Nicole

I got to see Hamilton a couple of weeks ago and it lived up to all of the hype it's getting. I was so intrigued by Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2009 White House performance that I saw his American Songbook show in 2013 showcasing about five Hamilton Mixtape songs. I also listened to Ron Chernow's biography (upon which the show was based) a bit over a year ago. I became a member of the Public and bought my tickets for the show in July. Needless to say I was excited to see Hamilton and it exceeded my very high expectations. The Marquis de Lafayette is actually in Hamilton, aradia22, played brilliantly by Daveed Diggs (who does double duty as Thomas Jefferson in the second act). The acting is very strong across the board. Leslie Odom, Jr. is getting great notices for his portrayal of Aaron Burr with good reason, but I think I was most blown away by Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler. The song she sings about when she and her sister Eliza first meet Hamilton stands out among many great pieces. The staging and choreography are also very strong. The book and music by Miranda are like nothing I've ever seen/heard before and, at the same time, closely aligned with much of the musical theater that I've loved over the years. It doesn't do the show justice to say it's a musical told in hip hop because, while that influence is strong (and many of the sung through parts are rapped), it's so much more musically complex than that label implies. I also think that The Public could have used a different song over the video clip they released. While the clip repeats an important refrain, it doesn't capture how great the music is. I can't wait for a cast recording. On casting from The New York Times:

I was lucky to see Sutton Foster in Violet this spring. She did a lovely job. I saw the original in the 90s and it really stuck with me. That cast album is among my favorites. The reason I saw it was because I went to hear a Q & A with Stephen Sondheim at Trinity College around the time it opened, and one of the questions was what other shows does he admire. He said he generally doesn't answer that question because people focus on the omissions rather than what he praises, but told us to go see Violet at Playwrights Horizons if we had a chance. Of course I got tickets and loved it. Lauren Ward was excellent as Violet, and Michael McElroy blew me away as Flick. Regarding Lin-Manuel's potential EGOT, he asked people to stop mentioning it to him on twitter, because he really wants to concentrate on writing for the theater. I have such a musical theater crush on him. I actually read Ron Chernow's Hamilton in preparation for LMM's Hamilton opening at the Public (plus I like a good historical biography). I saw his American Songbook production of a few of the songs a couple of years ago, and have been impatiently waiting for a production ever since. Tickets, obviously, have already been purchased!

I saw Pippin last night for the third time (once at ART), and I think I liked the Broadway version better this time out (could be I was excited to share it with my niece). I definitely liked Kyle Dean Massey's Pippin better than Matthew James Thomas. It was Priscilla Lopez's first night on the trapeze, and she did well (as much as I could see with my eyes half covered). John Rubenstein was great as Charlemagne, and Rachel Bay Jones was on fire as Catherine. Neither Patina Miller nor Ciara Renee wow me as the Leading Player, but Ciara Renee grew on me through the night. The audience loved it. The man next to my niece guffawed throughout the show.

I listen to Extra Hot Great, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Slate Culture Gabfest and How Was Your Week each week. Julie Klausner's monologues are unique and a lot of fun, and she's had some great guests (I've chosen some recent my non-fiction reads based on her interviews, including Columbine and The Psychopath Test). I thoroughly enjoy the Nerdist Writers' Panel with Ben Blacker, even though I'm not a writer. Nerdist, Marc Maron and Jeff Garlin are guest specific for me, but I don't listen to Maron's monologues. The Tig Notaro episode of Garlin's By the Way had me in tears laughing for a good portion of the interview. Speaking of laughing until you cry, I would listen to Tara, Dave and Pamie talk Hawaii any time, and wish their "She Loved Bamboo" podcast were still available online.