^ ^^ Agree, that article in The Nation is excellent, in particular concerning the cleverness of the contents of the lyrics.
A confession: I am now obsessed with all things Miranda and Hamilton. Was very fortunate to have seen the show in March with the full original cast. Got our orchestra tix in October at regular price (Wed. matinee), largely inspired by comments on a previous Hamilton thread on CC. People think I am exaggerating when I say getting those tickets was one of the best decisions I made in my life â but I truly feel that to be the case.
Hubby and I read the Chernow book in preparation for seeing the show.
One of my joys was seeing how my husband, a classical music guy, grew to become as enthusiastic about the show as I was â even pointed out to me a point in the show that had been slightly revised from the original CD version we had been listening to. Never thought this guy would appreciate music of this type, but he was as wowed as I was.
Songs from the show still reverberate in my head, different ones at different times. I find myself quoting lines from the show in conversations.
Truly, I feel this was one of the best experiences in my life, up there with the trip our family made to Italy when both our kids had finished college and before they became partnered.
âHow lucky I am to be alive right nowâ â to have been able to experience this show!
Then there is the wonderful educational role this show has taken on, exciting students about history â and so many of us feeling pride in and learning so much about our countryâs founding. I got to appreciate a lot I had never known about the fascinating details of the characters and the times portrayed, and my husband is now following up by reading a bio of George Washington.
I sent a link to the âDear Theodosiaâ lullaby to my daughter and her husband after the birth of their first child, and insisted they listen to it, and they agreed it expressed the feelings of new parents well.
This show well deserves all the attention it is getting. Apologies for gushing, but every now and then âsomething wonderfulâ happens! This is worthy of celebration!
Apart from the music, the most amazing aspect to the Hamilton phenomena is that it rekindles interest in the life of Alexander Hamilton and his tremendous contribution to our nation. Indeed, if not for the tragic duel, who knows Hamilton could have been President and the course of early American history could have changed and certainly stronger elements of the Federalist and anti-slavery could have come to the forefront decades before Lincoln. If you can read Chernowâs biography of Hamilton it makes appreciating the musical that much better as it gives you the context for the songs. Also, if you are going to be in NYC, you should go up to Hamilton Heights in Harlem and visit the Hamilton âcountry houseâ -âThe Grangeâ which is a very short day trip but totally worth it. While you are up there, I would also recommend this little restaurant, also called âthe grangeâ for brunchâŠ
@JEM - my thoughts exactly. This show has touched me in more ways than I am capable of saying. It was an amazing show- and even that is an understatement.
@Regulus7 - before D and I saw the show last Saturday, we did a tour of the Hamilton Grange, visited his grave in Trinity Cemetery, and on the way home, stopped at the dueling grounds in Weebehoken NJ. I pictured the dueling grounds as just that grounds. but there is just a plaque about 100 feet above the âgroundsâ area where it is now filled in with trees. In looking at the distance from NJ to NYC, I wondered how long it took them to row Hamilton back to NYC as the Hudson River is not narrowâŠ
next time we'll have to go to the grange brunch place....
First of all, good luck distinguishing the two. I just spent 10 minutes reading online about the differences, and the best I can conclude is that hip hop is upbeat and fun while rap is serious and focused on social issues. But I donât see any difference musically. In any case, I donât care for either. And while I know people of a variety of backgrounds and of a variety of ages have praised the show, the scenes Iâve seen and the excerpts Iâve heard donât entice meâand Iâm a long-time musical theater fan. But then I donât like sung-through (i.e., little or no dialogue) musicals much, so it was unlikely I would have cared a lot for Hamilton even without the rap/hip hop elements. (BTW, my D, who is not only a big musical theater fan but has performed in many school and community theater productions, also has zero interest in seeing Hamilton-and she loved Mirandaâs In the Heights.) To each her own, right? I hope so, because I this point I feel like not wanting to see Hamilton is evidence of barbarism!
The deal with Hamilton tickets in DC (in late 2017) is that the Kennedy Center is giving first crack at them to people who sign up for TWO full seasons in advance. If there are any left after the season ticketholders, then theyâll go on sale to the general public.
I suspect that even secondary market ticket prices would be cheaper than two seasons at the Kennedy Center.
@CountingDown Wow, Iâve never heard of a theatre doing that before. Itâs typical that subscribers get first crack but making people subscribe for two seasons?! Thatâs unheard of, in my decades old theatre experience.
Just in case, there is anyone here who is debating paying the exorbitant prices in NY for the show in the next few months and who is determined to see as many of the OBC as possible. Do it soon, is my advice. Jonathan Groff is already gone. Lin leaves at the end of July. Chris Jacksonâs pilot just got picked up so heâs not likely to be around much longer, and with the bulk of contracts coming up for renewal in a couple of months, chances are good that others will also be exiting the show.
Iâve listened to the cast album, but havenât seen the show. A couple of points about the ârapâ issue: first of all, there are many fine melodies in the score. Second, I would argue that itâs not exactly rapâreally, itâs a show with multiple Gilbert-and-Sullivan style patter songs. (Indeed, I think Miranda knows this, since one of those songs includes a character referring to himself as "the very model of a modern major general).
Have my earbuds in at work right now and am listening to Hamilton (for the umpteenth time) on Spotify. If you have Spotify or another music service - donât wonder - JUST LISTEN. Iâd bet money that if you like Broadway/musicals - you will LOVE this music.
@CountingDown, the Kennedy Center deal was hugely disappointing to me. I understand wanting to drive up subscriptions but I have to wonder how many people will subscribe for the sole purpose of Hamilton tickets - and how many of those subscription shows they will actually attend. Who knows - any of the options are well outside of my price range! On the other hand D managed to score tickets for December but for some reason her significant other is going with her. Iâll have to be happy with the soundtrack!
My D1âs friend joined a theater in NY to get their tickets when they saw it off Broadway when it first opened. But it was cheap to do so, the buzz wasnât huge then.
I also agree with the positive comments on Leslie Odem, Jrâs performance. (Iâm obsessed.)
We saw Hamilton on two consecutive nights, in early April. Lin was not there. We saw Jon Rua the first night and Javier the second. Jon was good, Javier was great. We also saw Austin Smith as Washington. Iâm a huge Chris Jackson fan, but Austin Smithâs voice may be better.
My son has taught me what to listen for in the rap. If you can listen with the words in front of you it helps but itâs not necessary. Listen for songs where there are not just two rhyming words, but 3, 4, 5 or 6. A verse of a song where the end of every line is a long I sound, or a short A sound. Itâs really amazing.
Also listen to Alex Lacamoireâs orchestration. Yes, some guitar, a lot of percussion, but some beautiful strings (solo cello, harp, etc.) Listen for the military sounding snare drum at the appropriate times.
If Lin can get an Oscar, he may the first McPEGOT (adding Macarthur Genius to the front.)
I have a feeling that they will film this live and and show in theaters, but suspect not for a few years.
D pointed out to me that she and I saw LMM and Leslie Odem Jr perform together two years ago in a City Center Encore production of Jonathan Larsons âtick, tick âŠboomâ.
@hunt:
it would be great if they did things like that, like they are doing with opera and such, but I wouldnât hold my breath. There has been talk for years why they donât allow broadcast of musicals and plays, especially once the run is done, and the reality is it is a mess, the producers, the unions, all from what I have been told have pretty much kept that from happening. I have heard the claims, that they are afraid that broadcasting it will change the performances (how one performance out of the many thousands that will be done during the life of the show will change things), that people will go see the broadcast performance and not go to the theater, and that is a crock IMO, because the live performance is so different than seeing it on tv. There is a whole archive of broadway shows from the past 50 or 60 years that is at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center, that is available only to researchers and theater people looking at past performancesâŠand there are a ton of gems, imagine being able to see Zero Mostel do Fiddler on the Roof, imagine seeing Richard Kiley do Man of La Mancha, or any number of the great musicals then and nowâŠand once shows are closed, can you imagine having shows on something like Amazon or Netflix? And if anything, it would help with future performances, someone falls in love with Rent or Hamilton or some other show on there, and there is a new revival of it on Broadway or on the road.
Like I said, not holding my breath, plays and musicals have been done on outlets like PBS over the years (I just found a favorite of mine on DVD, rather my wife did, of the play âA Walk in the Woodsâ from years ago done on PBS). One of the things I think they fear is that if you see a play on tv or streaming, that you wonât ever want to watch it, and that is ridiculous. It is much like classical music, musical theater depends on the cast and the direction, and every one tends to be different, being able to see the original cast of Rent or Hair or Fiddler on the roof or West Side Story would not stop me from seeing a revival, assuming it is well done, but that is the way they seem to feel.
People think I am exaggerating when I say getting those tickets was one of the best decisions I made in my life â but I truly feel that to be the case.