Going into Hamilton Blind- Page 2

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 7:54am

^ ^ ^ To say there is a lot going on in the songs is the understatement of the century. Initially when I started listening to the OBCR it was overwhelming. When I read the lyrics online along with the songs I’d have to stop every so often to get a grasp as to what they were talking about.

For instance, in “Right Hand Man”, when the “...British take Brooklyn” and their “...battering down the Battery” it’s mentioned “...we’re abandonin’ Kips Bay”. I had to look that one up. Charles Lee and Battle of Monmouth? “Guns and Ships” is stunning in its densely packed lyrics almost impossible to understand unless you know already what he’s singing. “Yorktown”, a superb song, is the entire, decisive American Revolution battle crunched into 4 minutes. Who was Levi Weeks mentioned in “Non-stop”? In “What’d I Miss” when Jefferson quickly says “There’s a letter on my desk from the President, Haven’t even put my bags down yet, Sally be a lamb, darlin’, won’tcha open it?” Sally? In one very short line, of one song, Sally. If you’re not familiar with her, that’s a whole chapter and book of Jefferson’s life in itself. The French Revolution and the “King’s head in a basket”. The amount of detail omitted is staggering. Forty-six songs. But the musical is about Alexander Hamilton - his life, his affairs of state and heart, from birth to death. It’s complicated.

So I read the book. It’s very impressive to say the least. I finished it just days before seeing the musical. Yes, the book is a bit dry in places, like when Hamilton is setting up America’s financial institution. But the whole book is an incredible read.

It was also brought to my attention that on on Netflix there is an AMC Original Series called “Turn: Washington’s Spies” that deals with the same timeframe as parts of the musical. I watched it as well, and it is a wonderful series.

Having some knowledge of the history of America in the time of Alexander Hamilton before going into the show, whether it’s reading the book or listening to the OBCR, can definitely give someone a leg-up on those who go in “blind” as entire lives, battles, and years go by lyrically in the blink of an eye.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 9:24am

Act 1 is pretty dense, but seriously you don't need to know EVERYTHING that is going on to 'get' what has happened. Act 2 is very easy to follow.

I don't think it's any harder to follow than any other show and then if you wish to find out the 'whole' story you can do some research.

I looked at his Wiki page when I got home and that was more than enough to fill the story in and the show actually misses out a lot of his story. 

I can't listen to the OBC soundtrack. Yes you can follow it a little better, but I find it so dull and lifeless and vocally that cast are not a patch on the one I saw so I'd rather just read the booklet.

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 10:08am

^ ^ ^ I don’t recall you mentioning it before, but which show did you see - Broadway or one of the tours? When I saw the touring Philip Cast they were still relatively new and I thought the cast were impressive.

I do love history, so I guess that’s why I delved into this head-first and explored the lyrics more so than any other show.

Heck, there were some shows I’ve seen in the last three years that I did no research at all other than maybe listening to the OBCR, like “My Fair Lady”, “Waitress”, “Aladdin”, “School of Rock”, “Fun Home”, and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”, among many others. These shows seemed more or less straight forward. But there was just something so much more interesting in “Hamilton”, the history of it all, and our Founding Fathers, that attracted me. And I think the OBCR for “Hamilton” is amazing. I still love listening to it, and after eight months I never get tired of it. 

I think after the show is over and people go home, they’re one-and-done without any type of follow-up, ever. Which is a shame since the history it embodies is so amazing and involves a huge turning point in the birth of our nation and how we became who we are.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 10:12am

dmwnc1959 said: "^ ^ ^ I don’t recall you mentioning it before, but which show did you see - Broadway or one of the tours? When I saw the touring Philip Cast they were still relatively new and I thought the cast were impressive.

I do love history, so I guess that’s why I delved into this head-first and explored the lyrics more so than any other show.

Heck, there were some shows I’ve seen in the last three years that I did no research at all other than maybe listening to the OBCR, like “My Fair Lady”, “Waitress”, “Aladdin”, “School of Rock”, “Fun Home”, and “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder”, among many others.These shows seemed more or less straight forward. But there was just something so much more interesting in “Hamilton”, the history of it all, and our Founding Fathers, that attracted me. And I think the OBCR for “Hamilton” is amazing. I still love listening to it, and aftereight months I never get tired of it.

I think after the show is over and people go home, they’re one-and-done without any type of follow-up,ever. Which is a shame since the history it embodies is soamazing and involves a huge turning point in the birth of our nation and how we became who we are."

I have seen the London cast 3 times, but it was over the contract changeover/holiday period so I have seen a few different cast members in different roles and they have all been fantastic. The only letdown is the guy who plays Hamilton. He is ok but I thought his understudy was much better when he was on.

[bisous3]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 10:22am

I vote for listening to the soundtrack a few times beforehand. I've seen it 4X now and the articulation and diction can sometimes leave something to be desired, especially when someone has been doing the role for a while. 

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 1/1/19 at 10:26am

I saw the show Off-Broadway, so was not only blind on the book, but was totally blind on Alexander Hamilton (blame public schools). I understood everything and was easily able to follow the story, even though it was so dense.

*I am a regular listener of hip-hop/rap, so the faster sequences were not hard for me to understand. Also, I think with this show in particular the diction of the actor is super important. I was disappointed with the replacement cast when I saw them, and lot of it had to do with that.

[CarmenA3]

Posted: 1/2/19 at 12:13pm

I highly recommend giving your family at least a synopsis of what they will be seeing. At 20,000 words, unless they are hip/hop fans and familiar with fast lyrics, they will not understand much of what is being said (b/c it's going so fast!).

I just saw it last night (what a way to start the year) and don't know how people going in blind manage. I'm bringing my parents to the show in the Spring and am literally walking them through most of the songs. I also asked them to listen to the cast album to get familiar with it.

You get so much more when you see it in person that having heard the album will not detract from the experience. Especially if they are not as fanatic about theatre as you are.

Whatever you/they decide, I hope they enjoy the show!

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 1/2/19 at 12:57pm

Where are your seats? That's my answer.

The first time I saw it was right after it had opened on Broadway, before the cast recording had come out, and we were sitting in the rear balcony. And honestly I left that theatre annoyed and frustrated because I could tell that I was probably watching something brilliant, but was missing every other word and really only had a vague idea of what was happening in the plot. (Not to mention the tough time telling the characters apart when it's too far to clearly see faces, and they're all wearing similar costumes... and play multiple roles.) 

Saw it again a year later from orchestra Row C, and even though I still hadn't listened to 90% of the recording (so I was more or less going in blind for a second time), it was like a completely different show. I had no trouble understanding the characters and plot the way I did when it felt like I was watching ants. And I loved it. 

Tl;dr - If you're sitting close, no need to prep, and I think going in blind would be awesome. If you're sitting father away, definitely prep. I have no doubt that I would've had a completely different balcony experience that first time if I knew the lyrics/story going in. 

Updated On: 1/2/19 at 12:57 PM

[openstage2]

Posted: 1/2/19 at 8:48pm

This is a good question. Our family listened to it non-stop for 8 months after I gave the kids our tickets for Christmas in 2016. When we finally saw it in NY, it did not disappoint. Before attending we read some of the history. Visited Weehawken, Trinity Church, Hamilton Grange and Morris–Jumel Mansion. Knowing the storyline and lyrics helped us to relax and just enjoy the music, costumes, dance. It felt more like a rock concert at times. I think if we weren’t familiar I might be hyper focused on who everyone was, what was happening with the politics. Also a wonderful introduction to the show and the history was Hamilton’s America on PBS. I play it for my English Class every year.

Have fun!

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 1/2/19 at 9:29pm

Personally, I say let them listen as much as they want, but for me I like the sense of discovery from not being overly familiar with the OBCR. I had casually listened to the Hamilton OBCR once or twice before seeing it the first time. I actually couldnt get into it until after I saw it and then it was like I was listening to magic. It was like Dorothy in Kansaa and then she lands in Oz. I know thats not the typical response. I have friends who have yet to see Hamilton who adore the OBCR.

Sure, I missed some things. Ive seen it two more times in Chicago and I still discover things. I think thats part of the musicals strength.

I obsessively listened to DEHs OBCR before seeing it and I almost ruined it for myself by figuring almost every plot point. I had even figured out which songs I was gonna cry during (the songs that made me cry of the OBCR). Ironically, those songs left me dry-eyed while the song that really didnt do much for me on the recording was also tied to the one plot point I had not envisioned and thats when I had a big old sobbing fit. Lol. I do plan to see Dear Evan Hansen again at some point when I can listen and appreciate the show anew free of unrealistic expectations.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 1/3/19 at 10:29am

I would have them listen to it because they may not catch everything going in blind. I recently saw it for a 2nd time (this time in London) and I enjoyed it more.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 1/3/19 at 1:16pm

My husband went in blind a few years ago when we saw it and enjoyed it immensely.

[Tuna2]

Posted: 1/3/19 at 10:15pm

I saw Hamilton with the OBC on 5/2/16. I knew the general context of what the show was about, but I purposely made it a point to not listen to the cast recording or watch it on YouTube because I wanted to hear/see the music, songs, and production with fresh ears and eyes!! Im glad I did that, for I loved everything about that show! While waiting in the Cancellation Line for my ticket that day, I mentioned to someone else in line basically what I stated above. She was envious of this and she too wished she could have gone to the show blind. You and your family will have a great time, so just go and enjoy! Itll be worth it!!

[Dfgtoronto]

Posted: 1/3/19 at 11:13pm

If they have strong preferences one way or the other, I would support them. Otherwise, I would encourage them to listen to a few of the faster paced sections and see if they want to hear more or leave the rest until the performance. I saw it once without any pre-listening and again when I knew the show practically by heart. I loved it the first time but enjoyed it even more the second time. I hope you all have a great time! It's a wonderful show!

[bear88]

Posted: 1/4/19 at 3:39am

kelsey1389, I was in your position in 2016 when we went to see the show. I had read Ron Chernow's biography a few years before, so I knew the history, but I listened to the whole cast recording to decide whether my wife and daughter would enjoy it (and whether it was worth the price for seats in the rafters - which actually aren't bad seats in the Richard Rodgers). My wife and daughter went in almost cold. They each had heard one song beforehand. 

It didn't matter. While they didn't catch every line, they got the gist and really enjoyed the musical. While we've seen it since on tour, and had better seats, it doesn't quite match the first time. I can't say I regretted listening to the cast recording, as it allowed me to follow everything else that was going on, but I kind of envied my family's experience.

But you also know your family and what would work best for them. 

[starcatchers]

Posted: 1/4/19 at 9:28am

The first time I saw the show was first preview at the Public, so I had no choice but to go in cold. I dont think my enjoyment of it suffered in the slightest.