Hamilton Previews- Page 5

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:36pm

You don't have to like hip hop or rap in the slightest to adore this show.

 

 

[mfaye9]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:39pm

Has there been any indication there will be standing room available?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:41pm

I will hear the score when the cast album comes out . I will see it when the hoopla dies down & Miranda is gone. I will somehow survive

This will suck all the air out of Broadway when it opens. No way I am spending an arm & a leg & waiting 3 or 4 hours in line to see it. Somehow we survived without seeing events like The Audience & The Elephant Man.

If this does it for you great. It aint for me.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:45pm

Yes, Roxy, those are the only reasons for wanting  to see this. To overspend and to brag.

And has anyone even begun to pretend this will cure the ills of the theater going audience?

Your ramblings have ceased to even be amusing.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:52pm

I would love to hear from someone who attended. Someone on Twitter posted that Lin-Manuel's entrance stopped the show. Details, please, anyone!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:52pm

Oh. My. God.  He really hates success and bitterly complains about failure.  Not even his own, just on the Broadway stage.

It's going to suck the air out of Broadway?  Ticket prices 12 years ago were going to KILL Broadway.  That's what he said, that's what he said.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:54pm

No one has to have any interest in Hamilton. One doesn't have to have any interest in theatre. (Most people don't.) And one certainly doesn't have to have an interest in musical theatre. (Even fewer do, and even a good many rabid theatregoers happily avoid musical theatre like the plague.) But for someone who has gone to the trouble of joining this website and who has professed an interest in musical theatre to say they have no interest in a show that is widely described as the most important musical of most of our adult lives just strikes me as contrarian. It will be impossible for at least the next half century to have an intelligent discussion about musical theatre without a familiarity with this show. In the same sense that one cannot seriously discuss musical theatre oblivious to A Chorus Line, Oklahoma, Showboat, etc. Yes there is huge hype, and yes the prices are probably headed higher (right now they can be had-some months off-at a "reasonable" price, in the context of overall prices, which are obviously not cheap), but if one has chosen to remain conversant in this area, one will see the show. It is epic in every sense, and that remains true whether one ends up liking it or not.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 10:58pm

He prefers bootlegs.

[macnyc]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:25pm

Someone posted on Twitter there were 704 entries for tonight's lotto!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:26pm

"Someone posted on Twitter there were 704 entries for tonight's lotto!"

 

wow.  I wonder how long that will keep up.

 

[brdway411]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:27pm

I think I will wait for the hype to die down and or understudy day. I saw it at The Public and can wait to see it again. wasn't that impressed the first time. 

 

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:32pm

It's better then the first day of the Todaytix lotto when it was at the Public--9000 entered!

I suspect we'll see these very high numbers at the lotto for the next several week at the minimum. Probably longer. It clearly shows that the current demand for the show is very, very high.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:35pm

I just got above ground in Queens and I still can't quite describe how totally I loved the show tonight. I went in knowing absolutely none of the music and with only the most basic of understandings of Hamilton's history and was blown away. Of course, everything being said about it is true. It's a revolutionary piece of theatre that doesn't just exceed the hype, but transcends it entirely. I really have nothing more to say about it. It just needs to be seen.

[#1Elphie]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:38pm

The lotto photo that Margo posted is mine.  Lin-Manuel did come out and address the crowd, which was nice. I wonder if they'll end up switching to an online lotto, because the logistics of doing this every night are a bit difficult; some people were standing in the street and the entire sidewalk was very tightly packed (people were even standing on the sidewalk across the street). 

I want to hear about what's changed since it's run at the Public.

Updated On: 7/13/15 at 11:38 PM

[Reillyhickey]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:48pm

I was there and the energy was insane!

The crowd was really enthusiastic and some did stand for Lin as he entered. As far as changes go, there were mostly small lyric changes in songs. However, One Last Ride is now One Last Time and doesn't involve anything about the Whiskey Rebellion. The beginnings of both Say No To This and Obedient Servant are both different but that's all I could really tell. The choreography is definitely amped up and looks really amazing. 

[bfreak]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:51pm

Did they cut the run time a bit? I remember they said they were trying to.

[Reillyhickey]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:53pm

We got out at 11, so the runtime was pretty much the same (I guess you have to account for the extended applause tonight). I'm pretty sure the only song that was cut was the Dear Theodosia Reprise so they didn't take out much. 

[Kad]

Posted: 7/13/15 at 11:59pm

If "One Last Time" is no longer about the Whiskey Rebellion, what is it about?

[singingbackup]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:02am

My birthday treat was seeing Hamilton tonight.  And, having read this entire thread and having heard barely anything about the show and the music (wanted to be totally surprised!), here goes:

1) Yes the lottery was nuts.  Much of the cast, crew and producers were out checking on the festivities with huge grins and an "oh sh*t this is amazing" look on their faces.  Lin came out and thanked the crowd: "You are the reason we are here tonight."  Love that man.

2) I sat in RMezz Row F , seat 25 (3 from the aisle) and no obstruction or obstacles at all.  Saw the whole glorious thing, no worries, unless you get the two old farts next to me who wouldn't shut up during Act I and then chomped their way through the snack bar in Act II.

3) Very receptive crowd, lots of love, lots of good will and yes-Lin did get a well-deserved entrance. 

4) It's exciting, accessible, challenging, exhilarating and gorgeous.  There is spirit, power, humor and heart all over that stage.  Lin has really upped his musical game, as many of the songs were well outside  his usual work. Luscious and intricate harmonies complemented intriguing and sly melodies.  The modern day recitative worked very well and punctuated much of the story.  It's kind of like a twisted, trumped up School House Rock! 

5) As great as it is, it felt just a wee bit long...too much of a good thing?

So happy I schlepped across the continent that's for sure.  And whether it runs for 3 years or 30, it's an important work that will have bring new interest and enthusiasm to the wonderful possibilities of live, musical theater. 

 

 

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:02am

I'm getting home from tonight's first preview and overall I liked it, often liked it a lot, but wasn't head over heels in love with it. Maybe I can blame the hype surrounding the show- I mean hearing stuff like this is the best show of our adult lives (and that could be a very short or very long time depending on the person!) certainly didn't help. The best shows for me are things I have a deep, emotional connection with; mix in a little catharsis and you're golden. That was missing for me with Hamilton, and truly the fault lies not with the show, but with those inflating expectations beyond reason and, of course, with myself for getting too caught up in the hype.

I felt like someone who posted earlier about the first two songs: they left me unsure and wondering if I was going to mesh well with the tone of piece. Once the women entered I felt much more at ease, and Renee Elise Goldsberry, brilliant woman that she is, nailed her big number about never being satisfied. (There is no song list in the Playbill, so we'll all have to do our best referring to song titles.) I loved every moment that Goldsberry was on stage and was sad that she disappeared for much of act two.

The other incredible showstopper was given to Leslie Odom Jr, perhaps titled In the Room Where It Happens. It was a huge act two number that had near Fosse-like choreography and was one of the more straight-up showtune style songs. Odom killed it; he's giving the best performance of his career. 

Daveed Diggs was my other favorite actor. His Jefferson and Lafayette felt distinctive and both were a lot of fun. He's the scene stealer and his performance has Tony written all over it. It looks like Hamilton is his Broadway debut, so he must be feeling pretty good tonight!

The design is deceptively simple; the turntable was utilized to good effect and was greatly enhanced by the lighting design. The costumes were period, yet sexy.

The lyrics were clever and wonderful, but there are a lot of them and frequently they fly by with lightning speed. I wish act one had ended sooner just so I had a chance to catch my breath and digest some of what I had been hearing. We all know the plot (like 1776), but everything moves a mile a minute so the quieter moments are a nice respite from the frantic pace. I think some tweaks in the sound design will help clear up the occasional lyric issue too.

I just wish I had been able to identify with Hamilton, or any of the characters really. I missed out on a personal connection like I felt with Alison in Fun Home or Bobby in Company or (all too painfully) with Daniel Breaker in Passing Strange. I mean I'm still in therapy over that phone call he had with Eisa Davis! I don't know if I'd go so far as to say that Hamilton left me cold, but I think it's meant to excite in other ways than I was expecting.

 

[brdway411]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:07am

Thank you Whizzer. 

[Reillyhickey]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:09am

One Last Time is now just about Washington stepping down and his speech.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:12am

That's an interesting shift, as the song formerly compared Hamilton and Washington's actions to quell the rebellion to the British and the colonists rather brilliantly and simply. It added some nice darker shades to the depiction of Hamilton. 

Updated On: 7/14/15 at 12:12 AM

[Showface]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:17am

"The other incredible showstopper was given to Leslie Odom Jr, perhaps titled In the Room Where It Happens. It was a huge act two number that had near Fosse-like choreography"

Sorry for the OT, but this post made me think about what an excellent Leading Player Leslie Odom Jr could be! :)

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/14/15 at 12:17am

"I'm not a huge hip-hop and rap fan, and upon hearing about the show and watching the promo spot ("My Shot"), I didn't really understand all of the hype."

I agree with what someone else said, My Shot was not my favorite, but it's the traditional "I Want" theatre song. The lyrics are also not very plot-heavy, so it's better for promo purposes. The music is really diverse and this song alone isn't the best indicator for the entire show.

The Room Where It Happens, Satisfied, Helpless, Say No to This and the 3 King George songs were the ones I was singing for days (/weeks) afterwards.

Re: stuntcasting, I hope we're a long way off from the need for that, but I could see some R&B singers coming in as Angelica, or Peggy/Mariah Reynolds especially.


Song list for the Public version is on Wikipedia, for reference. Obviously it's in flux, but better than nothing.

, I didn't really understand all of the hype." I agree with what someone else said, My Shot was not my favorite, but it's the traditional "I Want" theatre song. The lyrics are also not very plot-heavy, so it's better for promo purposes. The music is really diverse and this song alone isn't the best indicator for the entire show. The Room Where It Happens, Satisfied, Helpless, Say No to This and the 3 King George songs were the ones I was singing for days/weeks afterwards. Re: stuntcasting, I hope we're a long way off from the need for that, but I could see some R&B songstresses coming in as Angelica, or Peggy/Mariah Reynolds especially. Song list for the Public version is on Wikipedia, for future reference. https:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_%28musical%29">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_%28musical%29