[Broadway] Hamilton

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:45 pm

stimpy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:15 pm My wife is SO excited to see this.
I am SO excited to have 3 free hours to game while she does.

You really ought to give it a chance. It's not like any musical you've seen.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:29 pm

I just spoke to my wife about this.
She agreed to watch it and she knows me well enough that if she thinks I'd enjoy it, she'll watch it again with me.

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 7:35 pm

I can’t wait! I’ve told the Mrs she needs to wait until I’m done working to watch it. I give it a 50-50 chance that she tries to sneak a viewing in early.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Thu Jul 02, 2020 9:18 pm

stimpy wrote:I just spoke to my wife about this.
She agreed to watch it and she knows me well enough that if she thinks I'd enjoy it, she'll watch it again with me.

Just watch it...really an incredible accomplishment that deserves every bit of praise that it's received. It's so good that I really can't imagine anyone watching it and not being blown away.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am

My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:40 am

We saw the touring cast here in Portland but I'm excited to see the original Broadway cast. I'm pretty sure my daughter watched it at midnight last night when it went live but we plan to watch it as a family on the 4th.

Watching TV is becoming a bit of a Fourth of July tradition here. Last year we binge-watched season 3 of Stranger Things - seems like that was ten years ago.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:00 am

hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.

Especially when the case is a majority of minorities and something that the author is very cognizant of.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:10 am

We just finished it. It's really quite amazing. I've never seen it live but have had the soundtrack long enough to nearly memorize it. The acting makes a big difference. I thought seeing it this way would mean I wouldn't feel the need to see it live but I think the opposite is actually the case. Can't recommend it enough.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:30 am

We're having fun comparing it to the live performances we've seen in Chicago and London. Never got to see the NYC performance but now we don't have to!

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:00 pm

We just watched the first act (of two), and it's wonderful.

It's the original cast, but it's a particular performance (or perhaps spliced from several), so the sound is subtly different from the album.

Seeing the faces and the choreography is what makes it so special.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:17 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:03 am Broadway World - June 2016

Earlier this month, Hamilton star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda confirmed reports that the hip-hop hit musical would be filmed with the original cast. The actor shared that at the present time, he is not sure what will be done with the footage, but that he wanted to preserve the performance on film for posterity.
...
Following the performance, Miranda turned to Twitter to confirm that the filming was complete and the footage was on its way to "Gringotts Vault", a reference to the only bank in the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

[ Jun. 29, 2016 ]

Filming of the Tony winning musical took place during last night's performance at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Tony nominee Jonathan Groff joined the original cast and reprised his role of King George III, replacing the current King George, Rory O'Malley, for the one-night only appearance.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm

I’m watching it now. Two things stick out so far:

1) it’s probably just me, but Lin-Manuel’s voice seems kind of weak and shrill compared to the rest of the excellent cast.

2) Renee Elise Goldsberry is a goddamn force of nature. I mean, I thought Quellcrist Falconer was attractive, but now I’m positively smitten.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:57 pm

Watched it tonight with my wife and daughter. Highly entertaining. I cannot imagine how much fun that would be to see live.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:58 pm

Damn, this is good.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:47 am

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm 2) Renee Elise Goldsberry is a goddamn force of nature. I mean, I thought Quellcrist Falconer was attractive, but now I’m positively smitten.

Stole the damn show. Incredible voice and can spit fire rhymes. (Am I saying that right? I'm a nearly 50 white guy.)

I didn't know more about the show than what I had gleaned through pop culture. Quality was top notch. I wasn't really expecting it to be operatic in how it was performed in that it was all sung/rapped without traditional dialog. It worked, though. The choreography was great and I thought they did a great job making it feel like a staged musical even though I was watching from my couch.

In all honesty it's not something I'm likely to return to, and I don't see myself listening to the soundtrack. I'm definitely glad I watched it, though.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:29 am

Holman wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:00 pm We just watched the first act (of two), and it's wonderful.

It's the original cast, but it's a particular performance (or perhaps spliced from several), so the sound is subtly different from the album.

Seeing the faces and the choreography is what makes it so special.

It was spliced together from three performances from June 26-29, 2016.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:42 am

ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:47 am
hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm 2) Renee Elise Goldsberry is a goddamn force of nature. I mean, I thought Quellcrist Falconer was attractive, but now I’m positively smitten.
Stole the damn show. Incredible voice and can spit fire rhymes. (Am I saying that right? I'm a nearly 50 white guy.)

There’s a portrait of her somewhere that’s getting older because she sure as hell isn’t. She’s 49 but looks 19.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:57 am

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm Renee Elise Goldsberry is a goddamn force of nature.

She really is. When I saw it on stage, long after the original cast had left, Angelica was the one role where I thought the performer was weak. She had a powerful voice, but her acting didn't capture the spine and strength of Angelica anywhere close to how Goldsberry does it. "Satisfied," performed by Goldsberry, is my favorite song in the show.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:40 am

Oh, and Jonathan Groff? Wow. Just...wow.

Goldsberry's Angelica, Groff's King George and Daveed Diggs' Thomas Jefferson were the standouts for me.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:10 am

hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.

Tell them that they have benefited from slavery.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:39 am

hepcat wrote:Oh, and Jonathan Groff? Wow. Just...wow.

Goldsberry's Angelica, Groff's King George and Daveed Diggs' Thomas Jefferson were the standouts for me.

Agree on all of these points. Goldsberry was by far the best performance for me, but Groff and Diggs were very entertaining.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:22 pm

Grifman wrote:
hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.
Tell them that they have benefited from slavery.

Also, Hamilton never owned slaves and was pretty anti-slavery I believe. But of course that wasn’t true for many/most of the people in the show.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 1:29 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Jul 02, 2020 6:45 pm It's not like any musical you've seen.

Oh, I thought it was supposed to be good. Like every other Broadway musical I've seen.

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:10 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm I’m watching it now. Two things stick out so far:

1) it’s probably just me, but Lin-Manuel’s voice seems kind of weak and shrill compared to the rest of the excellent cast.

2) Renee Elise Goldsberry is a goddamn force of nature. I mean, I thought Quellcrist Falconer was attractive, but now I’m positively smitten.

100% agreed with both of these.

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 4:26 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:22 pm
Grifman wrote:
hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.
Tell them that they have benefited from slavery.
Also, Hamilton never owned slaves and was pretty anti-slavery I believe. But of course that wasn’t true for many/most of the people in the show.

Ehhh. He himself didn't own enslaved people, but he was involved in the sale and purchasing of them for family members. His being presented as an abolitionist or as pro-immigrant is a little overstated in the play, but I understand the leniency. It's not meant to be a documentary and he can't be portrayed as the scrappy underdog hero without playing a teeny bit fast and loose with history.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 5:08 pm

Grifman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:10 am
hentzau wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 10:21 am My daughters (ages 20 and 24) refuse to watch it because they hate the idea of watching a show that glorifies people that benefitted from/supported slavery.

While I appreciate their zeal, I think it is a bit overblown and misplaced.
Tell them that they have benefited from slavery.

This seems a bit glib. NASA benefited from Nazi rocket science, but that doesn't implicate Buzz Aldrin in the Holocaust.

The debate around HAMILTON and its exaggeration/erasure of certain elements of history is complex, and it's not unreasonable for someone to reject it for some aspect of that. It would only be unreasonable for the daughters to declare that *no one* should watch it.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:33 pm

People understand we are watching a Broadway musical and not a documentary, right?

MHS · Post by **MHS** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:24 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:33 pm People understand we are watching a Broadway musical and not a documentary, right?

MHS wrote:It's not meant to be a documentary

I believe some of us do, yes.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 8:33 pm

Wait...I’m confused...I missed the part in Hamilton with Buzz Aldrin and Nazis. Was that before or after Raymond Burr shot Alex?

Also, hentzau...your oldest is 24!?! Good lord, it seems like yesterday that she was in junior high. God we’re old.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:02 pm

MHS wrote:
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:33 pm People understand we are watching a Broadway musical and not a documentary, right?

MHS wrote:It's not meant to be a documentary
I believe some of us do, yes.

But not everyone apparently. And I was speaking to a wider audience in the sense that I’ve seen people complain about inaccuracies.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:03 pm

hepcat wrote:Wait...I’m confused...I missed the part in Hamilton with Buzz Aldrin and Nazis. Was that before or after Raymond Burr shot Alex?

Also, hentzau...your oldest is 24!?! Good lord, it seems like yesterday that she was in junior high. God we’re old.

Right after Godzilla showed up at Yorktown to turn the tide of battle in our favor!

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:09 pm

God bless that giant lizard. America owes so much to radiation and geckos.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:10 pm

hepcat wrote:God bless that giant lizard. America owes so much to radiation and geckos.

Immigrants get it done!

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:50 pm

As a side note, since I’m late to the party, I really enjoyed the casting choices, and specifically the diversity of the cast. I meant to be more observant, but I think that all of the red coats and King George were white, while all of the Americans were extremely diverse.

I may be wrong about the proper English, but it felt purposeful to highlight the strength of American diversity.

I also really enjoyed it for a reason that I saw articulated on Twitter - that it’s important for historical stories like this to feel available to all Americans, not just white Americans.

I think I read a quote from Diggs about playing Jefferson, and that it gave him a sense of ownership of that history. I think most people have understood the power of seeing someone that looks like you in roles and positions to really make it feel possible.

I never considered how that might help in looking backwards as well.

I really can’t say enough how much I enjoyed it.

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:20 pm

RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:50 pm As a side note, since I’m late to the party, I really enjoyed the casting choices, and specifically the diversity of the cast. I meant to be more observant, but I think that all of the red coats and King George were white, while all of the Americans were extremely diverse.

Not quite all. The female redcoat who tells King George that John Adams is the next President was African American.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 12:39 am

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 9:27 pm1) it’s probably just me, but Lin-Manuel’s voice seems kind of weak and shrill compared to the rest of the excellent cast.

Lin Manuel-Miranda has never been a great singer: he is adequate (for a professional Broadway musician - the average five year old would destroy me in any singing competition). His genius is in writing the show.

Also, he sounds a LOT better on the album.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:04 am

Not a fan of musicals and surprised my husband by watching the show with him yesterday. One of my favorite parts was being able to clap when the audience did! Outstanding!

miltonite · Post by **miltonite** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:57 am

Just watched it. I enjoyed immensely.

I also think that Daveed Diggs and Renée Elise Goldsberry absolutely stole the show anytime they were on stage. Jonathan Groff's King George was amazing as well. He put a lot more humor and creepiness in the role than I thought possible listening to the soundtrack.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:06 am

One of my biggest surprises is just how small the cast was. When they are all lined up for their bows, there's only about 18 people - really amazing. And then I realized how small the stage was.

I liked this video of the cast answering a couple questions.

And for Hentzau, maybe show your daughters this specific question/answer.

And this is another interview that I liked that includes how they filmed the movie. The clip here, though, starts with them discussing different times they messed up on stage and I found it pretty funny.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:05 am

raydude wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:20 pm
RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:50 pm As a side note, since I’m late to the party, I really enjoyed the casting choices, and specifically the diversity of the cast. I meant to be more observant, but I think that all of the red coats and King George were white, while all of the Americans were extremely diverse.
Not quite all. The female redcoat who tells King George that John Adams is the next President was African American.

I think the chorus/dancers (a diverse mix of people) swap in and out of red/blue/white coats as necessary.