It sounds crazy to say that we went to London to see Hamilton. But as Jo informs me, it isn't crazy. We got cheap airplane tickets and direct flights on Norwegian from Austin to London, making it an easier and most likely less expensive journey from Austin than almost any place besides DFW airport. The Victoria Palace theater has managed to severely cut down on price gouging in the secondary market by imposing a maximum of four tickets per transaction online, and requiring the party had to present the credit card which had been used for the online transaction to print the tickets at the theater. So Jo bought literally the best tickets in the house at a fair price.
Hamilton was a smashing success. I knew next to nothing about the show. The opening words "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore..." grabbed my attention and never let go till the very end. I must say I was slightly distracted thinking about what the English members of the audience may have been thinking during the show. The story of the defeat of the English is told in a decidedly American patriotic tone. And the only comic relief is the English monarch, King George III, dressed in a scarlet frock with an ermine cape and the English crown on his head. Turns out I wasn't the only one worrying. Check out the New Yorker's story: How Will “Hamilton” Play in England? It also explains why Hamilton provides an Obama-esque vision of America as opposed to a Trumpian one - with an all black and Asian cast except for the white King George III, and songs like Immigrants (We get the job done).
The kids absolutely loved the show. And Jo was ready to plan a second trip back to London to do it all over again. After the show we went to Rani's house for dinner and when I mentioned the first words from Hamilton, there was a spirited discussion about what the words meant. Turns out Vivian and Evan know what a bastard means, but not a whore. Well, maybe now they do.
And what's a trip to London without the obligatory shot of the family falling asleep in the back of a London taxi on the drive from the airport to the hotel? Or the train station to the Airbnb.
Hamilton was a smashing success. I knew next to nothing about the show. The opening words "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore..." grabbed my attention and never let go till the very end. I must say I was slightly distracted thinking about what the English members of the audience may have been thinking during the show. The story of the defeat of the English is told in a decidedly American patriotic tone. And the only comic relief is the English monarch, King George III, dressed in a scarlet frock with an ermine cape and the English crown on his head. Turns out I wasn't the only one worrying. Check out the New Yorker's story: How Will “Hamilton” Play in England? It also explains why Hamilton provides an Obama-esque vision of America as opposed to a Trumpian one - with an all black and Asian cast except for the white King George III, and songs like Immigrants (We get the job done).
The kids absolutely loved the show. And Jo was ready to plan a second trip back to London to do it all over again. After the show we went to Rani's house for dinner and when I mentioned the first words from Hamilton, there was a spirited discussion about what the words meant. Turns out Vivian and Evan know what a bastard means, but not a whore. Well, maybe now they do.
And what's a trip to London without the obligatory shot of the family falling asleep in the back of a London taxi on the drive from the airport to the hotel? Or the train station to the Airbnb.
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