsis? I generally like to go into a show as unspoiled as possible, but I don't want to be totally out to lunch.

Thanks in advance."

The question has been asked and answered many times (albeit not that recently I don't think) but there is no consensus as to the correct answer. If you like to go in unspoiled, that's what I would do. If you are totally unfamiliar with 18th Century American history, I would recommend reading a basic summary of it with special emphasis on Alexander Hamilton. (Wikipedia should do.) Otherwise, I would not worry about a synopsis or the recording. The lyrics have a huge number of words that come at you very fast. You will not get all of them on first hear, but you will not have trouble following the narrative as long as you know, for instance, who Washington and Jefferson are, and are aware that there was a revolutionary war and who we fought against for our independence If you like the show, you can always listen to the cast album after. Or watch the filmed version if you want. When I saw it the first time, there was no synopsis, there was no cast recording, and there was no filmed version. And I managed. Enjoy!

[bear88]

Posted: 6/27/22 at 1:18am

Your predisposition is to see shows unspoiled, and I see no reason not to do that for Hamilton.

I can only give my experience, though, because I broke my own "rules" because the show was really expensive in 2016 (not that it didn't get more expensive later) and I didn't want to pay big bucks for a show my wife and daughter would dislike.

I did listen to the cast recording. Advantages: I knew the words, which do come at you fast in many of the songs, and could concentrate on what was happening on stage. But my unspoiled wife and daughter were never lost, even though my wife in particular had trouble keeping up. It certainly helps to know a little about Alexander Hamilton and the basics of early U.S. political history, though the musical is not a documentary.

[starcatchers]

Posted: 6/29/22 at 12:49am

I don't see why you couldn't go in unspoiled. I saw the show super early on, so I didn't have the option to listen to anything beforehand, and I don't think I lost anything for it. 

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 6/29/22 at 8:08am

I first saw the show on Broadway about a week after the album dropped (first week of October 2015, after the engagement began in late summer). I had heard the title song and pieces of the score on-line before the Sunday matinee. It didn't impact my enjoyment, and, arguably, this is a score that delivers a special wallop on a first hearing. If anything, it may be harder to appreciate if you've memorized large chunks of it. You create a Hamilton in your head that spars with the one performing. Go, and don't worry about what you miss.