Going into Hamilton Blind — Page 2

^ ^ ^ 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.

^ ^ ^ 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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.