Hamilton Thoughts

I will admit to having seen, with something approaching gleeful anticipation, that Disney+ was going to be releasing Hamilton on July 3rd.

When it opened on Broadway and took everything by storm, I watched with interest. Mostly because I am and ever will be at heart a theater nerd. I listened to a few songs on the soundtrack thought maybe I was just not getting it because I was missing the whole stage experience.

Honestly, everyone was hyping this show. You couldn't turn around but everyone was oohing and ahhhing and I thought to myself, "Self when you get the chance, you should see this."

The traveling show came to the Kennedy Center last year (was it the year before last? I feel like maybe Mom and I talked about it, which would mean 2018. I know we talked about the show, so I'm not sure if I'm melding that with the thought of the ticket prices into one conversation even though it wasn't.) I looked at tickets and nearly died. Because I'm just simply not paying $300 to sit in the nosebleeds. I'd maybe spend up to half that, depending. 

Anyway, since I realized my budget was never going to stretch to seeing it live, I was stoked about seeing it on Disney+.

And so, last night while we were waiting for it to get dark enough to light off our small explosive celebrations, we turned it on.

It was...not what I was expecting.

Don't get me wrong, it was good. I enjoyed it.

But it wasn't the most amazing thing ever released upon the stage and OHMYGOSHWHYHAVEN'TYOUSEENITYET!!!!! Like I figured it would be.

I actually spent a little time on the intertoobs trying to suss out where all the hype came from. Best I can see is because it was revolutionary (see what I did there?) to have a primarily minority cast taking on the roles of old, dead white guys.

I think maybe I'm just not hipster enough to care about that. (Should there be more minorities cast on Broadway? Yes. If there are people of any race/creed/color/etc qualified for and auditioning for whatever roles are out there, then their race/creed/color/etc should not be what's keeping them from getting those roles. Does having a cast that leans heavily on less represented folks automatically make that show amazing? I'm gonna go on a limb and say no.)

The music was fine. I'm not super into hip hop and rap, so I mean I was probably never going to love it. I also don't listen to Kanye and...honestly I don't know enough about the oeuvre to even come up with a second name to throw in there. Ke$ha? Is that what she does? (I like FloRida, but I'm guessing he doesn't fall into this category.) For what it is, it was good. 

If they did a musical that was all country music, I would also not be enthralled with it.

Beyond that, they spend a lot of time on the suspected but not proven affair between A Ham and his sister-in-law and the proven indiscretion with the other chick. And...I mean I get he torpedoed his career with the latter but I just...infidelity leaves me blergh. He was a creep. Which okay, he was a politician so I guess it follows. I just wish there could have been less focus on it (and I remarked to hubs at the height of the affair bit that if A Ham was running for office today it would either not matter or, more likely, give him some cachet. Because that seems to be where things are these days.)

So, did I like it? Well enough I guess.

From a theater nerd standpoint, did I love it? I mean, I enjoyed how they handled some of the technical aspects -- having the stage crew taken on by the chorus, the double revolving stage, the staircases that move in order to "rearrange" the set somewhat. It's a very stripped back set and I thought they did a good job with that, but I'll admit a preference to the more elaborate staging. (Actual helicopter a la Miss Saigon? Yes please.)

There were definite high points.

Will I watch it again? Meh. If someone wants to watch it and I'm around, sure. I guess. But I don't see myself seeking out anything other than the 7 minute compilation of King George's songs on YouTube. Because those? Those are gold.