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thellamaduo · 7 years

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Full Review of Hamilton Saturday July 15th Evening Show

Full main cast except for Voltaire on as Hercules/Madison for his second show ever(!) Also Brian d’Arcy James’ second to last show

(For comparison: I have seen the OBC and the New Admin live. If there is footage out there of a questionable legality, I've seen that too. )

- Alysha is incredible as Peggy/Maria, but then she always is. I think she's only grown into the roles. Someone, I think her, effed up the entrance to The Schuyler Sisters though and that threw 'em off a little bit. Very high energy Schuyler Sisters though, just barely on the rails at the end. No cringe from Lexi or Mandy at her "AND PEGGY" though, which is a moment I love. They don't have the chemistry of the original girls, but I've yet to see a trio that does.

Her Maria is probably my favourite of the ones I've seen. She plays Maria very desperate and kinda shy, but with a sultry vibrato through the whole thing. It feels a lot like Hamilton is projecting the sexiness onto her. James Reynolds was too over the top imo and that took away from it a bit. She does not play like she's in love with Hamilton. She looks at Hamilton and James with the same lost, hurt expression, like she was hoping for Hamilton to save her and then realises that he won't. There's a moment at the end I love, where James exits and he slaps his leg for her to follow him. She starts to go, stops, and looks at Hamilton like she's waiting for him to say something. He's not even paying attention any more, and her face falls just a little before she follows James.

As a sidenote, LOVE the Maria wig she's got. Suits really well.

Mandy - VERY different than when I saw her in January. Night and day, and not for the better I think. In January I adored her reserved but quick-thinking Angelica, who turned into an avenging angel in the reynolds pamphlet. I called her "An unstoppable force meeting an object that thought it was unmovable but is not getting the heck out of the way." It was thrilling, wonderfully so.

I enjoyed her a lot less this time. Still talented, still a valid interpretation of the character, imo, just one I liked less. Had more in common with Karen in Chicago in terms of mannerisms, down to the extra riff in Satisfied. Overall, less reserve and more aggression. This Angelica didn't feel like she had a connection with Alexander. Not a true one. She is very aggressive in their conversation, it felt like a battle. And it is played like Angelica is being defensive because that's what she does, but he can keep up with her so she's impressed, rather than Renee's where she's reserved and polite and something about him just rocks her whole worldview.

Overall it feels like this connection they have and their relationship and how much she's attracted to him, it's all in her head. And she knows it's all in her head, and she likes it there because it's safer to just be like "Ah yes hot boy, I will go off by myself and use him for masturbation fodder but I don't actually need him" rather than Renee's or Mandy's original take, which was much more "This great tragedy of what could have been, but I would not allow it"

Different take. I prefer Angelicas with a lot of natural reserve, so I was not a fan of this direction change. Especially when, without the establishment of the connection with Alex, the confrontation in The Reynolds Pamphlet didn't have as much bite. Not a bad performance by any means, just a note on how she played it.

Lexi - She's grown a lot since January. In Jan I called her a 'discount Pippa', whereas this time I felt like she's really grown into a distinct Eliza. I do prefer Pippa's emotional beats, but I much preferred Lexi this time around. Lexi's Eliza is far more sophisticated than Pippa's, less shy and nervous. It played well into Javi's more nervous Ham, and they made a really cute couple. Lots of chemistry. Pippa's line "Elizabeth Schuyler, it's a pleasure to meet you" she's in a deep and abrupt curtsy, she's not even looking at him, she looks very flustered and butterflies-in-stomach, whereas Lexi is a lot more settled and flirty.

I was less happy with her reaction to Philip getting shot - it was not as raw and desperate as Pippa's, and her hand was not placed as well to really make a Moment out of her jerking it away from Hamilton. Had I not known that's what it was, I probably would have read it as her just moving her hand. Her Burn was a highlight though, so throaty and raw. Pippa's Burn really feels like she's sadly reflecting on events, there's some distance and composure. Lexi's Burn feels like she found out about it two hours ago and is still in the throws of grief and processing her hurt. Finale was fine. I cried, but I credit that more to the writing of the show than anything Lexi was doing. It's hard not to react to "Can I show you what I'm proudest of??"

Javi - The champion. One of the big reasons to come down to NYC was to see Javier in the role, as I got an understudy in January (Jevon, who was still new to the role and not more than serviceable). I loved Javi. Loved him. I name him equal to Lin, and I know many prefer one or another but I would be hard pressed to choose. They both felt like they came from the same understanding of the character, just expressed in different ways because they are different people.

What stood out to me for Javier was how much LIFE he brought to Hamilton. You really felt his joy and the feeling of wanting to grab life by the horns. It provided a nice contrast to the bite of anger and the emotions of Hurricane. I would not, overall, call him the 'sexy' Hamilton? While he had great chemistry with Eliza, Maria, and Laurens, he plays more as charming and endearing than sexy. It's not a bad thing. I loved the intimacy between Lexi and Javi, they ramped it up a notch from Pippa/Lin.

One bit stuck out to me, when meeting Eliza, when Eliza goes "Elizabeth Schuyler, it's a pleasure to meet you" he clearly does not know who she is. He jumps up immediately, straightens his jacket, and goes "Schuyler?!" surprised and suddenly nervous when he learns who she is.

I loved his "Can I buy you a drink?" "That would be nice" because it was the "That would be nice" of "I am a poor student I have been drinking just water to save money"; just a little bit embarrassed but powering through because he really really wants a drink, whereas Lin is a lot more "! A friend!"

if I had to pick at something, I much preferred Lin's It's Quiet Uptown. Javi doesn't seem quite as desperate - I don't think I could ever forget Lin's searching look out over the audience as he sang "that never used to happen before" and Javi doesn't shatter to quite the same degree when Eliza takes his hand. But his Hurricane makes up for it, my god. The storm of emotion, that crescendo to "I wrote my own deliverance" where his voice nearly broke with the emotion of it. When Javier says "I couldn't seem to die" you really feel the weight behind his words. This man has been through so much, and he puts it all into those moments.

In contrast, his final monologue is quiet. Very reflective. Lin still felt desperate, like he was trying to find a way out but couldn't see one. Javier felt like he'd decided he was going to die the moment the song started, and he was instead choosing the reflect on the weight of his life. While I miss the little hitch of breath right before his last words, I was intrigued with this portrayal and how it made me feel.

Brandon as Burr - also much improved from January, having toned down his antics a lot. It works a lot better when he picks a few moments to really make a punch - one being during "curruption's such an old song we can sing along in harmony" speech he looks directly at the audience and mouths "What the f**k" to hilarious result. Wait For It was a little static, but that number is one of the hardest to do onstage and I find is often so. What was genuinely weird was the fact that the choreography for Room Where It Happens was noticeably different on multiple moments, including taking out the part where Burr rests his feet on the table for 'you don't get a say in what they trade away". No idea why. I still feel like his Burr never reached the distinct character choices of Leslie, Syndey Harcourt, or Joshua Henry, and I'm excited to see Breaker in the role.

It was Brian d'Arcy James' second to last show. He is definitely the most subtle of the Kings I've seen, maybe too much so. I'd call it a matter of taste. My preference is Groff's, with Rory being a little too over the top and Brian being not quite over the top enough.

James Monroe Igleheart is one I was excited to see. His Lafayette was not great - the accent is better than Seth Stewart, but I can't say much more than that. His Jefferson, though, is wonderful. Hits that line between fun and menacing that is the most important part of the character. He peacocked differently than Daveed - less bouncing more eyebrow smoothing - but it worked fine. He didn't steal the show as much as Daveed does, but he did a great job and was super kind at the stagedoor. Great guy.

We saw Voltaire's second show on as Hercules/Madison, and I was quite impressed. He's been with the company a long time, it's nice to see him moving up. Loved how he played everything. It is not a role I am super fussy over, but I could find no fault in him. Played it a lot like Oak.

And finally, Laurens. Laurens is my favourite character, and I am very fussy about how he's portrayed. I was absolutely blown away by Anthony Lee Medina's Laurens. He had all the anger, life, and tragedy I look for. I had to admit, at intermission, that I may even prefer him to the wonderful Anthony Ramos (Historical accuracy beats that beautiful crooning tenor, drat). So many little character moments that established his character in a little amount of stage time. There were a lot of moments when you saw the angry burning in Laurens, the ferocity of a man who didn't use a gun in battle because he preferred to stab people with a sword. Definitely the first Laurens/Hamilton pairing where I felt that while Hamilton was ferocious, Laurens had the shorter temper.

Contrast that with the beautiful look of uncertainty in The Story of Tonight, right at the beginning. It turns his first lines, "Raise a glass to freedom" into a reflection, something he's trying to puzzle out for himself rather than Anthony's declaration. (Though I am not sure I'm sold on the placement of uncertainty here, as it sort of undercuts Hamiltons' later "No matter what they tell you" quietly to himself.)

Javi and Medina took pains to establish that Laurens and Hamilton had a relationship that was distinct from the rest of the group - separate little moments, extra touches, ect. It can be read as romantic or platonic, either way it really brings home the tragedy of Laurens' death.

Super cute Philip too - funny in parts without going over the top, as I felt Jordan Fisher drifted into. Really played Philip as youthful and everything that goes into that. It really does feel like Philip is young, a foolish because he is young, all pumped up on indignation.

I will also note that, despite complaining backstage and at the stagedoor of being tired as hell and sore all over, Medina had the most energy out of anyone on that stage. It was seriously impressive.

Overall the show was a delight, as always. I saw it through the cancellation line again, this time centre orch row F. Perfect for up close views, you can see every detail of their faces (including who was wearing a lacefront) though I preferred the full show view when I sat row J. F was just on the edge of too close, and got overwhelming. The cast stands up fine, and does a great job. I am planning to see it again when I��m in town in January, and I’m delighted that Medina should still be there.

#hamilton #javier muñoz #Anthony Lee Medina #hamilton review

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