Hamilton

[smallhobbit]

I had registered to be informed when the second release of tickets for Hamilton was announced.  I wasn't desperate to see it, but with the amount of interest surrounding the production it seemed at least interesting.  So when booking opened I thought I'd see if I could get a ticket at a price I was prepared to pay for when I was in London.  Single tickets are sometimes easier to find and I was lucky and found a seat in the back row of the Gallery.  So Hamilton was added to my list of activities for my London break.

Hamilton is staged in the newly revamped Victoria Palace Theatre.  Cameron Mackintosh has done a really good job with the theatre.  Even from right at the back I could see and hear perfectly.  There are plenty of toilets (yes, them again - but if you've queued for ages for one in the old style theatres you'll understand) and the bar area was comfortable.  One of Mackintosh's stated objectives was to make theatre going enjoyable for everyone, and not just those in the posh seats.

Much has been made of the security regarding Hamilton tickets: the need to produce the booking email plus the card used for booking which will be scanned before a seat ticket is issued, etc.  The system worked very well, appealling greatly to my competency needs.  And proved what can be done if you make the consumer most important (and which some other organisations could benefit from learning).

Of course, given all the hype there was always the fear I wouldn't enjoy it.  But I did.  I'm a fan of old fashioned musicals, and although this is in no way the same there are certain principles which are carried over.  It was fun, it was enjoyable, it told a story.  Normally I will go into a production 'cold' with no idea what will happen, but this time I read the programme while waiting for it to start which was helpful, since it provided the background to some of the events which made things easier to follow.  I also had a sense that it wasn't told as a revelatory story, but as one where the events were already known.

Whilst the actor playing Hamilton didn't particularly grab me, I thought Giles Terera as Aaron Burr was brilliant.  And amongst the rest of the excellent cast I particularly enjoyed Michael Jibson as King George and Obioma Ugoala as George Washington.

I'd definitely recommend seeing the production - it's a really good evening out.

Comments

[aome]

Lucky you! I'm more of a traditional musical person, myself, but I wouldn't mind seeing what Hamilton is all about if the opportunity presented itself. (Currently it's about 3x the price of all other Broadway musicals in NYC - just for the cheap seats.)

[smallhobbit]

Generally I'm more of a traditional musical person too, but I would recommend Hamilton. It's worth seeing I think. I paid £37.50 for a cheap seat and I wouldn't get another musical with a decent view for much less.

[aome]

I just did a spot-check on Hamilton tickets at various times/days for the next six months. There are no tickets for rear mezzanine (cheapest section) anywhere. Prices for front mezzanine range from $350-400, depending on the day. We won't go into the prices for orchestra seats. :P You got a bargain for the US equivalent of ~$42! :)

[smallhobbit]

That's a ridiculous amount! For us prices range from £20 (standing at the back) to £100, with premium tickets up to £250.

[margaret_r]

I've heard a lot about Hamilton, all of it good. Hopefully one day it will come this way and if so I'll make a plan to see it. I'm glad you enjoyed it:)

[smallhobbit]

Yes, I would recommend seeing it if you get the chance. I'm sure it will travel more, it's so popular.

[vix_spes]

I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It's one that I don't like the soundtrack enough to pay the high ticket prices for but good to hear that Mackintosh has done a good job on the renovations.

[smallhobbit]

I hadn't heard the soundtrack before, so everything was new for me, which was good. I didn't think £37.50 was bad for a ticket as part of my holiday.

I'd be very happy to see something else at the theatre.

[mafief]

My sister just saw Hamilton and enjoyed it as well. She cried during son part. I've never seen it, but it's on my list of things I would like to.

OK, new questions:
How many theaters have you visited, since I think you seem to be well on your way to most of them? (this is where a quick explanation of the theater scene would help, since I'm clueless)
Which theater in London is your favorite/least favorite?

[smallhobbit]

I'm glad your sister enjoyed Hamilton. I think there were some in the audience here who cried at that part. I'm sure you'd enjoy seeing it.

I've just done a quick count up from 2011. There's an area in London known as the West End, which is where many of the old established theatres are, of which there are about 40. I've been to 21. On top of that there are some big theatres (National Theatre, Old Vic, the Globe) and others which aren't in the West End and I've been to 17 of them. I've also been to various theatres in other parts of the country, including the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and my total for that is 11. Which gives a grand total of 49!

I'm not sure any of the London theatres are my favourite, my least favourite is probably the Barbican.

[moth2fic]

So glad you enjoyed it! I loved it, and like you, felt it had enough links to 'normal' musicals to make it at least understandable and enjoyable as part of the musical genre. I think I saw the same actor as Burr and yes, great. And King George, of course. His song You'll Be Back was one of the highlights for me. I was already familiar with a lot of the songs as the friend who persuaded me to go had been playing them to me relentlessly. It was good listening to them in context... And yes, the theatre is very well refurbished!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you - I was pleasantly surprised that I did enjoy it. Oh yes - I enjoyed You'll Be Back - still makes me smile.

I was impressed with the theatre.