A friend of mine did some price comparisons, and he figured out that for the same price of ONE orchestra ticket to see “Hamilton” on Broadway, he could just as well fly from NYC to Australia AND still have money leftover for a decent hotel.
Has anybody here actually gone to see it? Is it really and truly as breathtakingly good, as monumentally zeitgeist-capturing, as epically life-changing astounding as it is made out to be?
Me. Yes.
My wife and I purchased tickets JUST before it became super-popular. I had read the Chernow book a few years prior, and thought, “hmm, this could be interesting.” In the three months between buying the tickets and seeing the show, its popularity skyrocketed.
We BARELY made it on time – got stuck in traffic between the Henry Hudson Parkway and midtown (who woulda thunk it?). Got the last parking spot in a lot a block away, then rushed to our seats. Were blown away. Still listen to the CD sometimes.
I saw the touring company in Boston, and it was the most amazing theater experience I’ve had in many years, only comparable to seeing “The Producers” on Broadway with the original cast.
There are ways to get seats for reasonable prices on weeknights, matinees, and other less popular times, or by seeing one of the touring companies. IMO, it’s well worth it.
There’s a long thread on Hamilton here - Hamilton - The Musical - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
We spent most of a day on the computer in the virtual line set up when Hamilton tickets went on sale in San Francisco. We finally scored them for late February, so we’ll see. But we listened to the music a few times while driving across the country, so the chances of it being worth it are good.
We dropped a lot of money seeing shows in New York, even at TKTS prices, and it was all well worth it.
I’ve seen it twice: once in San Francisco and once in Los Angeles. It’s very very good. I listen to the CD all the time.
I saw it in New York about a year ago. By coincidence, I’m set to go see it again in about 3 hours in Boston. We enjoyed it enough to warrant buying tickets in Boston even though we had already seen it once before.
Saw it in New York this spring. Loved it. Well worth it.
My husband and I went. It was a phenomenal and singular show. This was definitely a trip for me, but afterwards my husband said it was, hands down, the best show he’s ever seen.
Make sure you listen to the some of the music first. It might not be to your liking.
I have tickets, but the show is not until March.
I read the Chernow book before ever hearing there was a musical in the works.
I consider the soundtrack to be musical genius; it is one of my all time favorite albums. I listen to it fairly regularly and have never gotten tired of it.
mmm
A question for all you fans of the play; did you like hip-hop prior to seeing it? If not, did seeing it change that opinion for you?
I like some hip-hop/rap, but wasn’t very well versed in the genre. I’ve explored a bit more hip-hop since seeing the play.
Not really and not really. I respect it as a genre and I enjoyed it in the context of the musical but I’ve heard many, many times more hip-hop outside of Hamilton and it’s not a style that does much for me.
Still great and totally worth it. The Touring Company is excellent.
Also, the price on my ticket reminded me what we paid to see this show. We had orchestra seats (I was very happy with our seats). No way am I getting a flight to Australia for that price. So while you can find exorbitantly priced tickets to Hamilton, one doesn’t need to pay an exorbitant price to see it.
I haven’t seen it yet, but there’s a lengthy thread about that’s been in the Cafe for years.
Just got tickets to the touring company production through the pre-sale on-sale this morning. Two tickets in Orchestra 3 (left center) in Row C. $459.00 per ticket plus Ticketmaster (you bastard!) fees. That this is a show my wife has been dying to see for years now makes the cost worth it to make a dream come true.
Yes, yes, and yes.
Got my tickets for face value by stalking the website - flew from LA to NYC for the show. It turned out that the date I bought for was three (3) days before the final show with the original cast - I could have sold them for $3k each.
It was so very worth it.
We caught the touring company in St. Louis at the Fox Theater…we got the tickets for a really good deal, but I can say they would have been worth it at triple the price. Easily my favorite stage experience (I grew up in NYC and am no stranger to Broadway).
I am a fan of 80s and early 90s hip-hop, and the homage to that made it transcendent rather than just amazing. My wife, who is not a fan of hip-hop, loved it as well on its own merits.
As someone who didn’t get the hype…yeah, it lives up to it. If anything, it’s under-hyped for the quality of production.
My wife and I saw it in Boston last month. We loved it.
I thought that the guy playing Washington had a better voice for the part than the original cast actor (he had serious gravitas both in his singing voice and his stage presence). And, frankly, I thought that the guy playing Hamilton had a better voice for the part than Lin-Miranda (not having seen Lin-Miranda on stage, I can’t speak to his acting, although I assume he was excellent). Heresy, I know.
We paid about $150 per seat, and thought it was worth the money.
I didn’t really know much about hip-hop, and what I knew about it I didn’t much like.
What you have to understand, however, is that the musical isn’t just hip-hop. It’s famous for including that, of course, but it also includes many other styles, such as jazz and old fashioned show tunes.
Within that context the hip-hop just fits naturally.