Would Europe and Australia really care for Hamilton- Page 2

[Petralicious]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 11:08am

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

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 11:08am

Yep. And really the brunt of the 'America, **** yeah' stuff is done by the time Yorktown is over. The music, choreography and lighting of that scene gave me chills even if I didn't feel patriotic to a country I'm not from. But I can connect to Eliza's pain when Hamilton cheats, I can connect to their grief over the loss of Philip, I can connect to Angelica's unrequited love, I can connect to Burr's reluctance to speak out. None of these things rely on the audience being American so that they can identify with and be moved by them.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 12:00pm

Book of Mormon has broken box office records in Australia, and has passed the record set by Phantom back in 1989. Hamilton should succeed here as well, they just need to start the buzz early enough.

As proven by the awful box office of Ghost, it needs to have positive reviews from over seas ( which Ghost did not )

[SnoopyQc]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:07pm

As your friend in Canada, I've never heard of Hamilton, Burr, Mulligan, etc. before Lin Manuel Miranda sing the opening number at the White House (back in 2009). But as a history lover, I take it as a great opportunity to learn about american history. There are many people who like to learn about other countries's culture or history. It is why historical movie are popular worldwide.

The bigger obstacle might be the language. I don't think that a translation could be possible without loosing quality. And Hamilton is not a musical that you can enjoy without understand the lyrics. So I can see Hamilton being successful in english speaking countries. Maybe a world tour can be successful too. Then, the show can stop for a few days/weeks in place where a long run production cannot succeed.

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 02:07 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:23pm

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?

 

Speak for yourself. I would actually be more surprised that an American hadn't heard about Hamilton before the musical premiered. Some of us actually did pay attention in history class and/or has taken it upon ourselves to learn the history of our nation, as well as some world history. Alexander Hamilton isn't exactly some esoteric footnote in the annals of America's history. 

 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:30pm

Also us Brits take an interest in world politics,  history etc, it seems it's more America that suffers with not learning or understanding much about the rest of the world, I don't mean that to sound bad but it's just what I've observed.

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:51pm

WhizzerMarvin said: "Speak for yourself. I would actually be more surprised that an American hadn't heard about Hamilton before the musical premiered. Some of us actually did pay attention in history class and/or has taken it upon ourselves to learn the history of our nation, as well as some world history. Alexander Hamilton isn't exactly some esoteric footnote in the annals of America's history."
 

Well even Lin himself - clearly intelligent, well educated and interested in these things - only knew that he was on the ten dollar bill and that he died in a duel before reading the Chernow bio. Certainly far more Americans will have heard of Hamilton than those outside of the USA but from what I've seen not many people know more than the main events of his life and I'd be surprised if anyone other than historians didn't learn anything while watching Hamilton.
 

 

 

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 02:51 PM

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 2:59pm

Well I wasn't suggesting that I or anyone else would be expected to have an extensive knowledge of Hamilton's life, but to never have heard of him before the musical? That's absurd. I would expect Americans to know the basic facts of first Secretary of the Treasury, died in a duel, etc. 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:04pm

Yeah as a Brit I can't comment on whether Americans should know who he is or not. I wonder which British historical figure he'd be comparable to in terms of historical importance/fame. 

[sparepart973]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:09pm

In English-speaking countries, yes for sure it will do well. Non-musical theatre lovers who are into rap and R&B know it and like it, which they find unusual themselves. The show in the US has its own dedicated fan base, for sure, but its PR/social media machine and countless celebrity endorsement isn't "just organic". There's clearly a lot of thought, effort and expertise put into this to give it a reputation. This can be duplicated abroad. Book of Mormon is doing very well in London and Australia, and although people will contribute its fame and cross-over interest to South Park, I actually think it is starting to become less of that at that point, and simply famous and a must-see because it's ridiculously funny and crude. I think Hamilton has even a much bigger cross-over appeal than BOM given how its style is completely fresh and appealing to a non-Broadway palette. 

In non-English speaking countries, I think it could still work especially in Paris, despite it being a graveyard for Broadway "type" musicals. They tend to do their own versions that are more like stadium concert presentations rather than a typical Broadway musical we are familiar with. However, rap is very big in France, and I think considering the diversity casting, it could work very well in a city that is ethnically diverse, where a show like this with a statement on diversity could ring loud. Cast a black/brown famous rapper to boot and it'll definitely be noticed. 

I think Germany and Austria (well, Vienna specifically) might be a bit trickier. They still love their big loud ass ballads there, despite DE/Austria being the second largest musical theatre designations in Europe after London. Netherlands, probably do okay, but it's such a limited market compared to DE/Austria. I don't see why this would be worth their while. 

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 03:09 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:26pm

Broadway Forever2 said: "ok I concede that it's possible to do well especially with all the hype. I'm just curious about how they'll respond. Like my friend from Canada liked it and the music but she didn't understand a bunch of it. She had no idea who John Adams of James Madison were either lol. She asked me who James Madison was and why "he follows Jefferson around like a drone" "



Sounds like your Canadian friend isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Maybe she could google these figures?

Updated On: 4/7/16 at 03:26 PM

[Tag]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 3:33pm

Sounds like your Canadian friend isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Maybe she could google these figures?

Please honey, do you know anything about Canadian history?

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 4:05pm

^^ thank you!!

[sparepart973]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 4:08pm

I think it's one thing to listen to the CD and try to really make out the plot vs seeing it. The story makes sense just like any other decently put together show with a plot and characters and does not require research prior to arrival. It's a big ol' commercial musical. Not complicated stuff. People will get it. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 4:26pm

Because we all know that Canada has the most riveting history of any modern nation.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 4/7/16 at 5:19pm

US has?