Hamilton

Ah, Hamilton, the show everyone's been raving about, and one that I managed to see without risk of missing out on if I didn't go pronto.  (Although that's really because of a lucky accident; a friend of a friend had tickets and could no longer make it, so my husband snatched them for us.  Lucky me!)

A few takeaways:

1. Yes, it was as amazing as advertised and totally lived up to the hype.
2. However, I'll admit it was not love at first sight, and it took me halfway through the first act before I fell into the groove.
3. A big part of the appeal is how unique Hamilton is from every other show I've seen.  It may be an old story, but it's put together in a very modern way...part of which is hip hop. That's also why it took me a while to get into it; I'm not a big hip hop person, and so many lyrics were rapped/sung very quickly, which requires great concentration and hearing to be able to catch what they're saying/singing.  I definitely missed a lot of the lyrics.
• Advice -- listen to the soundtrack before going.
4. I would love to go back and see it again.  There were so many witty moments that I'm sure would be better appreciated the second or third or nth time around (and not just because I missed some lyrics either).
5. Because so much of it is rapped and not traditionally melodic, I don't have as many songs stuck in my head like I normally do.  The exception is the funny King George songs.  Not a bad thing; just an observation.  And btw, I quite liked the sarcastic, ironic, British humor in those King George parts.
6. And finally, what a great refresher on history in a fun way!

Miss Saigon

I seem to have developed a bad habit of procrastinating until the last minute to see Broadway shows, barely squeezing them in before they close.  That was the case for Les Mis, American in Paris, and now again for Miss Saigon.  Well, better late than never.

Unlike many of the other musicals I've seen, I was not too familiar with either the music or the story of Miss Saigon initially -- I never played any of the music in high school orchestra, and the story is not widely referenced or known in pop culture.  However, a good friend of mine walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of "Sun and Moon" a few years ago, and I immediately fell in love.  I became even more obsessed when I learned that Queen Lea Salonga was the original Kim.

Here, just listen:

You're welcome.

Anyway, long story short, I was super ecstatic when about a year ago, I saw signs in Times Square announcing the return of Miss Saigon to Broadway.  I foolishly thought I'd have a lot of time to go see it; fast forward a year later...I found out the show's ending in January 2018 and then scrambled to get tickets.

Miss Saigon is one of those shows where there aren't that many songs (rather, many songs are based on just a few of the same melodies/themes), but they're all beautiful and lyrical and touching and emotionally charged, whether it's a sweet love song or an angry fight.  I enjoyed the show just for the experience of listening to the music and didn't even care that the current cast may not all be the strongest singers (then again, who can compare to Lea?).  Some of my friends felt that there wasn't much plot or character development in the first act (there isn't; you just jump in and assume the love story is a given), but the second act makes up for some of the plot holes, and I think you still go on an emotional journey with the characters if you just accept the plot line.

Overall, I'm so glad I managed to see it.  For those in NYC, you have about another month before the show ends here, and then it's going on a national tour for those of you in the rest of the U.S.

An American in Paris

Yet another wonderful Broadway show that is closing soon (October 9), so everyone go see it!  This was my first time watching An American in Paris, and it was a lot of fun and a very unique show with all the beautiful ballet.

I was so impressed with the talent -- how do these people dance AND sing so well?! -- in addition to the skillful use of the screen projections (I thought Les Mis did a good job, but this was so much better) and funny, witty quips throughout that lightened the mood for what would otherwise have been a darker post-war love story.  Many of the songs should also be recognizable to the general audience, whether you're familiar with Gershwin or not.

Overall, I would highly recommend An American in Paris to both the casual audience and serious Broadway lover.  The story is compelling, the songs are catchy, and the ballet is lovely.

Les Miserables

I love Broadway musicals.  Phantom of the Opera was my first, Wicked is the one I've seen the most, but Les Mis will always be my favorite.  It was the first and only musical I performed (by perform, I mean played in the orchestra pit) in high school.  So you can imagine my disappointment when I came to New York for college and discovered that Les Mis was no longer being performed on Broadway and was only able to see it for the first time in London when I was studying abroad.  And then the Les Mis Revival came to New York...except then I thought there would be no more rush and never bothered going to see it, until now.

Les Mis is ending on Sep 4, so I finally got tickets.  I thought they made a nice use of the screen and projections, although it was strange to not have a turntable set for those familiar with the original staging.  I liked Val Jean and Javert, found Marius to be nasally and Cosette pitchy, but regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and now I have all the songs stuck in my head.  Hope everyone gets to see it before it ends!