They were all in the day before on Thursday the 13th. In fact, I've seen it 3x in SF, and the Schuyler sisters have all been there each time. I guess I've been lucky.
Solea is in LA right now, for whatever it is she's doing at the Hollywood Bowl next weekend, so that one was planned, but Emmy seems to be missing A LOT of shows, which makes me sad since she's been a part of this show for so long and has moved from the Ensemble to Principal, which had to be exciting for her. I hope everything's ok with her.
This was my 6th time seeing the show, the previous 5 being in Chicago with that original cast. It was hard not to compare the two, because in my option the Original Chicago Cast is about as good as it gets, but all I really enjoyed this production.
Joshua Henry as Burr...just perfection in the role. Not much else to say. If you have a chance to see this either here or in LA with him in it, GO!!
Ryan Vasquez as Hamilton...According to this board, his second day as Hamilton (not sure if he was on for the matinee as well). Very impressive for being relatively new to the role. His initial Hamilton was kind of nervous, and you could see the character get more confident as the show went on. His rapping still has some room to grow, but he has a fantastic singing voice which I don't think all Hamilton actors can say.
Julia K Harriman as Angelica...The tour is in really good hands with its Schuyler understudies. She made some great acting choices, and nailed it vocally. Hit the high riff in Satisified.
Raven Thomas as Eliza...Beautiful voice, but couldn't help feeling like she needed a little more "oomph". There were some times at the beginning where you couldn't really hear her well because she was so soft, and I would've liked her "Burn" to punch a little more. But her acting in Phillip's death scene was heartbreaking (the gasp).
Isaiah Thomas as Washington...He's pretty short compared to Vasquez, so that kept distracting me, but I'm a big fan from seeing him in The Color Purple. He brought the house down with his "One Last Time".
Other notes...Rory is a very funny King George, I didn't think he went that overboard with hamming it up like I've seen in other reviews. Jordan Donica was just OK as Lafayette/Jefferson (French accent was hard to follow at times), and I couldn't help but feel like Amber Iman might be a little miscast as Peggy/Maria. Also had the understudy for Mulligan/Madison who I thought did a solid job.
Isaiah seems to be on Vacation this week due to Dan Belnavis being on for Washington Tuesday-Thursday, and saying that Ryan will close out the week. I'm going to today's Matinee and am super excited about seeing him. (I love knowing that's at least two new actors I get to see from the last time with Solea being out this week as well.) I'm already imagining his One Last Time is going to be fantastic.
Ooh, I'm excited to hear how he was as Washington! I feel very lucky to have seen his Burr and it does seem like his voice will be well suited for One Last Time. Is he the first actor to okay both Washington and Hamilton?
n.holden said: "Ooh, I'm excited to hear how he was as Washington! I feel very lucky to have seen his Burr and it does seem like his voice will be well suited for One Last Time. Is he the first actor to okay both Washington and Hamilton?"
I think he might be? I can't think of anyone else who actually covers both (but I also haven't looked recently) At the very least, having played Hamilton, Burr, and now Washington too, if he's not the first to hit that trifecta, he's part of a very exclusive club at least.
I'll definitely be sure to let everyone know how his Washington is though! (funny part is, he's someone I was really really hoping I could see in a role, but at the same time, I wanted my family, who I'm seeing this with this time, to experience Michael and Joshua, so I was also hoping neither of them were out. Didn't know Ryan was covering Washington too, so that solves that problem lol)
Ok, very delayed Saturday Matinee report, but wow, Ryan was FANTASTIC. Honestly, I loved him more than Isaiah. I'm not sure if I caught him on a bad night or if I just wasn't a fan of his overall portrayal, but when I saw him he seemed to lack a presence about him, he seemed to blend in more than stand out, and thus I found him a bit lackluster. (And honestly, I wasn't overly impressed with him vocally, which is another reason I think it might have been an off night for him, because I've never heard anything but good things about him.) Ryan on he other hand commanded the room, his body language and vocals read very clearly as the strong powerful figure written into the show, and he carried himself with the presence I was missing the first time. I never would have thought it was only his second Washington if I didn't know that going in. And his One Last Time, lordy, he crushed it! The riffs he put on it at the end gave me chills. I did not want it to end. I'm so happy and lucky I got to see that, he was a major highlight of this particular performance.
I got to see Emmy as Angelica this time though and I'm so happy I did! She was so amazing and I love love loved her Angelica. It felt like she played her with a softness, while managing to be strong at the same time and I just loved her. Julia K Harriman was a lovely Eliza with a beautiful voice and a very sweet performance. Of the two, I preferred Soleas take on the role, but Julia's performance is nothing to sniff at. (i really do wish my family has seen Solea, but like I said before, very happy I got to see someone else's spin!)
also, i'm so happy my family loved it and we talked about and discussed it and the history around it for nearly 6 hours after it ended, which made me so happy! Another stellar performance from an amazing cast and I'm still going to try for the next two weeks to win a lotto seat to see if just one more time.
and as a heads up, I saw Ryan answer someone on twittter that he'll be on as Hamilton again next week.
Editing to add: I'm insane, but i just bought a resale ticket for thursday night to see ryan's Alexander. It will take me a few months to pay off, but all things considered I got away cheap as far as resale tickets are concerned.
Sorry your seeing my face in this thread three times in a row, but I Saw Hamilton again last night with Ryan Vasquez as Hamilton and Julia K. Harriman as Peggy/Maria and they were both fantastic! Julia reminded me a lot of Jasmine in the way she portrayed Maria and in her voice, the only difference being she didn't have the same kind of soul Jasmine has (but really who does?) She sounded amazing though and I'm really Happy I was able to see her as 2 of the 3 sisters.
As for Ryan, anyone who gets the chance to see him in any principal role needs to, this guy is stupid talented and his voice is incredible. I really really loved his performance and it felt like, through the entire show, that he was putting his very own independent spin on the role, and really putting his own stamp on it. Now obviously I've not seen every Hamilton there's been, and I haven't even heard them all, but I have heard a few and from what I can remember, I don't think there was anything in his performance that reminded me of anyone else at all, which made it feel super fresh, I felt like I was looking at the role in a different way. Like for example, every version I've heard of Say No To This has had Hamilton being almost in a blind rage toward Maria after he receives the blackmail letter, but Ryan's, while there was a tinge of anger in the way he carried himself and in his vocals, his body language and voice read primarily as fear and outright panic. It was very different but still worked beautifully, painting this picture of an animal backed into a corner, which paved the way for The Reynolds Pamphlet.
The whole performance was also painted in a different light for Ham and Eliza since he an Solea are dating in real life, a fact I knew going into it, and it just added to little moments in the show, making them either more adorable or more heartbreaking. They came out of the stage door together and I made that comment to Solea and she was like "I know! For us too!" and went on to tell me that it was the first time they'd been able to go on together (I hadn't realized she was out his first time), and she was clearly very excited about it, it was really cute and sweet. And When I mentioned to Ryan I was there because of his Washington and how I needed to see his Ham after that he seemed very genuinely touched and kept saying Thank You. Really sweet guy.
I'm just really blown away by the talent he has and if I find out what days he's going on as Burr next week, even though I shouldn't, I can't say I won't buy another resale ticket to see that.
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I think they're going to split the 8 shows between two understudies like they've been doing for the others. I know Ryan Vasquez has said he's playing Burr next week, but told me he doesn't know what days yet. So I'm guessing he'll get 4 though and the other understudy (i forgot who that is) will get the other 4. Ryan said he'd give his schedule on twitter when he knew it though.
Blockhead24 said: "Did anyone here see Karli DiNardo as Peggy/ Maria this weekend?? Dying to know how she was."
I saw the show on Friday night, for my sixth and (probably?) final time in San Francisco. I've never written a review here, but here are some thoughts.
The show was Karli's Peggy/Maria debut, and I thought she was great. I'm in the minority here in that I very much enjoy Amber...especially as Maria, but I thought Karli was excellent. She has a very sweet voice, her "...and Peggy" delivery got bigger laughs than I've ever heard before. I missed Amber's low sultry voice as Maria a little bit but Karli was very good and I have zero complaints. She is also absolutely gorgeous.
Ryan Vasquez was on as Hamilton and he was also excellent. I've seen him as Burr and Washington as well and he is very good as all three. Burr is definitely his strongest role since he has an absolutely beautiful voice and gets to show it off the most in that role. I would go as far as to say he should be playing Burr full time somewhere at some point. I really liked his Hamilton though and he and Solea had incredible chemistry. He reads very young to me, which I thought worked well especially in Act I, he definitely had a youthful energy and scrappyness to him. His line delivery was also great and very different from both Michael and Ryan Alvarado who I've also seen.
Jacob Guzman also made his John Lauren/Philip Hamilton debut on Friday night and he was also excellent, particularly as Philip. I think Ruben Carbajal is just fantastic so Jacob had big shoes to fill and more than delivered.
The rest of the cast was wonderful as usual. Emmy is making s star turn as Angelica. Her voice commands the stage and her Satisfied is a showstopper. I saw Raven as Angelica once and found her underwhelming. Solea is excellent as always. As I said above, it was exciting to see her opposite Ryan and I thought they were delightful together. Her Burn always gives me full body chills and Friday was no exception. Julia Harriman was also an excellent Eliza. Joshua Henry is killing it as he always does in everything he does. His Burr is perfection. His choices and the arc he takes the character on are wonderful. The way he manages to be so arrogant and so charming at the same time in truly impressive. I also enjoyed Mathenee and Jordan as I always do. I love Mathenee's energy and flamboyance. I also think Jordan is hilarious, particularly as Jefferson. I disagree with the posters who think he is too over the top. Isaiah is a joy and his "One Last Time" is like church. His voice is insane. Rory was solid as always. He is the only person I never saw an understudy for, but I'm okay with that. The audience eats him up.
Special shoutout to Jennifer Geller who plays the Bullet. She is absolutely magnetic and I can't take my eyes off of her. Even on my sixth viewing I found myself drawn in by her Incredible dancing and charisma. She is truly a joy to watch and I can't wait to see where her career goes.
I'm catching the tour in LA again in November and can't wait to see this cast again. I truly think they are all so so excellent, I have zero regrets that I never saw the original Broadway cast.
You're so lucky Ryan stagedoored! He didn't when I saw him as Burr. I really want to see him in any of his big roles again because he absolutely killed it. Ryan Alvarado is the other burr understudy, and I'd be interested to hear how he does if he goes on next week.
I went to Joshua Henry's concert at the Marines Memorial Theater last night, which was filmed for potential future release, so keep your fingers crossed.
It may be of interest to some on the board that Daniel Breaker was in the audience. What the heck was he doing in San Francisco? Just before Henry is absent from the show for a week? Hmm.
The concert was spectacular, Joshua really knows how to work a crowd. A ton of the cast came and we got to meet them, and that was really fun. I did see Daniel Breaker in the lobby, but I didn't recognize him because he only posts food pictures on his Instagram, and now I'm kicking myself for not meeting him. It was great to meet ensemble members (Jennifer Geller and Raymond Baynard were there) and a few cast members (Isaiah Johnson, Mathenee) who didn't stagedoor when I saw the show.
I'm unsurprised but pleased that Hamilton is returning for what sounds like a longer run in early 2019. That's enough time for me to be eager to see it again, even if we won't get Joshua Henry next time. (I was very bummed not to see his concert last night, but that couldn't be helped.)
Demand has never flagged for the SF tour stop, and getting tickets for a reasonable price has gotten more difficult as the run is coming to a close. A woman at the box office described ticket buyers as 'desperate,' and the theatre was able to keep prices above $500 even for stray seats that been available for $195 earlier. (I tried, without success, to snag cheaper tickets for a daughter who hadn't seen the show and was in town.)
Given the depressing situation with Great Comet, I am glad to get some good theatre news.
Sounds like maybe possibly the sit down some of us were expecting? It'll be interesting to see when more info comes out. Either way, I did my happy dance on the sales floor at work when I got the news.