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Original poster

Hamilton the musical. Disappointing!

243 replies

Happybint · 07/07/2020 22:27

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.

OP posts:
gotothecooler · 09/07/2020 11:35

Yes Yes Yes to Jamael Westman. I was watching his live the other day on Instagram and what an intelligent, articulate guy with a really deep understanding of the character. Karl Queensborough (current London AH) on the other hand seems a bit try hard as if he is trying to emulate LMM being AH rather than being his own AH. I don't dislike him, but I far prefer JW.

Jamael is so good he is taking the role of AH again, but in alps Angeles.

Original poster
Happybint · 09/07/2020 11:52

I think, based on this thread, I would have enjoyed it more in the theatre which wasnt something I had considered. If it ever comes back God knows how much the tickets would be now!!

OP posts:
FluffyKittensinabasket · 11/07/2020 22:58

I’ve watched the first two hours and I’ll finish it off at some point. I’m not really enjoying it at all! Don’t know why people have been saying “sell everything you own and buy tickets for Hamilton.”

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Theatre
Titsywoo · 11/07/2020 23:05

I tried to watch the other day but got bored pretty quickly. I think I'll read a bit of the history first and try to watch again. I love the big musicals like Phantom and Les Mis but haven't been keen on things like Mamma Mia or The Lion King as they lack the wow factor for me so maybe this will be the same?

My0My · 11/07/2020 23:10

I think Americans get a “wow” from it because it’s their history and it chimes. Not so sure elsewhere. American audiences are very noisy and exuberant. This carries you into the pathos of it but I did feel some of the diction difficult to hear in the theatre and I don’t remember any song or dialogue. I tenner the shooting scene though!

My0My · 11/07/2020 23:11

tenner!!! Remember .....

DianasLasso · 11/07/2020 23:11

This came up in my news feed today - it is glorious - Hamilton, as done by the Muppets.
nerdist.com/article/hamilton-first-act-muppets/

I now desperately want to see an actual Muppet version.

huuunderickssss · 11/07/2020 23:16

I gave up after 10 mins .. so boring and I love a musical !

BackforGood · 11/07/2020 23:17

I watched it yesterday.
Felt it was a bit 'meh'.
Whilst I accept theatre is obviously better in the theatre, and watching TV in your living room is never going to replicate that, I still think, if it were 1/4 as good as the previous reviews on here claimed, then it should have made me want to see it in the theatre.
As it is, I think I'll save my money.

My0My · 11/07/2020 23:18

I would save the money! We saw Six for £35. Much better use of your hard earned funds!

BackforGood · 11/07/2020 23:30

I'd got a ticket for Six which should have been last week, MyOMy Sad

My0My · 12/07/2020 20:09

Are they not doing an open air tour with Six? It won’t have the upbeat vibe of the tiny Arts theatre though.

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 12/07/2020 20:15

Yes this! I got Disney + just to watch it

Anyone who has Disney+ - is it worth it?

For context, we have Amazon Prime (primarily for the free deliveries because grief knows, there's not much to the streaming service) and no other services bar iPlayer, ITV, C4 & Five.

SinkGirl · 12/07/2020 20:23

Honestly shocked to read this.

Do you like musicals / live theatre generally?

I’ve never been able to see it live and knew the soundtrack but I am in love with the staging. Have watched it several times already.

The first half is punchier sure, but it doesn’t have Thomas Jefferson!

bashcrashfall · 12/07/2020 20:51

Theres some great live performances they did at the White House on Youtube. I think its very much of the time it was written, which was a much more hopeful time that today, which makes the whole thing more tragic really.

Great songs though. We had tickets to see it in London, couldn't go because of medical emergency first time and second time because of lockdown. I don't know if we will bother a third time as I think after seeing the original cast that other than the title character they couldn't have been done any better and would be disappointing.

BackforGood · 12/07/2020 21:42

Do you like musicals / live theatre generally?

I do. Have missed 4 shows I'd got booked since they closed the theatres. Sad I love going to the theatre. Overwhelmingly I love musicals.

I didn't hate Hamilton. I didn't dislike it. I watched it through. I am just aware that I've seen on MN so very often that it is brilliant, and I agree with the original poster, that it was "alright" at the very best. 'Meh' is more commonly used on MN.

I have a bit more time on my hands than I normally would, I didn't pay anything to watch it, and it whiled away an evening whilst I got on with some MNing and some sewing. All good. Just not anything I'd write home about.

My0My · 12/07/2020 21:48

I love live theatre and go to the Royal Opera House as much as I can plus musicals. Plus a few plays. Sometimes small theatres have very good engaging performances. For a fun night out, when it’s allowed again, I also recommend Giffords Circus. My birthday treat every year! Love it.

Nosuchluck · 12/07/2020 22:05

Maybe it just doesn't work on the small screen as it's an absolutely brilliant show and a great experience. I loved the music.

gardenbridge · 12/07/2020 22:27

I thought it was dire. Loved Les Mis, Book of Mormon etc, but couldn't get into Hamilton at all. Stuck it out til the end.

SinkGirl · 12/07/2020 22:39

I’m really surprised. But then I wonder if I loved it because I knew the soundtrack so well so I wasn’t trying to following the rapping or keep up with what was going on and could just enjoy the performances and the staging. DH found it difficult to follow which I can understand - apparently if Hamilton were sung as a typical musical, it would last 6 hours, there’s a lot packed into a short period of time (people saying its long also surprise me, doesn’t feel long to me).

Musically it is so well done - the amount of foreshadowing or connections drawn just through the music alone are phenomenal, but again I think this is something that you become more aware of on subsequent viewings / listenings. If people are interested in this sort of thing there is a great series of videos on YouTube about the brilliance of the music in Hamilton - watched one the other day about Ten Duel Commandments which is so clever anyway, and I’d picked up on so much about how the themes are used but there is even more I hadn’t noticed.

And every time I watch it I spot something different in the staging - the staging for Satisfied and Hurricane are quite amazing.

I don’t think LMM is strong enough for the role - there are some songs he really struggles with, but I think part of that is how strong the rest of the cast is. They are all so good, and I’m so pleased that we have the opportunity to see the original cast. Especially Jonathan Groff and Daveed Diggs.

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 12/07/2020 22:41

Maybe it just doesn't work on the small screen

I've been watching some of the streams (Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, English National Ballet, various theatres) and it's variable. Some theatre productions have very poor audio and the camera angles are poor. But others are outstanding. That said, the only streamed musicals that I've liked so far are Jesus Christ, Superstar (Live Arena tour) and Lincoln Centre's Carousel - both of which were appropriately and properly staged for filming.

Nosuchluck · 13/07/2020 14:00

I've watch quite a few performances screened at my local cinema, they half work. It's a great way of watching something I wouldn't be able to see but I always come home working I'd seen it live.

oobedobe · 14/07/2020 01:18

I'm firmly in the loved it camp and have been listening to the soundtrack non-stop - though I did make and edited playlist on Spotify which shortens it to 1 hr 30m!

So many good songs!!

RiverCrossing · 14/07/2020 05:56

I’ve seen it live and watched the Disney+ version and have always loved it, but really have enjoyed seeing different things each time. It’s incredibly clever I think - the complexity is something else and keeps me going back for more. Google ‘The Bullet’ for instance - I had no idea about that the first time I saw it and it made for an interesting rewatch.

I also am up there with the ones who paid £150-200 to see it live. It was when ticket prices were extortionate and waiting lists long, but I have no regrets Grin

For those of you who agree LMM is a genius, have you seen In the Heights? There’s a trailer available for a film version of that now too. Also an incredible stage show written by him!

DryHeave · 14/07/2020 06:03

It kept my attention (which considering it’s so long is a rare thing) but I’d usually be singing all the new songs I’d heard at a musical by now. The music for me was underwhelming. Don’t quite get the level of hype.