Blogging Bayport Alameda

March 11, 2016

Take a break

Filed under: Alameda — Lauren Do @ 6:01 am

Given the, um, enthusiasm on the posts about the rental housing ordinance, I thought we all deserved to take a break from the intensity of the discussion.  So I’m going to talk about my latest obsession, Hamilton.

That’s right, I may be the last musical super fan on earth to actually get around to downloading the album and listening to it, but just between you and me I haven’t listened to much else since downloading the album last Thursday.  That’s right, it’s been on solid wall of Hamilton listening, with a Friday break to catch Prince with just a piano and a microphone, which was as amazing as it sounds.

If you generally shy away from musicals, this is one that you might want to catch a listen to because it is so much awesome.

Here’s a great video about the making of the Hamilton album.  I am particularly obsessed with Leslie Odom, Jr’s Aaron Burr.

25 Comments

  1. If only our own Burr talked less.

    Comment by gaylon — March 11, 2016 @ 6:35 am

  2. This is starting to feel like bullying.

    Comment by BMac — March 11, 2016 @ 7:51 am

  3. http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_29431282/smash-hit-hamilton-musical-will-come-san-francisco

    There is a lot of good You Tube stuff from a 60 Minutes segment a while back. The guy who plays Jefferson was an actual rap artist before being cast ( as opposed to theater person) and he is from Oakland. Hoping he will travel here. I doubt New York production will cease when this show hits the road, so no telling which cast members will be where.

    Comment by MI — March 11, 2016 @ 7:53 am

  4. How long before Tomorrow Youth Repertory gets a chance to perform this in Alameda?

    (Realistically, I’m guessing that the youth that would be in such a production haven’t been born yet!)

    Comment by therealdanwood — March 11, 2016 @ 9:02 am

  5. Save start saving your money. Standard ticket prices on Broadway start at $139 and premium tickets start at $549, if you can get them, but they’e currently sold out for the foreseeable future. There has also been a brisk business in counterfeit tickets with fake tickets being presented at the door almost daily. Don’t risk craigslist for this show. I expect when it comes to San Francisco, the same thing will happen. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/nyregion/theatergoers-desperate-to-see-hamilton-fall-prey-to-ticket-forgers.html

    Comment by Denise Shelton — March 11, 2016 @ 9:07 am

  6. 4. As long as it’s a hot ticket on Broadway and on the road, forget about local theater. The producers don’t want the competition. Les Miserables premiered on Broadway in 1987 but was not widely available for community theaters until 2013, so your calculations are most likely correct!

    Comment by Denise Shelton — March 11, 2016 @ 9:15 am

  7. Bmac: that’s because you will never be satisfied.

    Comment by Lauren Do — March 11, 2016 @ 9:17 am

  8. At least the original B’way cast recording is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Zp9HUc9HraQ?list=PLUSRfoOcUe4avCXPg6tPgdZzu–hBXUYx

    Comment by vigi — March 11, 2016 @ 10:10 am

  9. vigi, FYI- whenever you post links they come up blank unless I strip and paste them. This is true for others sometimes. I’ve tested my own posts from time to time and that doesn’t seem to be an issue. Not sure why.

    Comment by MI — March 11, 2016 @ 10:22 am

  10. This might work better:

    Comment by Lauren Do — March 11, 2016 @ 10:26 am

  11. Good to see that Altarena is sold out or nearly sold out for upcoming shows. I haven’t been for about a year. Any tips on a show to see this year?

    Comment by MP — March 11, 2016 @ 10:53 am

  12. Can we get back to politics?

    Comment by gaylon — March 11, 2016 @ 10:54 am

  13. Please? (https://youtu.be/AUOfpIPztKM?t=6s)

    Comment by Lauren Do — March 11, 2016 @ 10:59 am

  14. So glad you bring up Hamilton! That musical is based on a biography by Ron Chernow, and reading that book brings better appreciation of the brilliant music and lyrics of Miranda. Plus, in light of the astounding national politics happening now, it’s especially interesting to compare in some detail the politics and personalities across more than two centuries.

    Reading the book also gives deeper understanding of how brilliantly Miranda combines rhythm, music and words for multi-layered meanings. For example, his repeated use of the refrain and underlying implications of “I will not throw away my… shot.”

    By the way, Daveed Diggs, who plays both Jefferson and Lafayette, is an Oakland rapper.

    Comment by KSD — March 11, 2016 @ 11:00 am

  15. hells bells. Our son lives in NYC and works in the biz and when he was here recently he showed us a bunch of full videos of the various songs which I thought were from 60 Minutes, but maybe they were proprietary. The audio is great, but the complete performances are better. My favorite is “The Room Where It Happens”, with Burr. Other show stealer is “Wait For It”. Jefferson solo is “What’d I Miss?”. Hysterical that slave owning Jefferson is played by a black guy.

    Comment by MI — March 11, 2016 @ 11:29 am

  16. Lauren, your #13 worked the first time I clicked but is now shooting blanks. Maybe problem is on my end.

    Comment by MI — March 11, 2016 @ 11:34 am

  17. Try clicking the YouTube logo, it should take you to the actual site.

    Comment by Lauren Do — March 11, 2016 @ 11:37 am

  18. The Hamilton tour will be coming to San Francisco later this year. Unfortunately, the only way you can guarantee that you can purchase tickets is to subscribe to SHN’s whole season. Which I’ve done thanks to the fact that my daughter and I are both obsessed with the case album.

    And speaking of my daughter, she’s a TYR alum and is making her San Francisco professional debut in a play right now. “Jerusalem” at the Phoenix Theater right off of Union Square. Tickets are available at Goldstar.

    Comment by Page Barnes — March 12, 2016 @ 9:36 am

  19. without going in to detail, the passage of a several weeks and other factors have blurred my memory. I mis-remembered having seen whole songs on video back in November. Our son played me 60 Minutes and the full audio in our car stereo at that time. I guess the 60 Minutes stuff is all there is of video online.

    Page, do you have to buy the whole season? We go to ACT with some folks and they got tickets to Hamilton, but I thought they bought an abbreviated package. Maybe my memory is faulty on that too., or maybe that was an option which is longer available. I’ll ask. We’ve had season tickets to ACT since our son was in Alameda Children’s Musical Theater. At that time my wife was a teacher and buying season tickets on teacher discount was too good of a deal to pass up. She and our son went together, and when he left for college I started going. I’d seen relatively little live theater before that, other than ACMT, local high schools, and Altarena. but have to say it’s become a passion. Quality of productions the last two season’s at ACT have been patchy, which has made us consider buying smaller package, plus we lost teacher discount when spouse quit teaching.

    Comment by MI — March 13, 2016 @ 12:20 pm

  20. 18. I forgot to congratulate Tyler on her professional debut. Congrats! long live the arts.

    Comment by MI — March 13, 2016 @ 2:25 pm

  21. MI, Hamilton is an SHN production, not ACT. You can get shortened seasons at ACT, but for SHN, you have to buy the whole season. They did the same thing a few years ago with “Book of Mormon.” The only other show that SHN has announced for next season in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime” which won the Tony for best play last year. My daughter saw it in NY last summer and loved it, so that’s good news. With any luck, there will be a “Fun Home” tour that will be included in the package. Also a fantastic show. I saw that one myself.

    BTW: I had the dates wrong. “Hamilton” isn’t coming until next March.

    Comment by Page Barnes — March 14, 2016 @ 8:31 am

  22. I know Hamilton is not at ACT, but how many shows in SHN season? Do they actually allow you to buy a wholes season without knowing what the other plays are? Seems a little cheesy.

    Comment by MI — March 14, 2016 @ 12:41 pm

  23. Usually 6 shows. And they’re betting that you’ll want to see Hamilton so badly that you won’t care what the other 5 shows are. We’ve already purchased two nose-bleed season tickets without knowing 4 of the shows. I’m just hoping it’s not Wicked again.

    Comment by Page Barnes — March 14, 2016 @ 5:57 pm


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