One of the things that my wife likes to do when we're in England is to take in a show. The last time we were there we saw Oliver! which was fun and exactly the sort of thing one expects to see in a London theater. This time around, though, a preliminary look at the shows running didn't turn up anything that looked all that interesting.

Today, though, I started downloading a bunch of apps for our trip. Among them was one for London that included a list of the current shows. To my astonishment one of the shows playing was Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre. It's a show that I've wanted to see ever since its initial debut four years ago, and I despaired of doing so after missing the opportunity when the tour passed through my town. Now, the idea of seeing an American musical in the UK may seem a little ridiculous, but considering that I saw the Chicago revival on a previous trip to London I seem to have a habit of doing this sort of thing.

Regardless of the roundabout way that I've taken to see it, I'm looking forward to seeing for myself what all of the fuss is about, especially as I won't have to rely upon cast recordings or the published script to do so. After all, plays are meant to be seen aren't they?

I am one of the lemmings obsessed with Hamilton these past few years. No shame.

Listened to this in audio format and it was narrated by the lovely Mariska Hargitay. Her voice is very nice to listen to, although I do wonder if the recording was her first time through (either an audiobook or this particular one) as there was at least one time where she distinctly starts to laugh mid-sentence. A pleasant sound, but distracting from the otherwise smooth cadence of narration. I also appreciated that there was no pretension wen she read the printed rap lyrics.

The book itself is the "behind the scenes" or the "making of" story of the (in)famous musical. It's amazing to learn how much of the success was due to luck and a long building process. What I thought was the "final" version of the musical that everyone has come to know is apparently not what the first audiences saw when it opened off Broadway. Then hearing about that process of refinement from the main contributors, Lin-Manuel Miranda featuring prominently, of course, is fascinating.

The end of the audio, at least via Audible, included Lin-Manuel Miranda reading the notes that were included on the annotated (PDF) copy of the musical's lyrics + promotional photos. It's gorgeous.

 Rather the Annotated Hamilton, in form, with the libretto to one side of each page, and extensive sidenotes on the other, pointing out puns and allusions (so many of both). There are also lovely photos, and a lot of information about how the show came together, with cast and music and costuming and stage design and direction. And there's a lot, too about the art of playwriting, and what kind of song needs to go where, and what one needs to share with the audience when. Very cool, and not only to fans of the show.


Library copy

First book read in the new year, and it had its own soundtrack.