I've wanted to see it live for a long time but balked at the $3600 price tag for a family of 4 (not incl dinner).
In any case watched it over the weekend and I really loved it. Made me want to go watch it live now even more than before.
You guys catch it? Thoughts?
Also signed up for Disney plus just to see it and was also impressed (also watched the Mandalorian which was good). I agree with the post above regarding subtitles. I had listened to the soundtrack before I saw the show and still had trouble understanding some of the lines.
It was all over the news
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/hamilton-tickets-are-still-ridiculously-expensive-but-why.html/
Link - ( New Window )
so i'm not going to watch it again
Its weird on ticketmaster because of the limited seating available especially if you are not more than what 8 months out. So when I went to grab some for my wife;s bday, the seats were around $800 each (before fees and tax). Im sure if I was more flexible I could have scored cheaper but outside of the timeframe I wanted.
Totally agree about the subtitles, they enhanced it for me especially since some of the raps were so fast, loved Lafayette's secret weapon scene, but needed the subtitles to fully understand it.
I thought the second act was MUCH better than the first act. Although, my favorite parts were the King George songs. Funny stuff.
This was my favorite of the deleted songs.... - ( New Window )
I think it's a great show, but it will come under more criticism now that it is on Disney+. Seeing it in theaters, and paying the hefty price tag, I think is what makes it even more successful. It's an exclusive thing to see.
It's hard to explain but it's kind of like seeing a comic. I think you could see an expensive comic (Seinfeld, Chapelle, etc..) in person, pay $300 a ticket, and being around other people that are laughing and the high barrier of entry makes you enjoy it more. You're probably more inclined to like something you paid a lot of money for. But if you watch that same comic on Netflix, where the barrier of entry is super low and you can quickly switch to a plethora of other comics, it changes the experience a bit for you and you may not be inclined to like it as much. Maybe you're more critical.
I still love the show but I think the percentage of people that see it and dislike or aren't blown away by it, it will be higher for people who watch it on DIsney+ vs the theater experience. It has high expectations.
I think it's a great show, but it will come under more criticism now that it is on Disney+. Seeing it in theaters, and paying the hefty price tag, I think is what makes it even more successful. It's an exclusive thing to see.
It's hard to explain but it's kind of like seeing a comic. I think you could see an expensive comic (Seinfeld, Chapelle, etc..) in person, pay $300 a ticket, and being around other people that are laughing and the high barrier of entry makes you enjoy it more. You're probably more inclined to like something you paid a lot of money for. But if you watch that same comic on Netflix, where the barrier of entry is super low and you can quickly switch to a plethora of other comics, it changes the experience a bit for you and you may not be inclined to like it as much. Maybe you're more critical.
I still love the show but I think the percentage of people that see it and dislike or aren't blown away by it, it will be higher for people who watch it on DIsney+ vs the theater experience. It has high expectations.
I think this is the right take. It's just a different experience seeing it live, and you judge it differently than some hyped play you watch on tv in your living room.
It is so dense lyrically it does take a few watchings to get all the references
I think it's a great show, but it will come under more criticism now that it is on Disney+. Seeing it in theaters, and paying the hefty price tag, I think is what makes it even more successful. It's an exclusive thing to see.
It's hard to explain but it's kind of like seeing a comic. I think you could see an expensive comic (Seinfeld, Chapelle, etc..) in person, pay $300 a ticket, and being around other people that are laughing and the high barrier of entry makes you enjoy it more. You're probably more inclined to like something you paid a lot of money for. But if you watch that same comic on Netflix, where the barrier of entry is super low and you can quickly switch to a plethora of other comics, it changes the experience a bit for you and you may not be inclined to like it as much. Maybe you're more critical.
I still love the show but I think the percentage of people that see it and dislike or aren't blown away by it, it will be higher for people who watch it on DIsney+ vs the theater experience. It has high expectations.
This is a fair point, for me though its the music and story thats so winning. I think that would 100% be enhanced live but the music was so enjoyable to me, didn't matter that it was on TV.
Got through about 25 minutes and switched it off. Completely underwhelmed. Did a quick survey of some people I know because I thought maybe we were just momos but found everyone I surveyed felt kinda the same.
Glad I didn't pay to see it live.
To each their own though. Glad others enjoyed it.
Was blown away.
First, it's a great show. But it's also, ahem, a revolutionary Broadway show. It puts the Broadway musical in youth culture for the first time since, I dunno, Elvis? And though this shouldn't be a surprise, it turns out that rap and hip-hop lend themselves very well to storytelling, much more so than rock 'n' roll. (Though I saw "The Who's Tommy" on Broadway years ago and thought the music held up fantastically. WAY better than Les Miserables, which I saw the day before.) Miranda also did a superb job of going back and forth between musical genres, going from pop to Broadway-style ballads to rap to fit the character and the moment. Giving King George a 60s-style Britpop song, genius.
Aside from the form, it also brings these historical figures to life in a way that's really exciting. It's hard to watch that show and not find yourself wanting to find out more about a lot of these people. In its music, in its performances, in its casting, "Hamilton" says that American history belongs to everyone.
So many great performances in that show, too. Daveed Diggs, holy moly. Miranda. Philippa Soo. On and on...
I don't know whether any other musicals will be able to do what this show did. Miranda is a unique talent, and his passion for the material is so palpable... It lends an urgency to the show that is hard to duplicate. It's sort of lightning in a bottle, and it's so good it could be sort of the beginning and end of a genre. But I hope other songwriters will follow Miranda's path. There's been a hunger for live theater that spoke to a wide audience. More of this would be great.
My goal here isn't to force anyone to like it as much as I do-- some people just don't like musicals, others don't like hip hop, and some just might not have been as impressed as I was. But here were the things about it that allow me to enjoy it time and time again and wear out the soundtrack.
1) Lyrically, I think the music is mind-blowing great.I highly recommend watching the show with the closed-captioning on to follow along with the lyrics. I'm a huge fan of Eminem's (and others') use of internal rhymes and Lin Manuel Miranda's lyrics in Hamilton are as clever, and as tightly constructed as anything in hip hop. I'm not saying LMM is naturally as great a rapper, but he put an incredible amount of time into his lyrics. He spent a year on "My Shot" alone. You'll pick on on so many clever lines that you otherwise might have missed.
Some lyrics that continue to blow me away:
As you can see I kept a checklist of every check in my checkered history
check it again against your list and see consistency.
I never spent a cent that wasn’t mine.
You sent the dogs after my scent, that’s fine
Burr, you disgust me
Ahh, so you discussed me. I'm a trust fund, baby. You can trust me.
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree
He ain't ever gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century
Enter me, he says in parentheses
Don't be shocked when your hist'ry book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy
Because I'm the oldest, and the wittiest
and the gossip in New York City is insidious
2) The music references. They are largely hip hop references, and as a fan of hip hop, it was great picking up on all the references/homages he makes to Biggie, Mobb Deep, DMX, Tribe, Busta Rhymes, Grandmasta Flash, etc. Read more here. Additonally, I liked that King George's music reminded of the Beatles and "British Invasion" and I liked the reference to Gilbert & Sullivan by Washington.
3) It wasn't just a captivating story, but it was educational. I'm not finished with the Chernow biography, but the show does a great job incorporating so much meat and information into a 3-hour show. In school, history is often boring. It's people in a textbook and a battle is a throw-away line to memorize. Like many other great pieces of art (Band of Brothers, John Adams, Lincoln, etc.), this show brought our nation's history and founding to life. These larger than life founding fathers had flaws, motivations, they were emotional, angry, relentless, inconsistent. Especially for the younger generation who are falling asleep in history class- the way this story is told might have educated them more than a an entire week in school on the subject.
4). The performers. I thought the talent level was off the charts: for me, Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson) just explodes off the stage, and Leslie Odom Jr (Burr) contrasts perfectly with Hamilton. I also though the women's singing were off the charts (Renee Goldsberry as Anjelica and Philipa Soo as Eliza)
5) The significance of casting people of color to tell "white" stories in what's traditionally a white arena (Broadway) and using "hip hop" as the predominant musical styling is groundbreaking and will hopefully expand the notion of musical theater and what future stories are told on the stage.
6) Along those lines, it's an interesting similarity telling the story of Hamilton as the ultimate immigrant story.
7) The Hamilton Mixtapes: After the show's success, Lin-Manuel Miranda (over time) released mixtapes. These were either unreleased tracks, or they were performances of Hamilton songs by famous artists, or new songs by famous artists that were inspired by songs from the musical. Performers include: Nas, Kelly Clarkson, Mobb Deep, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Andra Day, Sarah Bareilles, Sia, Regina Spektor, Ja Rule, Ashanti). , The Decembrists You can see them all here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hamilton_Mixtape and you can find them on Spotify/Youtube
My goal here isn't to force anyone to like it as much as I do-- some people just don't like musicals, others don't like hip hop, and some just might not have been as impressed as I was. But here were the things about it that allow me to enjoy it time and time again and wear out the soundtrack.
1) Lyrically, I think the music is mind-blowing great.I highly recommend watching the show with the closed-captioning on to follow along with the lyrics. I'm a huge fan of Eminem's (and others') use of internal rhymes and Lin Manuel Miranda's lyrics in Hamilton are as clever, and as tightly constructed as anything in hip hop. I'm not saying LMM is naturally as great a rapper, but he put an incredible amount of time into his lyrics. He spent a year on "My Shot" alone. You'll pick on on so many clever lines that you otherwise might have missed.
Some lyrics that continue to blow me away:
As you can see I kept a checklist of every check in my checkered history
check it again against your list and see consistency.
I never spent a cent that wasn’t mine.
You sent the dogs after my scent, that’s fine
Burr, you disgust me
Ahh, so you discussed me. I'm a trust fund, baby. You can trust me.
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King George turns around, runs a spending spree
He ain't ever gonna set his descendants free
So there will be a revolution in this century
Enter me, he says in parentheses
Don't be shocked when your hist'ry book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy
Because I'm the oldest, and the wittiest
and the gossip in New York City is insidious
2) The music references. They are largely hip hop references, and as a fan of hip hop, it was great picking up on all the references/homages he makes to Biggie, Mobb Deep, DMX, Tribe, Busta Rhymes, Grandmasta Flash, etc. Read more here. Additonally, I liked that King George's music reminded of the Beatles and "British Invasion" and I liked the reference to Gilbert & Sullivan by Washington.
3) It wasn't just a captivating story, but it was educational. I'm not finished with the Chernow biography, but the show does a great job incorporating so much meat and information into a 3-hour show. In school, history is often boring. It's people in a textbook and a battle is a throw-away line to memorize. Like many other great pieces of art (Band of Brothers, John Adams, Lincoln, etc.), this show brought our nation's history and founding to life. These larger than life founding fathers had flaws, motivations, they were emotional, angry, relentless, inconsistent. Especially for the younger generation who are falling asleep in history class- the way this story is told might have educated them more than a an entire week in school on the subject.
4). The performers. I thought the talent level was off the charts: for me, Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson) just explodes off the stage, and Leslie Odom Jr (Burr) contrasts perfectly with Hamilton. I also though the women's singing were off the charts (Renee Goldsberry as Anjelica and Philipa Soo as Eliza)
5) The significance of casting people of color to tell "white" stories in what's traditionally a white arena (Broadway) and using "hip hop" as the predominant musical styling is groundbreaking and will hopefully expand the notion of musical theater and what future stories are told on the stage.
6) Along those lines, it's an interesting similarity telling the story of Hamilton as the ultimate immigrant story.
7) The Hamilton Mixtapes: After the show's success, Lin-Manuel Miranda (over time) released mixtapes. These were either unreleased tracks, or they were performances of Hamilton songs by famous artists, or new songs by famous artists that were inspired by songs from the musical. Performers include: Nas, Kelly Clarkson, Mobb Deep, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Andra Day, Sarah Bareilles, Sia, Regina Spektor, Ja Rule, Ashanti). , The Decembrists You can see them all here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hamilton_Mixtape and you can find them on Spotify/Youtube
I was just talking about this with family. The lyrics are as well crafted as anything we've ever seen. In one of the songs just before Hamilton faces Burr in the duel, he mentions that he is going to New Jersey because "everything is legal in New Jersey." That's actually a modern day reference to most forms of gambling being legal in NJ and illegal in NY at the time the lyrics were written in addition to dueling being legal in Jersey and illegal in NY back then
I could have posted several more parts. I just found it so compelling.
Another thing that was great was the choreography.
If you re-watch it, you'll notice that the songs "Helpless" and "Satisfied" are back to back. And Satisfied rewinds time to show what happens from another perspective, and so the show has the performers do the entire choreography from "Helpless" in reverse. It's impressive.
81_Great_Dane commented earlier
I thought this was an excellent point.
Burr was more pragmatist than ideologue, but it's not like he was without ideals. He has been described as America's first feminist. He wrote Jefferson that women should be in the cabinet. Jefferson wrote back, "The world is not ready for that and quite frankly, neither am I" or words to that effect. And Burr sought to end slavery immediately following the American Revolution, but was unsuccessful.
Burr may have been the only one of the founding fathers who wasn't just looking out for his own self-interest and yet the musical paints the exact opposite picture (albeit with occasional hints that suggest otherwise). The oligarchs--who cared mostly about protecting their wealth" didn't like him and as Aunt May says in Crimes and Misdemeanors, "History is written by the winners"...
scene - ( New Window )
Burr was more pragmatist than ideologue, but it's not like he was without ideals. He has been described as America's first feminist. He wrote Jefferson that women should be in the cabinet. Jefferson wrote back, "The world is not ready for that and quite frankly, neither am I" or words to that effect. And Burr sought to end slavery immediately following the American Revolution, but was unsuccessful.
Burr may have been the only one of the founding fathers who wasn't just looking out for his own self-interest and yet the musical paints the exact opposite picture (albeit with occasional hints that suggest otherwise). The oligarchs--who cared mostly about protecting their wealth" didn't like him and as Aunt May says in Crimes and Misdemeanors, "History is written by the winners"... scene - ( New Window )
Gore Vidal touches on a lot of this in Burr, IIRC from reading it in high school
For a Broadway show, an A-, B+.
This is from someone who went to school with people who became professional theater directors and has seen 1,000's of productions.
No matter how loud I made it, I couldn’t understand them.
I’ll have t watch it with subtitles enabled.
No matter how loud I made it, I couldn’t understand them.
I’ll have t watch it with subtitles enabled.
No different than Hatchimals and Covid toilet paper.
No different than paying crazy after market prices for a sports event or concert.
I’ve paid 300 bucks a ticket for a Yankees playoff game, and it was worth it. I imagine the Twins fan next to me didn’t feel that way after he ran his mouth all game and someone dumped a beer on his head.
The average after market price for Hamilton tickets was in the 250 range, not that crazy. I’m sure plenty of broadway fans would never pay 1000 dollars for a family of four to go to a Rangers playoff game.
Quote:
Jim - I don’t know where you got the number $3600 for 4 tickets. I paid about $900 for 4 orchestra tickets which I bought at the box office. Still pricey and more than I’ve ever paid. It’s probably doesn’t matter anymore so I don’t think Broadway shows will be back for at least a few years.
It was all over the news
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/hamilton-tickets-are-still-ridiculously-expensive-but-why.html/ Link - ( New Window )
Holiday week prices are a phenomenon unto themselves.
And for the record, Hamilton has never priced a ticket higher than $998, and that's just for the holidays. Even so, a good argument can be made that based on arbitrage margin alone, Hamilton has been the most underpriced show on Broadway, in terms of primary ticket prices.
It was pretty good, not great. Other than King George who gets all the best lines/songs in comic relief.