What broadway play?

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

Thank goodness for 11 year olds to school us on both the technology and the pop culture all around us!

 

My take on Hamilton - wanted to see it for years but not for the $$.  Kiddo and I go to lots of community theatre and the occasional professional show, err, used to.  She saw it in Chicago with a friend last year (the ticket was her Christmas present for $350, 7th row center seats).  My family saw Beetlejuice on Broadway in August 2019 the night before our last cruise out of Port Liberty on Adventure of the Seas and we absolutely loved it.

 

I think for people who are already fans of classic live theatre, Hamilton might not feel like such an update or improvement.  For people who would have found plays like traditionally staged Showboat or Oklahoma! completely goofy and old fashioned, not to mention culturally unrelatable, Hamilton has certainly moved the medium into a different era.  The dancing is good but if you particularly like colorful acrobatic type stuff, it's not really that.  Because the raps and other musical numbers are delivered so quickly, with a lot of words per minute, it can be challenging to catch all the text on the first viewing. 

 

Being so highly rated, it is easy to watch it as a critic and the first time through I thought it was okay but not mind-blowing. One week later I have since re-watched many numbers, learned all the words to both Alexander Hamilton and Helpless, and quickly become a bit of an obsessed convert. "Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit I'm HELPLESS!"

I guess I am in the minority because I did not like it.One of my daughters went to HS with Javier Munoz who was in the original cast and she acted with him n school productions .This was a specialized school where many kids become professional actors .She saw the show when it first opened and loved it.To date she has been to the show 9 times. My other daughter went to the same HS and also was in student theater.

She saw the show twice and loved it.I thought the singers had good voices but aside from the title song I cannot remember anything else.

My wife and I have been going to Broadway shows since 1965.

[KmomChicago]

4 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I guess I am in the minority because I did not like it.One of my daughters went to HS with Javier Munoz who was in the original cast and she acted with him n school productions .This was a specialized school where many kids become professional actors .She saw the show when it first opened and loved it.To date she has been to the show 9 times. My other daughter went to the same HS and also was in student theater.

She saw the show twice and loved it.I thought the singers had good voices but aside from the title song I cannot remember anything else.

My wife and I have been going to Broadway shows since 1965.

 

yeah Len I think the generation factor looms large here. I'm Gen X, born in 1966 - maybe that plays into my initial ambivalence followed by gradual warming up to it. The kids (anyone younger than me, ha) seem to be the ones driving the adoration. IHey, the oldsters thought the Beatles were the end of the world as we know it, so these things happen.

 

I'm glad to be old enough to grumble about how much better everything was back in my day.  I am a big fan of the Music Man, but maybe it doesn't play as well to a bunch of woke hipsters.

Edited July 10, 2020 by KmomChicago

[lenquixote66]

3 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

yeah Len I think the generation factor looms large here. I'm Gen X, born in 1966 - maybe that plays into my initial ambivalence followed by gradual warming up to it. The kids (anyone younger than me, ha) seem to be the ones driving the adoration. IHey, the oldsters thought the Beatles were the end of the world as we know it, so these things happen.

 

I'm glad to be old enough to grumble about how much better everything was back in my day.  I am a big fan of the Music Man, but maybe it doesn't play as well to a bunch of woke hipsters.

I am old enough to be your father 😀

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I am old enough to be your father 😀

 

So you remember when the Beatles got here! My mom was living in NYC at the time - she moved there at 18, on her own, from Minneapolis and lived 1/2 block off Central Park West on 69th - right across the street from the facade used in the Shirley MacLaine movie The Apartment. She lived in the city from late 1961 until 1964 when she joined the Navy and shortly met my handsome-Marine father, who is probably your age. Heck, maybe you met my mom. Did you happen to commute in to the city and work at Esso?

[Turtles06]

13 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

yeah Len I think the generation factor looms large here. I'm Gen X, born in 1966 - maybe that plays into my initial ambivalence followed by gradual warming up to it. The kids (anyone younger than me, ha) seem to be the ones driving the adoration. IHey, the oldsters thought the Beatles were the end of the world as we know it, so these things happen.

Sorry, but I don’t think it’s generational. My wife and I are each more than a decade older than you are, and we both love Hamilton.  We’ve seen it five times live (and have traveled to see it), and I’ve already watched the film three times in its entirety, as well as many segments of it individually. A huge number of our same-age (and older) friends and family members also love the show.  One of my friends’ 90-year-old mother had not seen the show live, watched the film the day it began streaming, fell in love with it and has watched it at least a second time since. 
 

I appreciate that not everyone is a fan, but I don’t think it’s about age. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Turtles06

[KmomChicago]

Just now, Turtles06 said:

Sorry, but I don’t think it’s generational. My wife and I are each more than a decade older than you are, and we both love Hamilton.  We’ve seen it five times live (and have traveled to see it), and I’ve already watched the film three times in its entirety, as well as many segments of it individually. A huge number of our same-age (and older) friends and family members also love the show.  One of my friend’s 90-year-old mother had not seen the show live, watched the film the day it began streaming, fell in love with it and has watched it at least a second time since. 
 

I appreciate that not everyone is a fan, but I don’t think it’s about age. 

 

That's a fair point and I apologize for any offense.  

[lenquixote66]

22 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

So you remember when the Beatles got here! My mom was living in NYC at the time - she moved there at 18, on her own, from Minneapolis and lived 1/2 block off Central Park West on 69th - right across the street from the facade used in the Shirley MacLaine movie The Apartment. She lived in the city from late 1961 until 1964 when she joined the Navy and shortly met my handsome-Marine father, who is probably your age. Heck, maybe you met my mom. Did you happen to commute in to the city and work at Esso?

I remember when the Beatles came to NYC .I was living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan but not at Esso.

[lenquixote66]

22 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Sorry, but I don’t think it’s generational. My wife and I are each more than a decade older than you are, and we both love Hamilton.  We’ve seen it five times live (and have traveled to see it), and I’ve already watched the film three times in its entirety, as well as many segments of it individually. A huge number of our same-age (and older) friends and family members also love the show.  One of my friends’ 90-year-old mother had not seen the show live, watched the film the day it began streaming, fell in love with it and has watched it at least a second time since. 
 

I appreciate that not everyone is a fan, but I don’t think it’s about age. 

Friends of ours in their mid 80’s saw and loved the show.

[AF-1]

My wife and I watched the show last week on Disney +.  It was good;  she wants to watch it again to see things she missed last week.  I will not be watching along with her.  Once was enough.  Glad everyone is enjoying the streaming service. Here is a link that some of you may enjoy.

 

[lenquixote66]

I watched Hamilton on my I-Pad.Perhaps if I watched it on a large screen TV I would appreciate it more ?

[Roger88]

5 hours ago, AF-1 said:

My wife and I watched the show last week on Disney +.  It was good;  she wants to watch it again to see things she missed last week.  I will not be watching along with her.  Once was enough.  Glad everyone is enjoying the streaming service. Here is a link that some of you may enjoy.

 

OMG, now I want to watch live somewhere.. is it even possible? How long is it by the way? To be honest  always slept in the theater but this one looks like fun that wont make feel bored. Was it recorded in London? I really want to see it now. I will go show it to my wife for sure. She likes this kinds of shows 

[Turtles06]

33 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I watched Hamilton on my I-Pad.Perhaps if I watched it on a large screen TV I would appreciate it more ?

How can we know?  🤣  Maybe you are in the small minority of people for whom this is not their cup of tea.  But I certainly think the bigger the screen, the better. 

[Turtles06]

29 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

OMG, now I want to watch live somewhere.. is it even possible? How long is it by the way? To be honest  always slept in the theater but this one looks like fun that wont make feel bored. Was it recorded in London? I really want to see it now. I will go show it to my wife for sure. She likes this kinds of shows 

You cannot see Hamilton live anywhere right now (same for anything else on Broadway or the West End or touring).  Hamilton runs close to three hours live, including a 15-minute intermission. The film has a built in 1-minute intermission, but since it’s streaming, you can pause it whenever.  The film is a live capture of the Original Broadway Cast (in NY, obviously), a compilation of two live performances and a load of additional filming (especially from on stage) without an audience present. 

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

How can we know?  🤣  Maybe you are in the small minority of people for whom this is not their cup of tea.  But I certainly think the bigger the screen, the better. 

Perhaps it is not my cup of tea😀

[markeb]

15 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Perhaps it is not my cup of tea😀

 

Were you a fan of Rent? Just curious as even though it's essentially a Puccini opera set in the East Village, it was pretty out there when it was released as I recall. Hamilton is very different, almost has its own language, and definitely  has its own cadence. I read an estimate that if Hamilton had been written in a typical Broadway rhythm/tempo, it would be a 6-8 hour play!

 

I will agree that it would be much more watchable on a big screen, ideally with a decent sound system. But not everyone loves it.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

Were you a fan of Rent? Just curious as even though it's essentially a Puccini opera set in the East Village, it was pretty out there when it was released as I recall. Hamilton is very different, almost has its own language, and definitely  has its own cadence. I read an estimate that if Hamilton had been written in a typical Broadway rhythm/tempo, it would be a 6-8 hour play!

 

I will agree that it would be much more watchable on a big screen, ideally with a decent sound system. But not everyone loves it.

Yes,I loved Rent.I saw several performances of the show with different casts.
I posted this before but it bears repeating.Many years ago a cousin of mine wrote a play that got rave reviews in various cities.He brought the play to Manhattan .It did not open on Broadway but a few blocks from the theater district so it was essentially a Broadwsy play.It opened and closed on the same day,The actor were all unknowns at the time but they are all A list today.

[markeb]

I didn't grow up anywhere near the theater, so my history with theater is pretty limited. Probably going back to the mid 80's community theater, and ultimately a few traveling musicals. I think the first was a national production of Cats in San Antonio (which my then girlfriend now wife and I saw in Seoul, in Korean, a couple of years later). We saw Les Miserables at the Palace in the West End in 1995.

 

What's funny is I don't necessarily remember either Andrew Lloyd Webber or Cameron MacIntosh being universally acclaimed by long time theater goers at the time. Both shows were very different  from older Broadway/West End musicals, many of which had long since been adapted as movie musicals back in their heyday. It's kind of funny on the Royal Caribbean board (or was) to hear people complain about Cats, and its lack of plot, and how weird it is, etc. All of which contributed to its long success!

 

Of course, the last 10-15 years so many new productions seem to either be "jukebox musicals", like Jersey Boys (which we enjoyed, to be clear) or Disney transplants, which makes crazy things like Book of Mormon, or Hamilton, or on a smaller but very well done scale, Come From Away, refreshing for being original. And we've seen a few others that we really liked that were in the same vein.

 

Cool story about your cousin. I do remember you posting that in the past. I'm hoping we're all back in a live theater sooner rather than later, whatever that means!

[George C]

While I really like 95 percent of the many plays , I was not crazy over Rent but wife loved it , it was just off Broadway. Agree on Come From Away which I would love to see again . We also enjoyed Cats on both Broadway and on Oasis of the seas. One of my favorite all time shows is Hair which I have seen many times on and off broadway and in Dallas. My brother directed hair in queens 40 years ago and one of the people who wrote the play came to the show and talked to us about it , me and one of my friends put up the money to do the show. 

[Nitemare]

Not to be pedantic, but it's the "Original Broadway Production", not the "Original Broadway Cast" as two members of the ensemble had left by the time they filmed this.  OK, to be pedantic.

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, Nitemare said:

Not to be pedantic, but it's the "Original Broadway Production", not the "Original Broadway Cast" as two members of the ensemble had left by the time they filmed this.  OK, to be pedantic.

 

Thank you, I appreciate your clarifying that and don’t consider it to be pedantic at all.   (Not just ensemble members, but Groff in fact had also left the show by the time of filming, and Rory O’Malley, then playing King George, graciously stepped aside so Groff could return to the role for the filming. O’Malley is thanked in the credits.) 

[lenquixote66]

20 hours ago, markeb said:

I didn't grow up anywhere near the theater, so my history with theater is pretty limited. Probably going back to the mid 80's community theater, and ultimately a few traveling musicals. I think the first was a national production of Cats in San Antonio (which my then girlfriend now wife and I saw in Seoul, in Korean, a couple of years later). We saw Les Miserables at the Palace in the West End in 1995.

 

What's funny is I don't necessarily remember either Andrew Lloyd Webber or Cameron MacIntosh being universally acclaimed by long time theater goers at the time. Both shows were very different  from older Broadway/West End musicals, many of which had long since been adapted as movie musicals back in their heyday. It's kind of funny on the Royal Caribbean board (or was) to hear people complain about Cats, and its lack of plot, and how weird it is, etc. All of which contributed to its long success!

 

Of course, the last 10-15 years so many new productions seem to either be "jukebox musicals", like Jersey Boys (which we enjoyed, to be clear) or Disney transplants, which makes crazy things like Book of Mormon, or Hamilton, or on a smaller but very well done scale, Come From Away, refreshing for being original. And we've seen a few others that we really liked that were in the same vein.

 

Cool story about your cousin. I do remember you posting that in the past. I'm hoping we're all back in a live theater sooner rather than later, whatever that means!

The first time I went to see a play on Broadway was in 1965 with my then girlfriend ,now wife.Orchestra seats were between $5 and $8 depending on the theater.We went every Saturday during our dating years and after getting married we continued to go to the theater but not quite that often.We saw about 10 plays a year.In the mid 80’s I reconnected with my best friend from college .His wife was a stage actress mainly in off bway and regional theater and we went to see productions that she was in.

We have been to theaters all over the US and Canada .

[Lois R]

28 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

The first time I went to see a play on Broadway was in 1965 with my then girlfriend ,now wife.Orchestra seats were between $5 and $8 depending on the theater.We went every Saturday during our dating years and after getting married we continued to go to the theater but not quite that often.We saw about 10 plays a year.In the mid 80’s I reconnected with my best friend from college .His wife was a stage actress mainly in off bway and regional theater and we went to see productions that she was in.

We have been to theaters all over the US and Canada .

Hi Lenny, wow, that is pretty cool😀...you saw some absolutely fantastic shows over the years!!!!!!!

I saw A Chorus Line on Broadway........I can't remember the year but it was awesome🙂.  So what are your top

5 all time favorites?

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Lenny, wow, that is pretty cool😀...you saw some absolutely fantastic shows over the years!!!!!!!

I saw A Chorus Line on Broadway........I can't remember the year but it was awesome🙂.  So what are your top

5 all time favorites?

Man of LaMancha,Come From Away,Les Miserables,Hair ,Evita are among my favorites but it is very difficult to just pick 5.
Another one of my favorites is Waiting For Godot .

 

 

[George C]

I think I got spoiled with my first play, my dad took me just before I entered the army early in 1969. Play was Play it again Sam , had great seats , staring Woody Allen, Tony Roberts and Diane Keaton, none were big stars at the time. My favorite star was Danny Kaye in the 70’s in Two by Two playing Noah. 

[navybankerteacher]

On 7/10/2020 at 3:14 PM, lenquixote66 said:

I remember when the Beatles came to NYC .I was living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan but not at Esso.

I think the Beatles cam in 1964 - and Esso stopped being Esso (and became Exxon) in 1973 — but then I can also remember Studebakers.