Evolution of Hamilton the musical- Page 2

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 10:32am

ilovebabyv said: "What's Hamilton?"

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 10:36am

was the reflecting pool open the entire show or was there a lid or top to it that would come off? Why did they get ready d of it? Was it too much upkeep? I would love it if the Chicago production got the reflecting pool.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 10:40am

Call_me_jorge said: "was the reflecting pool open the entire show or was there a lid or top to it that would come off?"

 

...I'm going to have to assume the reflecting pool was not open for the entire show

[macnyc]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 10:42am

The reflecting pool looks kind of dinky to me, especially considering the expanses of water in Glass Menagerie and Therese Raquin. Now, those were pools!

 

I can't imagine it would have been there for the whole show, considering the choreography.

 

[Anakela]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 10:44am

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/hamilton-designer-reveals-a-splashy-secret-to-the-shows-set-374077

[JM226]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 11:40am

I would love it if the Chicago production got the reflecting pool.

 

why

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 12:19pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I would love it if the Chicago production got the reflecting pool."

 

 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 2/5/16 at 3:30pm

'Schuyler Defeated' was also about twice the length it is now, with Eliza going to try to stop Hamilton from fighting with Burr and some great Eliza/Burr interaction where she asks about the Theodosias and he asks about Philip. That was followed by a cut song called 'Let It Go' with Eliza/Hamilton where she was basically trying to persuade him to get over his feud with Burr.

 

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 2/6/16 at 1:37pm

To be clear, a lot of the changes referenced here are stuff from the Workshop, not the run at the Public. There is a bootleg audio of the Workshop floating around the internet (I won't link here, it's pretty easy to track down.) It features the entire cast, with the exception of Chris Jackson (who unavailable because of Holler if ya Hear Me; Issiah Johnson played Washington) and Jasmine Cephas Jones  (Ciara Renee was Peggy/Maria but was prevented from continuing on because of Hunchback of Notre Dame.)

 

Here are some (if not all) of the changes made between the Public and Broadway:

 

- One Last Ride retooled into One Last Time

- Dear Theodosia reprise cut.

- Lyric changes in Your Obediant Servant: Burr and Hamilton's opening verses are completely different now. 

- The Reflecting Pool at the end.

- Lyric changed in "History Has it's Eyes on You" (I was younger than you are now/The year was 1754/I lead my men into a slaughter/I triggered the French and Indian War)

- A reference to the duel in act one taken out of "Schuyler Defeated" (You changed parties to change against my father in law!/Says the kid who nearly shot Charles Lee in the Jaw. I swear your pride will be the death of us all)

- Right Hand Man had a different opening rap from Hamilton. 

- Laurens' Busta Rhymes quote in "My Shot" (Don't This SH*T Make my people want to rise up), and Hamilton was changed from 17 to 19.

- Hamilton's LL Cool J quote (When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the Wall) in Say No to This.

- Jefferson had a different final line in "Washington on Your Side" -  "It's nice to have something to really oppose."

- a few lyric changes in Alexander and Angelica's letters in "Take a Break."

- An additional verse in "Blow Us All Away" where Burr warns Hamilton about his son's participation in a duel. 

- The Schuyler Sisters got reorchestrated/riffed out.      

I think that's it.

 

The Workshop featured a lot of tweaks and changes, especially act two. The show, in total, was only about six minutes longer. Some of the more major ones:

*Edited to include a few more*

-King George had an extra apperence in "Guns and Ships", making a obvious George Bush Joke. (Burr: How does King George underestemate his haters/ George: Once we beat the traitors, we'll be greated as liberators!)

- What I miss had a bunch of different lyrics, referencing the specifics of Hamilton's plan and Madison's objections to it. 

- Burr had a verse introducing the first Cabinet Battle, mockingly referencing the paintings of John Trumbull and describing how reality was much more fractious. Washington had a longer spoken introduction to the Battles, including giving Hamilton and Jefferson time limits. I think there were some lyric changes in Hamilton's rap as well.

- Washington on Your Side was a lot longer and included a longer solo for Madison referencing his past collaborations with Hamilton and a section where the Democratic Republicans spread rumors about Hamilton (to the tune of the ensemble's interjections in The Election of 1800)

- Dear Theodosia was longer, culminating in a section where Hamilton and Burr sing their verses in counterpoint.  The ensemble joins in for the last chorus. 

- As Noted by several others above, Schuyler defeated was much much longer. It was set before Burr was elected, not after, and was mostly about Eliza attempting to stop a Hamilton/Burr fight. This lead directly into "Let it Go", which features both Eliza and Washington begging Hamilton to proceed with caution. (Let it Go makes a brief return in the 2nd Cabinet Battle as Hamilton convinces himself not to respond to Jefferson's personal attacks.)

- Eliza and Angelica had vocal cameos in Say No to This, singing snatches of Helpless and Satisfied.

- In addition to Burr's reprise of Dear Theodosia, the melody (My Father Wasn't Around) made a heartbreaking return in "Blow Us All Away" as Philip looks for George Eacker. 

- A couple of lyric alterations in The Room Where it Happens (the What do you want Burr? Section wasn't there yet)

- Some minor lyric changes in both versions of "Stay Alive" 

- The Adams Administration was, at this point, an entire song, Hamilton's diss track at Adams. LMM, of course, performed this during a q&A and there's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUI8b17YGx8 that is essential viewing.

- Congratulations is a cut song for Angelica that was retooled into her appearence in The Reynolds Pamphlet.

- The duel is a different song called Ten Things One Thing. Burr's portion is the same. Then, at the shot, the action rewinds to show the action from Hamilton's perspective. He raps his own version of the 10 commandments, showing that every action he took that convinced Burr to shoot him were actually designed to help him avoid shooting Burr. (wearing his glasses to ensure he would miss, etc.) his last line is thinking of Eliza: "I can't wait to see her again."  Oof. 

- Before "Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story", Angelica reads Hamilton's last letter to Eliza. I'm honestly not sure why this was cut. 

Updated On: 2/6/16 at 01:37 PM