I saw the show in Chicago and it was identical to the NYC show and the original cast recording, with the one exception of the song that LMM opted to not include on that recording, but which does appear in the show. It’s a short song about the fate of John Laurens near the end of the first act and LMM offers some comments on why he left it out of the cast recording in the “Hamiltome” on pp. 130-1.
Congratulations was not a part of the show, but it was offered up as one of the last Ham4Hams with Renee Elise Goldsberry as mentioned by @happy1. I have no idea whether tweaks have been made to the touring shows, but I follow LMM on Twitter and haven’t seen any mention of changes.
Out of curiosity, does anyone have their eye on trying to score tickets for the Puerto RIco run that LMM plans for early next year? I bet those tickets will go fast with many willing to travel and pay to see him reprise the Hamilton role. It seems like a fabulous way to boost the PR economy.
@2VU0609 They are counting on that! Most tickets will be available to residents at $10 each but there will be travel packages to encourage people to come to PR and spend $$! This run was in the planning stages long before the hurricane hit but it will now be an additional opportunity for the Mirandas to raise money for PR. They have already raised over $20 million.
intparent, I saw Jason Brown on the ice during warm-ups, saw his costume and assumed he was doing Hamilton. (Didn’t hear anything specific until he was out to do his performance.)
Yes, it also has some other additional non-Broadway content, such as Cabinet Battle #3 and the no John Trunbull intro, which was originally at the start of Cabinet Battle #1.
I’ve seen in twice - last summer in NYC and in November in Los Angeles. Neither cast was the original, both were fantastic. I know the soundtrack backwards and forwards, and still was not disappointed by any of the voices or performances. For those who would write the show off because they “it’s rapping” or because there’s too much hype, please remember: this is a Broadway show for a reason. The “rapping” is singing, and the songs are ingeniously beautiful, creative, inspired, lyrical rhyming. It’s about two love stories (between Hamilton and his wife, and between Hamilton and this country), and by the time you leave the theater you will have some of your confidence U.S. restored…
I never considered myself a fan of rap and was skeptical when H bought tickets for me and D ( two years ago). Listened to the soundtrack before the show and loved it! Keep an open mind.
In addition to the “love stories”, a common theme is how and why the duel and duel result happened… Hamilton and Burr’s lives with many parallels, yet dramatically different personalities, and their relationship gradually changing from friends to frenemies to duel… how Hamilton’s personality changed from repeatedly saying “I’m not throwing away my shot” and encouraging Laurence to do the same in the first act to no longer saying “not throwing away my shot” and encouraging his son (played by the same actor as Laurence in first act) to throw away his shot in the 2nd act. It’s also a captivating story that’s a lot more historically accurate than typical “based on true story” entertainment.
The songs have a wide variety of styles and are done very well. Many lyrics have double meanings, foreshadow future events, and build upon past events. Different characters have their own varying song styles that corresponding their personality, background, and the events of the song. For example, King George’s songs are sort of like an older version of British pop, with a really condescending tone. American characters tend to American music styles. Hot heading fighting types lean more towards American musical styles associated with street violence (rap), while cooler headed characters lean towards other styles, often R&B. For example, Washington often speaks, rather than sings. When he sings it usually has an R&B or gospel feel, although he does sometimes have a simple rap style when frustrated about the war (Right Hand Man). Angelica usually has a R&B feel, but she also shows that she is the only female character who can keep up Hamilton’s fast and insightful, modern raps in Satisfied. However, nobody is as fast as Lafayette as Guns & Ships (probably the fastest rap ever in a Broadway show), corresponding to demonstrating his amazing abilities in the war, and his role in turning the tide. There are also a few anomalous songs with very different styles, but still fitting. For example, Burr and Hamilton sing to their children in a a fitting lullaby type style, in Dear Theodosia; Burr has a kind of dixie jazz style in the Room Where it Happens; and What Did I Miss has an out of place show tune feel fitting with Jefferson feeling out of place when coming back years in France. In short, it’s far more than just a bunch of rapping.
We saw it last night in San Diego and thoroughly enjoyed it. DH agreed it was smart to listen to/read the lyrics ahead of time. Neither of us are hip hop fans and some of those style songs were hard to understand, particularly when sung by Hercules and Lafayette. But all the other styles were much more “comfortable” for us. When we got home I played the first few songs on the cast album on Amazon Prime and the enunciation was so much better and clearer. I am still humming a lot of the tunes today! DH particularly enjoyed “The Room Where it Happens” - he had only read the lyrics; I had listened to them and read them. The word play is so very clever that you don’t want to miss a word or nuance.
Our seats were close enough to see the expressions on the actors’ faces which was great. It was a very high energy show, especially the first act, and the audience was pumped. I won’t say it changed my life, and it didn’t become my favorite musical ever (probably The Chorus Line would be a top choice for me). But it was definitely a uniquely new type of musical and extremely interesting to see. I really enjoyed the choreography, especially the creative use of the rotating stage. There was more broad humor than I had expected (plus tons of subtle wit, of course). The action was non-stop and the evening flew by.
There were clearly a number of repeat attendees, including the woman in front of us who apparently had seen it in New York. She was talking about “the guy from France - what’s his name?” So I guess not everyone picked up the history! The show sure does put a different spin on Jefferson and Madison!
FYI this is the first stop for the touring company that will be going all over the country, and they did make a number of changes in the cast from the LA production. Hamilton was played by Austin Scott who has only been off Broadway but did a very nice job. Burr was played by Nicholas Christopher who had done Washington on Broadway, and we had a Broadway vet doing King George. I think Eliza had only understudied; Angelica has done other Broadway shows. Overall it was a very professional production.
Glad you enjoyed it. I assume that is the same touring company I will be seeing. I have season tkts so get guaranteed Hamilton tkts since I auto-renewed (though it’s not in regular package.)
I saw the show today, which had Ryan Vasquez as Burr instead of the usual Nicholas Christopher .Initially it took some getting used to the differences from Broadway cast in both appearance and singing style, particularly with Burr and Washington. However, I felt the show was excellent, and some cast members were as strong if not stronger than their Broadway counterparts. I’ve heard the songs before, but seeing it in person was a different experience with Jefferson’s flamboyance, King George’s gaudy jewelry reflecting light into my eyes, the audience reacting (laughing, ooooohh ing, …), seeing that a different person is speaking than I expected (for example, Eliza is the one beatboxing in Take a Break), seeing the choreography and the variety of cast involved (for example, King George is involved in more than just the songs where he sings), etc. It didn’t change my life, but I really enjoyed it.
It is the show that is wonderful, not a particular cast. The cast will always be good but the show itself will always be the star. I love LMM and I think he is an immensely talented man, he was not the highlight of the OBC.
Tickets went on public sale this morning for our location. There are over 118000 users ahead of me in line. Awesome. I guess we’ll need to see it in NYC.
