The Thread for HAMILTON Fans/Obsessives [SPOILERS AHEAD]- Page 32

[Mediamaven2]

Posted: 5/14/16 at 11:26pm

How do you know when Tony voters are in the house? They can be attending at any time-matinee, evening, weekend, weeknight. Basically from nomination time until ... when? The week before the Tonys? I mean, I guess your point is no one is on 'vacation' now.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/14/16 at 11:31pm

Well, not those nominated, anyway.  

 

 

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/15/16 at 12:51am

sorano916 said: "Brandon Hudson, Stephanie Klemons, and Emmy Raver-Lampman are still listed. Because Emmy is still there, Elizabeth Judd isn't listed yet."

 

FYI, they updated the cast on the website again. Both Brandon and Emmy is no longer listed. Stephanie is still there and Elizabeth hasn't bee added, though.

 

Also, based on Playbill Vault, Roddy Kennedy took over for Sydney and Ricardo Zayas took over for Seth. Don't know if those are permanent or temporary.

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/16/16 at 11:30am

Livestream of Lin's commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania happening now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo7rJ5JRn7E&feature=youtu.be

[Ellen2]

Posted: 5/18/16 at 1:07pm

Can someone please explain to me what is the meaning behind: "My dearest, (comma) Angelica" in the lyrics?  I can't seem to wrap my head around it, english is not my first language. I was there to see the show three weeks ago, but I didn't even get from Angelica's reaction what it meant to her.

Updated On: 5/18/16 at 01:07 PM

[rebeccmam31]

Posted: 5/18/16 at 1:12pm

Ellen2 said: "Can someone please explain to me what is the meaning behind: "My dearest, (comma) Angelica" in the lyrics?  I can't seem to wrap my head around it, english is not my first language. I was there to see the show three weeks ago, but I didn't even get from Angelica's reaction what it meant to her."

 

By placing the comma after "dearest" the phrase "My dearest Angelica" (a routine letter greeting) is turned into an appositive.  An appositive is defined as "a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it."  What that means is that by placing that comma there, Hamilton could be presumed to be declaring Angelica his dearest--essentially declaring his love.  Does that make sense to you?

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 5/18/16 at 1:14pm

My dearest Angelica would be a common greeting. My dearest, Angelica puts the emphasis on "my dearest" which implies that she is the primary object of Hamilton's affection, further suggesting that perhaps Eliza is not "his dearest." This is my interpretation, but I would love to hear some others. Lin has frequently referred to this moment in the show as "comma sexting". 

[Ellen2]

Posted: 5/18/16 at 2:51pm

Thank you both for your explanation. I kind of got it till now but what you both wrote about the common greeting and Angelica being the noun made it clear

I thought Angelica and Eliza were competing for Alexander's attention and the comma meant Eliza had won (for now). 

(don't worry, I wasn't thinking along the lines of a cat fight or something )

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 11:41am

Does anybody know who played Aaron Burr in the earliest stages of the show? I know that Leslie didn't join until later.

[MyLife]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 11:47am

Utkarsh Ambudkar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utkarsh_Ambudkar

[macnyc]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 11:48am

Utkarsh Ambudkar, who went on to do the Pitch Perfect movies, played Aaron Burr in the Hamilton Mixtape concert at Lincoln Center.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/arts/music/hamilton-mixtape-by-lin-manuel-miranda-at-allen-room.html?_r=0

(Cross posted with MyLife.)
 

I was reading an interview with Leslie Odom the other day, and he referenced an early version of Hamilton. He said that as the show progressed, Burr's vocals became more demanding (I'm paraphrasing), and the implication is that that's why the casting decision was made to hire Odom.



 

Updated On: 5/20/16 at 11:48 AM

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 11:57am

Thanks! I read that interview with Leslie as well. I was surprised to learn that Gavin Creel was involved in the early stages. I would love to see him play King George at some point. 

[rjm516]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 12:15pm

London LOVES Gavin. How amazing would it be if he opened the West End production as King George?! 

Utkarsh is one of the most adorable people on the planet.

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 2:02pm

I really do appreciate and applaud the casting team on their efforts to be inclusive:

https://twitter.com/broadway_buzz/status/733709971561566208

 

I saw MJ in "Rent" & she was amazing! :)

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 5:19pm

So I know Harcourt has been out for awhile and no one here had heard why.  Just saw this and I'm wondering if he's back?  

 

https://twitter.com/sydneyharcourt/status/733722098686824448

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 5/20/16 at 5:37pm

I noticed Seth Stewart was also in the amazing sounding video Harcourt posted.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 12:14am

yeah, what's the deal, are they in the show or what?

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 12:20am

gypsy101 said: "yeah, what's the deal, are they in the show or what?"
 
It's not unheard of to have injured cast members do the Tony number, even if they're on leave from the actual show. 

For example, when "American Idiot" performed, injured cast members Declan Bennett and Chase Peacock did the first number (Boulevard of Broken Dreams) which was more singing but then their replacements/swings did the second number (American Idiot) which was more dance-centric.

Updated On: 5/21/16 at 12:20 AM

[ammurp]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 3:01pm

ChiTheaterFan said: "So I know Harcourt has been out for awhile and no one here had heard why.  Just saw this and I'm wondering if he's back?  

 

https://twitter.com/sydneyharcourt/status/733722098686824448

 

"I could have sworn he was in when I saw the show on Tuesday...mostly because I remember thinking to myself that one of the ensemble really looked like Keegan Michael Key. But his name isn't anywhere in my playbill.

 

[sorano916]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 6:10pm

From Javi's Twitter, today was Shonica Gooden's last day and Nicholas Christopher was on as Washington, which I think was his first.

https://twitter.com/JMunozActor/status/734140618897772545

https://twitter.com/JMunozActor/status/734140712019755010

[AnnieBlack]

Posted: 5/21/16 at 8:02pm

LizzieCurry said: "I'd never even heard of Heat Street until today. It looks like it was just launched:

http://digiday.com/publishers/news-corp-heat-street/

 

Heatst.com seems to be mostly alt-right news site whose entertainment news is mostly focused on hamilton. Weird mix! Wonder who they are getting their hamilton info from

 

[bear88]

Posted: 5/24/16 at 4:00am

This discussion came up in the Unpopular Opinions thread, but I don't want people getting cranky about that thread getting hijacked by more Hamilton talk so I'm tossing out my take since the musical's quality and staying power has been debated here.

I haven't been to New York in a long while. My wife and I used to go a lot during the late '80s and early '90s and would see a bunch of shows on a long weekend. Last month, we went with our younger daughter (teenager) and saw four shows (Wicked, Book of Mormon, Shuffle Along, Hamilton). We came back to the San Francisco area and saw a touring production of Kinky Boots, a show we heard good things about while in New York. So we've seen a bunch of award-winning musicals lately.

Hamilton is in its own category. I realize the show benefits from the frenzy surrounding it, the scarcity of tickets, and the original cast. There's no way to truly know now whether the show will be regarded as a game-changing classic or a clever musical that provided a very Obama-era take on the Founding Fathers (or a few of them anyway) that will be treated as a product of its time.

I think Hamilton will hold up better than some expect because of the quality of the songs and the impressive ambition of the show. It's a musical that should be more clever than moving, but manages to be both. I listened to the soundtrack before we decided to buy tickets to make sure my rap-hating wife would not kill me. It didn't take long to realize she wouldn't hate it, that the range of musical styles (and Lin-Manuel Miranda's ability to present old school rap at its most accessible) would repeatedly catch her off-guard. And seeing the show, even from rear mezzanine, showed off the impressive staging and choreography. The original cast will be leaving soon, and the replacements might not be as good. Same with the touring productions.

But the songs are still going to be terrific. One of my daughter's favorite songs was, "Dear Theodosia," which no one usually mentions as a highlight. "You'll Be Back" ls brilliant and hysterical. The "Helpless/Satisfied" one-two punch is ten minutes of Broadway at its finest. The rap battles are great, even better because they reference obscure American history and make it compelling to people who know nothing about it. "The Room Where it Happens" was my favorite live Broadway performance ever. "It's Quiet Uptown" is a sad and beautiful ballad. I'm leaving many songs out here, and that's the point.

The show didn't suffer from Second Act disease, unlike most of the other musicals we saw. It was at least as good, if not better, after intermission. That's awfully hard to pull off.  I also don't think the "novelty" of performers of color playing white historical figures will end up being a big deal. It might be less of a selling point for the show in the future, but that's more because it won't seem all that unusual.  

The biggest problem for the show? Who will play Lafayette/Jefferson in future productions? The number of actors who can rap that fast and understandably, while also stealing every scene he's in, seems like it might be small. 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/24/16 at 4:10am

Great post!

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/24/16 at 9:30am

The biggest problem for the show? Who will play Lafayette/Jefferson in future productions? The number of actors who can rap that fast and understandably, while also stealing every scene he's in, seems like it might be small. 

Oh, I completely disagree. I definitely don't think this pool of future talent is as small as you think it might be. I would argue that it's exciting, that rappers who can act now have this phenomenal part/production in order to showcase their skills! Diggs is a rapper who is now Tony nominated in his Broadway debut; I look forward to seeing who else casting finds for future productions!

[bear88]

Posted: 5/26/16 at 3:04am

Anakela, you're probably right, and I should clarify that I didn't mean Daveed Diggs is the only person who can play the role. There are a lot of talented rappers out there who can act, just not roles for them in a musical.

That said, I just remember watching Diggs in the show and thinking, "How many people in the world can do this?" Rapid-fire rapping, in a French accent, that's understandable in the rear mezzanine, then switching to the scene-stealing Jefferson. Shoot, even the song that doesn't play to Diggs' musical strengths - "What'd I Miss?" - is a spectacular and audacious crowd pleaser on stage.