Another blog post, another theatre to talk about. I appreciate these posts have been a bit more sporadic than I originally intended, but I am enjoying writing them far too much to give up.
So today’s theatre is a beautifully grand one. The Victoria Palace. Home to Billy Elliot and now Hamilton (and more shows than that of course but they are the only shows I have seen there).
I first visited this theatre to see Billy Elliot on the 7th April 2016 – 2 days before their closing night. It was an incredible show, but whilst I did love theatre at this point, it wasn’t to the level which I love it now and I had no idea how special it is seeing a show that close to closing. I just remember being overcome with emotion at such a beautiful show with an equally beautiful and heartwarming message.
I then didn’t revisit the theatre until the third year of Hamilton running in the west end…I know, so long to wait! But it was more than worth it. Originally, I wanted to see Hamilton as soon as it came here – I had loved the cast recording from Broadway, even if it did take me a while to get what was going on…but it was unlike anything I had previously heard, and I wanted to see what the hype was about. However, trying to get tickets was so difficult, and I didn’t know there was a such thing as returns or standing tickets, or even a lottery. So I figured, I would just wait it out until the hype wasn’t as strong, and it may be somewhat easier to get tickets.
Between the time of Hamilton coming to London and me going to see it, I encountered a not so little show I may have mentioned a couple of hundred times to you if you’ve spoken to me in person…no, not Thriller. The other one. Motown. That was a show that meant a great deal to me, and whilst I am still sad it is not in London anymore, I have had tremendous fun seeing all the cast members in whatever they have done next. So, the third cast of Hamilton was announced…and there were some familiar Motown faces going into the cast. So that sealed the deal for me. Enough procrastinating, I had to find a way to get tickets and finally see the show. I was not going to miss people I loved and supported going into Hamilton, a musical I’d already waited far too long to see.
So there I am. Opening night of the new cast. In the que to go into the building and see this show AT LAST. Before I even saw the show, just from listening, I knew this show was different. It was unlike anything I personally had heard before, and I even had friends of mine who have never listened or liked musicals, wanting to go and see it. That in itself says something. So, as I waited for the show to start, I was intrigued and filled with anticipation as to what would be my experience of seeing this show live. Of course, I’d heard the cast recording, but it goes without saying that seeing a show live in person is a very different experience to just listening to it.
The show was phenomenal. From the opening notes of Alexander Hamilton to the Eliza’s gasp before the bows, the energy was insane. I felt the power and emotion behind every lyric, the choreography is stunning (I’d pay good money to be in Yorktown, just once!) and it just felt like I was watching a show unlike anything other, unlike anything I’d seen before. It is a show completely unique.
I am someone who doesn’t generally listen to hip hop or rap music. I don’t avoid it, my music taste is just primarily musical theatre, with a few artists that I listen to outside that genre (I know. I’m a cool kid). But for some reason, Hamilton – which is made up of hip hop and rap music – is a show I really enjoy. I can safely say I definitely prefer seeing it on stage as opposed to just listening, and when I did just listen to the cast recording before it came to this country, it did take me a few listens to warm up to the show. But when I saw the show live, it surprised me just how much I liked it. I do think listening to the show before seeing it helped as I think had that been the first time being exposed to the music, I would have not understood the show as much. But even despite this, when watching the show live, about a part of history I didn’t know much about, I found it so moving, interesting, incredible how they told this part of history but made it feel modern and fresh and still relevant to today.
The show itself, as I have said, was phenomenal. And I was filled with love seeing the cast members I’d seen in Motown shine on the stage of the Victoria Palace, showing what they can do in a show that couldn’t be more different. But that was not all. Hamilton is a beautifully diverse show. The cast is refreshing to see on stage. Representation is a big deal. It is important. It matters. Going to see Hamilton and seeing people of all ethnicities on stage, seeing a cast so diverse…it was just beautiful. I, and so many others I am sure, will never tire of seeing people who look like me, or who share the same heritage as me on stage. It’s an amazing, hopeful feeling. If they can do it, maybe I can too.
Whenever I go to the Victoria Palace, I always leave filled with emotion (I mean, it is an emotional show!), and I feel inspired. It’s a remarkable show, especially to have made such an impact on theatre, to make people who did not have an interest in theatre before suddenly want to come and see a musical. It may have taken me 3 years to see it, but it was more than worth the wait. Hamilton truly is a unique show and one that will definitely not be forgotten any time soon.
One Show at a Time 