Would Europe and Australia really care for Hamilton

Like do you think the show will tour well in countries outside of US? Part of the reason it's so big in the US is that it's such an American story. Like does England really care enough about the US to care for a musical like Hamilton. I mean they are the villains of the show lol. I mean I doubt anybody outside of the US has even heard of Alexander Hamilton. I have a friend from Canada and although she liked the album she said she didn't get some aspects from it and some references and she's from Canada.

Call_me_jorge said: "I doubt anybody on the US heard about Alexander Hamilton until the show came out. So why would the us care about someone they don't even know?



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I mean kids learn about him in history though. And I mean he's on the 10 dollar bill...But even if they hadn't heard of him Hamilton is also about the formation of the country of America making it very appealing to Americans. Why would British people care about that?

I'm sure lots of people in America knew of Hamilton's existence, but probably only peripherally. We know he's on the ten-dollar bill. Many of us (I assume) know he was the first treasury of the Secretary. I knew he had died in a duel against the Vice President. That was really the extent of my knowledge of Hamilton but I'd think much of the informed people of America knew those three things about him before the musical Hamilton. The main reason why I was surprised about it was because I thought: why do we need a musical about Alexander Hamilton?


As for the rest of the world: they seem to love many things that I would think would be mainly an American enjoyment. I assume the people England know about our history with them, they'll probably find the King just as funny (if not more) than we do. I think the rest of the world will love the show.

Nah, it'll never work.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 12:05 AM

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Why would the US care about the first lady of Argentina?"

This guy gets it.

You could very well ask the same question about Les Miz. Who cares about the small tid-bit at the end of the French Revolution? It's all in the themes. Though that may not be the best example as Les Miz is based of an incredible novel. The Hamilton book may be good too, but I haven't read it yet. :)

As an Australian and British citizen, I think the OP raises a fair point. Personally, I wasn't initially interested in Hamilton because I didn't know anything about Alexander Hamilton (or thought I cared much about US history). However, it was hard to ignore the hype and once becoming familiar with the material it did interest me - it's a great show. If the hype and good word-of-mouth continues overseas, I think the show could be successful. But I don't think a one-sentence description of the show would be of much interest to many Australians or British people (in particular Australians). The challenge will be getting people inside - not keeping their interest while they are inside. Again though, it's hard to ignore the hype though and it just keeps building. I can't imagine what is going to happen when it wins Best Musical.

That said, I don't quite buy the comparisons to Les Miz. Personally, I think the historical aspects of Hamilton are much, much more detailed/complex and have a greater importance to the story than the historical aspects of Les Miz. I mean, Hamilton is basically a historical retelling. Yes, there are some universal themes but nothing like Les Miz - which to me feels like a very universal story that has been tacked onto the french revolution setting. I personally see this as a strength of Hamilton.

Evita comparisons are probably more appropriate I think.

With regard to Europe, I don't think this show could be done in another language.

Like qolbinau I'm an Aussie who really wasn't interested in Hamilton when I first heard about it, until I finally caved to all the hype, bought the cast recording and the next day booked tickets (before even booking flights!). For those of us who follow theatre (and there are a few of us!), yes, we will be ecstatic to have Hamilton here (frankly, we're happy to get anything that's not a revival)! It may be a harder sell with the general public, but definitely not impossible with the right marketing. We don't have too many Mormons here but Book of Mormon is selling well and doesn't open for another 8 months! Some schools do teach about the American Revolution (e.g. in my state there is a year 12 subject called 'Revolutions History', but schools choose only 2 of the 4 revolutions in the syllabus [American, Chinese, French & Russian] and not every school will offer the subject), so that may produce some interest too. I think it will do well here, keeping in mind that shows in Australia definitely don't have the longevity of shows on Broadway (and have to move to several cities to be successful).

yes, we will be ecstatic to have Hamilton here (frankly, we're happy to get anything that's not a revival)! "



I agree with this 100% (as Cats tours Australia for the umpteenth time).



As a fellow Australian, I would love to see Hamilton here but am unsure how it would go. Generally musicals in Aus seem to be tailored to either families or 'girls nights out' and thus shows like Dirty Dancing and The Sound of Music sell well. I don't believe Rent had a particularly long run in Australia. Book of Mormon may be the tipping point- if it succeeds then maybe Australian producers will be keen to have more new 'different' musicals

You guys have managed with Shakespeare and Billy Elliot amongst others, so I think us Brits can manage Hamilton. I don't see how a story about a period in American history (which actually incuded Britain) is any different from a story about a period in French history, Argentinian, Vietnamese, or a story set in Washington Heights or in the South Pacific. It's just another story, and it's brilliantly told, so I don't see why people don't think us Brits wouldn't 'get' it. That's a bit like assuming we wouldn't 'get' Spielberg's Lincoln film or something.

The world is a very small place now, we have a lot of on American culture here, sadly that includes the Kardashians, but you know, a musical about American history is really not going to be too much of a foreign thing to us. Personally, I spent my early 20's consuming The West Wing, (in hindsight I get a few of the Hamilton/Burr references now!) and truthfully would have a better shot at naming more American presidents then British Prime Ministers at this point.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 07:00 AM

I just can't see it being done in German. Aside from in the UK, it's the music rather than the the book that makes it too culturally niche, for a wider global market, other than as a fringe event.

Wolf Court, Les Miz, Evita as stated above are all very popular in America.

You cannot get more American than Grease or Rock of Ages, they are world beaters