Hamilton the musical. Disappointing!

[Happybint]

Just watched it on Disney plus. Its soooo long and yes some of the songs are great but it just goes on and on and feels like a big vanity project for lin manuel-miranda. Very repetitive and boring in the second half. Anyone else agree? Its had so much hype. First 40 minutes I loved it then it just went downhill.

I was so excited about it after a thread on here where people were rhapsodising!

We made popcorn and drinks and settled down and ... yeah, same muted, bored reaction as you OP. We made it about 40 minutes in and were both grateful to turn it off.

I did wonder if I'd grown up with the history more, would it be instinctively more interesting? Or if I liked rap, or was seeing it live.

I think its ridiculous to pretend that people were just too dim to get it. Either something hits an emotional chord inside you or it doesn't, its nothing to do with intellect.

A bit off topic but I do find it interesting that lots of people don't like/judge hip hop culture eg thugs, offensive etc but when it's presented in a theatrical environment that's expensive & used to story-tell history it's lauded.

I loved it. I'll admit I sat with a wikipedia page open to explain the plot as I'm not that brushed up on American history.

The Ben Franklin key kite reference is regarding an experiment he did. He flew a kite with a key attached during a thunderstorm to conduct electricity.

@bilbotoy hip hop culture (bad language, drugs, gun, gangs) and hip hop musicality can be separated. I appreciate the latter but not the former.

@toomanypillows fascinating subject. I love filmed theatre as it allows me to see things I wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see. But why don't they use 1 fixed camera. Then we see it more like theatre and can focus on the bit we want to see.

I think its ridiculous to pretend that people were just too dim to get it. Either something hits an emotional chord inside you or it doesn't, its nothing to do with intellect

It's not necessarily intellect, but possibly about the fact you have to put in a bit of effort to get the most from it and to properly understand it (or at least I did!). So I absolutely love it, but I have really engaged with the music and the story, read about the background and tried unpick and understand some of the lyrics. When I first saw it (on stage last year), a lot of that washed right over me and I didn't really know what to make of it. Now I really, really love it.

I was the same with Les Mis, when I first saw it I couldn't follow it that easily and a lot of the nuance was lost on me. I just knew I enjoyed the music and the drama. I've now seen it many times and get more and more from it every time.

Some people don't enjoy entertainment that requires effort from the viewer. Some do.

@Mumdiva99

That's not the point I was making but hip hop culture is linked to its musicality, how do you have one without the other? It's not about condoning drugs, gangs etc but recognising that a rappers background, struggles & lived experiences directly impacts & influences their music.
There will be plenty of people that rave about Hamilton but wouldn't recognise any genius in Biggie Smalls work or do you disagree?

@Happybint

Just watched it on Disney plus. Its soooo long and yes some of the songs are great but it just goes on and on and feels like a big vanity project for lin manuel-miranda. Very repetitive and boring in the second half. Anyone else agree? Its had so much hype. First 40 minutes I loved it then it just went downhill.

I agree, word for word.

The Ben Franklin key kite reference is regarding an experiment he did. He flew a kite with a key attached during a thunderstorm to conduct electricity.

I got the reference & the effect of the dimmed lights. My point was is this really the highlight? I've only watched about 1 hr so far.

I think its ridiculous to pretend that people were just too dim to get it. Either something hits an emotional chord inside you or it doesn't, its nothing to do with intellect.

I don't think anyone has done this? It's certainly not what I was saying when I said some people maybe just don't understand it. Intellect and understanding are not the same thing.

@gotothecooler what elements do you think people don't understand?

@bilbotoy

I don't know? Everyone sees it differently. There is a lot to take in. I'm not the most observant of people, like I say I have seen the show many times but I still noticed things when I watched in Disney that I had missed in the previous viewings.

It's not unrealistic to think other people also don't take it all in at first viewing.

@gotothecooler

There is a lot to take in but I don't think that's particularly unique. Lots of shows & films reveal more of themselves with repeated watching & obviously from a visual perspective seeing a show live will be very different to the filmed version.

So what did you not grasp until further viewings?

DD and I really enjoyed it and watched it two days running.

But when I first heard some of the hip hop songs I immediately discounted it as something that I would like. Was just not interested.

Then I saw Jon Robyn singg King George's song at Proms in the Park and he was fab! Rewatched it and actually listened to the lyrics and realised how clever it was.

Was not disappointed and would love to see it live now!

@mumdiva99 I think the issues with using a fixed camera are that it would be difficult to have a wide enough lens without letter-boxing it, you would still need to adapt the lighting and the sound considerations, you would get a lot of audience hangover and, crucially, I think it would be really boring 😂
The DVDs and Cinema releases for the big companies are really lucrative. I've been to see RSC ones in the cinema that I couldn't make in Stratford, and have paid £20 for cinema tickets, which I've considered worth the money. I wouldn't bother going for a fixed camera shot.

I think there are lots of arguments in support of filming and sharing live theatre and personally I've really benefited from it over the years (as have thousands since lockdown) but I do wonder how much of an impact it has on some viewers if they only see the recorded versions - it does both add to, and takeaway from, the live experience.

I loved it. But I could see how someone who doesn’t like the genres of music that the songs are influenced by wouldn’t get on with the show. And having a knowledge of American history probably helps. DH liked some of the music but didn’t know the context.

I was properly buzzing after watching it, and spent a lot of the next day thinking about it. That didn’t happen when I saw Wicked.

Most filming of shows use roving cameras for close ups. I find it a different experience from live theatre or ballet but it’s a different experience.

I saw Hamilton in the theatre and was under whelmed. Lots of Americans in the audience were whooping and hollering. I’m not sure the Brits really get it. The pathos is an American thing. So I think that’s why some will find it long and not so engaging. It’s definitely been over hyped but it’s clever and you really really have to listen hard to the lyrics. We found the diction very fast and a bit indistinct in the theatre. Concentrating for hours was hard!

Ah but you're doing it again. Suggesting that people should really study something in order to feel something from it. Or watch it repeatedly.

It's not some lack of understanding that made me think Hamilton is rubbish. It's not that I wasn't paying attention. I'd read up on Wikipedia beforehand and I was primed, ready and interested. I love finding new obsessions and things to watch.

It's that for me, it was rubbish. Boring, tedious, dull, endless - I could go on. It just didn't hit a single note for me emotionally. At best, I felt something like a cringe occasionally. So for me it was a disappointment.

However - like I said before, perhaps if I'd grown up with the history and mythos and it was embedded inside me, it would have stirred something deeper inside. Or if I really liked rap music. And it's done amazingly well everywhere, so it clearly hits the right notes for a lot of people.

We just have different tastes at the end of the day.

My second sentence was meant to say I found it fine as an alternative view.

We saw it in London and really liked it.

Apart from the sea of camel toe. That was a bit much.

I didn’t say people who don’t like it/didn’t get it were doing it wrong, just saying there’s probably contributing factors which influence whether someone is likely to like it or not. Like you say - it’s massive in America because it feeds into a significant element of US culture.

We saw it in London. The price of seats was outrageous. This has been one huge money making vehicle. The seats were more than at the Royal Opera House. I know where I’d rather go!

It’s American history. Of course Americans love it. It means less to us Brits so we look at other things more critically: singing, dramatic effect, staging, acting, costumes, pathos, engagement, seat prices etc.

Hamilton's bloody amazing but I think to properly enjoy the recording you need to have seen it on stage first. It's not the same.

I loved Daveed Diggs (lafayette/Jefferson)

I've seen it live twice.
I really enjoy it.

Of course it wont be for everyone, must be a bummer if you got hyped to watch it but then didn't really care for it. I felt the same way the first time I sat down to watch Eurovision! Everyone said what fun it was to make a day of it but I was so bored.

This has been one huge money making vehicle.

Um, yes? Theatre is a business which contributes millions to the economy.

The Royal Opera House receives funding from the Arts Council and the National Lottery.