Hamilton - anyone else not love it?

[Jobs4kids]

Honestly?

Have wanted to see this for a long time, mainly to see what all the fuss is about as, having searched up the story, thought it sounded a bit dull. However, I decided that all the rave reviews couldn't be wrong so when my teenage daughter suggested it (it's particularly highly rated amongst her age group), I jumped at the chance.

We didn't go into it cold, we had a rough idea of the story and had listened to the soundtrack so was familiar with the songs. I also quite like rap and was well aware that the whole story is told in rhyme.

Unfortunately, we really didn't enjoy it, too long and pretty boring tbh. There's no denying the talent of the cast, how they remember all those lyrics is impressive. Unfortunately, we had trouble understanding what they were saying much of the time so frequently got lost and confused. What we could hear and have read since was pretty clever though! We also had trouble knowing who was who as some actors played more than one part. I tried hard to like it, I really did. There are a few good songs but they're frequently repeated and got on my nerves after a while. I just found the whole thing a bit meh, as did my daughter. I didn't completely hate it, and shed a tear at the end (my daughter didn't, saying she didn't care about any of them!) but we were pretty relieved when it was over. I'm saying this as a regular theatre goer who generally enjoys musicals but this is one of the worst I have seen.

Judging by the enthusiastic reaction of the audience, we were in the minority. There are reviews echoing my thoughts, but again they are in the minority. There was a suggestion of "emperors new clothes" in some of the them and I wonder if maybe there's some truth in that as I certainly don't consider my daughter or myself unintelligent, but we just didn't get it!!

So disappointed 😥

You’re not unreasonable for not liking something even if it’s popular.

I absolutely loved Hamilton but I have a sense of what you’re feeling because I hold a pretty minority view in not having enjoyed Les Mis. Almost everyone seems to rave about it but I find all of the characters to be either dreary, unlikeable, or total wet lettuces. There are good bits in the music but it’s very samey, and it manages to turn what should be a rousing and moving story into something very laboured and slow.

So many people I’ve spoken to about this who love musicals (as I do) are aghast at this opinion so I know what it’s like to not ‘get’ something that is widely raved about!

@Jobs4kids - I haven’t seen Hamilton but I think this is a danger when anything is raved about endlessly. I had a similar reaction to Dublin - no doubt it’s a terrific city but by the time I visited so many people had told me it was completely fabulous that I found it a bit disappointing. Galway on the other hand, about which I’d heard very little, blew me away!

I saw it when it first opened in the UK & think I was the only person in the audience who’d not got the soundtrack by heart - I’d consciously avoided listening to it or watching clips of the Broadway version as I wanted it to completely new to me. I’m glad I did - I might have been the only person in the theatre who laughed at I am the very model of a modern major general, but I got to experience the line in the richest possible form.

Having read the Federalist Papers (yes, all of them) I can assure you this is far from the dullest Hamilton could be 😁 I found the cast’s diction was excellent so following the lyrics was easy - the issue was with the mike balance. Worrying they’ve apparently still not sorted the sound 🫤

To be honest, can one be unreasonable to [dis]like something that’s simply a matter of taste? Can a subjective assessment like that ever be truly [un]reasonable? 🤔

I am a huge sucker for musicals and Hamilton left me cold, I actually couldn't really grasp the plot but what I grasped was dull. also I felt like the women didn't get much say or whatever. I was completely blown away by eg Wicked. Maybe I just prefer musicals that centre around women, e.g. Sound of Music, Sister Act etc..

My friend made me watch it with her because she loves it. I really didn’t enjoy it. I like musicals etc. but for me the whole story was incredibly boring, probably because I have no interest in American history

I enjoyed it, but I was absolutely exhausted by the end, and needed a break.
It's a technical masterpiece and a complete triumph in terms of the incredibly talented cast but for me personally it didn't have enough musical style variation, it was a little difficult to follow in parts. Having said that, very glad to have seen it.

I think you have to know it very well before seeing it live in order to enjoy it. The elderly group in front of us had no clue what was happening.

It grew on me. I knew nothing about that period of history but DD liked the filmed version and kept playing the soundtrack and after a while bits of it piqued my interest and I googled the facts surrounding the lyrics... and I love it now. Seen it live twice and going again soon. Love playing the soundtrack around the house and in the car. It's very clever and introduced me to a period of history and a style of musical theatre that I'd never have gone near. Plus it's got lots of clever little Easter eggs (google why their costumes change from generally white at the start to more intricate fabrics as the story progresses). But it didn't immediately wow me, I'll admit that.

And if you say that you've seen it and you don't have the urge to rap along with "never gonne be president now..." I won't believe you.

It’s at Wimbledon this October and I’m going to try to see it again. I honestly swing between the two (not that’s it’s a contest).

I go to the theatre a lot and love a wide range of musicals as well as music generally. I went at the insistence of the DCs as tbh the subject matter didn't make it an obvious choice for me, but I completely loved it. We saw it in London last summer and I've just booked tickets to see it again this Christmas (which is something I very rarely do). I think it's extremely cleverly written, both musically and lyrically, very cleverly staged, and the company is excellent, though personally I didn't rate the actor playing Hamilton himself (probably changed now). I didn't know the music or anything about the plot in advance.

But YANBU not to agree. No accounting for taste. I don't enjoy ALW musicals, thought Les Mis was a bore and that Hadestown, which all the teenagers seem to be raving about atm, is a pile of rubbish. It's a personal thing.

I LOVE musical theatre, but I wouldn't see Hamilton again. I could appreciate the history and why people like it but it's not for me.

I've been forced to watch it about 3 times on Disney+ by dd1 who loves it. I think the songs are brilliant and very clever but I would also probably struggle to hear the words in a live show as some are very fast. I still don't really understand the story but understood more in the 2nd half (about the cheating on his wife etc). I think LMM is a bit of a genius and all the cast in the Disney+ one are wonderful. But it's not for everyone and a bit over hyped

I liked it much better than Cats though as I couldn't hear the words they were singing so hadn't a flipping clue what was going on apart from a load of people dressed up as cars prancing about the stage. Maybe I should watch the film version & put on the subtitles 🤣

*cats not cars 🤣

I really like it. But to add constructive criticism.

First half is brilliant but about two songs too long. One completely needless.

The second half is nowhere as good as the first.

I do really like it though.

i also didn't get it.
but i totally got mama mia, tina, matilda as i am obviously full of brains.

i liked lin manuel miranda in curb but all of the rapping made me want to sing eminem and i really zoned out at most of it.
plus it was in victoria and i prefer being in the west end to see shows so that gave me the ick before i'd even got there and i didn't even buy a programme so maybe i knew i wasn't going to like it as normally i am programme buyer extraordinaire

It was beyond dreadful.

I hated it on Disney Plus but had FOMO so went to see the stage show anyway and I LOVED it

Seen it twice, absolutely love it. So clever, so well written, cast are outstanding. Think the story is gripping and the music captivating. Would see it again and again.

I went to see The Book of Mormon in London a few weeks ago and loved the first half.

Unfortunately even though I’m only 5’2” there was absolutely no legroom and my knees were killing me. I just thought it could have ended 15 to 20 minutes earlier.

OTOH I absolutely loved “Tina” (the life story of Tina Turner). It was brilliant and everyone stood up to dance at the end.

I have found my people.

I love musicals.

I found Hamilton:
Dreadful.
Boring.
Repetitive.
Long.

I think it's like the Emperor's Clothes where nobody is allowed to say how dire it is.

I love it, but wasn’t expecting to at all.
It was DDs choice for her 18th birthday a couple of years ago - I have zero interest in US history or politics but like rap and musicals so figured it would be ok.

I now know every song by heart and it’s my default driving soundtrack in long journeys.

Having said that, it’s not that easy to follow the storyline, particularly in the early stages and the more political bits of the second half. I read a lot around Hamilton’s life and that period afterwards and would love to see it again knowing a bit more about it all.

Off topic, but what other musicals do you rate? I go to London four times a year and we are always stuck on what the best one is currently. Will be there this coming weekend and are booking Mean Girls, Last time we booked MJ which ended up being cancelled, so we didn't get to see that one.

I’ve only seen Katherine Ryan’s “The Problem With Hamilton”, which made me even less interested in seeing Hamilton than my own dislike of musicals would dictate.

I loved it and completely agree with this!

not really a fan of musicals otherwise — more into plays. But Hamilton I loved. I saw it twice with the OG London cast, absolutely brilliant.

The chairs.I just remember all the bloody chairs they brought on and off stage all the time.