My parents are culture vultures and live in New York City and saw the play last year. They did not understand much of what was being sang. They read the lyrics afterwards and wished they had done it before. They are in their early 80s.

It's a good idea to research a little about Hamiltons life and even listen to some of the soundtrack .. its rap, it's very dense and coming at you fast and furious.

I'm very jealous. I was holding off on listening to the soundtrack until I saw the show but since it seems like I will not be seeing the show in NYC for a very long time, I gave in and listened...over and over again. I think that listening ahead is a good idea though, it's mostly hip-hop, as you know, and as said above, you might not catch everything on the first listen. Have a wonderful time!

You can find the lyrics on online for free. I went to a party where we listened to the cd while we "read along" - it was so much fun! It really helped to not have the visual distraction of the live performance so we could concentrate on the story. The lyrics tell the story and I can only imagine how fabulous the actual performance is, but I doubt if I would have really understood the nuances of the play if I had to take it all in at once. .

I would prep. Youtube had pirate copies not sure if they are still there. I think that is over board but for sure I would need to listen to the soundtrack with the song lyrics in hand before I went. We got DD#1 the sound track for her birthday this summer. She has it memorized. It helps to be in your 20s I think.

Well, I saw it a couple of months ago with no "homework" done beforehand -- and I loved being surprised. I have since seen interviews and watched the documentary and DH is reading the book, and I'm still glad I went to the play without much knowledge of what to expect.

OTOH, my 21 yo son, who has no plan to see the show, has been listening to the soundtrack for months and months. Eventually I hope our whole family will be able to see it in Boston.

I took my 13yo to see it in NY in April - very last minute. I knew a a little about the music, but not that much. My daughter knew every word of it before going. I wish I had the chance to prepare a little more - I absolutely loved it, but now that I have learned every word and the whole story I wish I could see each moment in the musical again. One thing that will surprise you even if you know the entire story and every word before going is the staging and choreography. It is amazing.

Having seen Hamilton twice now (and, I generally hate musicals), I would say that hearing the soundtrack isn't a deterrent. The voices will be different, but I think that they would have tried to keep them as similar to the original cast as possible. I saw it with the original cast in December 2015, and again on Broadway last month and the ranges were very similar. I will say that Leslie Odom, Jr. and Daveed Diggs are very singular performers, and I'm glad to have seen them in their roles. What is added is the spectacular dancing and interaction between the actors.

You don't HAVE to hear the soundtrack before seeing it, I hadn't the first time. I had only heard LMM's draft of the opening number that he performed for President and Mrs. Obama at a poetry slam in 2009. By the second time, I had listened to the soundtrack and the Mixtape (the versions of "My Shot", Usher's "Wait for it", and Kelly Clarkson's "It's Quiet Uptown" are terrific).

It can help if you are informed by some legacy hip hop, as there are a few direct musical references that some in the audience may respond to, but don't let that deter you. There is a lot of "traditional" Broadway music.

Have a great time!

Yes, one of the things that amazes me is the sheer volume of words coming out of LMM's mouth (and brain). It takes a bit of work, frankly, just to be in the audience. It's not like watching a traditional musical where you can almost guess the next line, IYKWIM.

DH and I saw it first, and then we took the kids to see it. I asked them and they agree that it is better to know a bit before you go.

It's funny, it reminds me of opera. We like the opera, and whenever we take newbies or when we have taken our kids, we start off by sending a summary from the Met's page, and a CD. Even tho the Met and most houses have supertitles, prep helps. It occurs to me that supertitles and Hamilton would be useful! But you may have to speed-read.

Thanks for all the thoughts. I am listening to it now and have just passed the half-way point. I am completely engrossed and not sure I can hold off now even if I decide to. DS wants to be surprised and is very good at listening and understanding lyrics of all sort so I think he'll be OK with just the general story background. I haven't had any issue with the lyrics listening to them as I go for the first time on the soundtrack so I think he'll be OK. I think DH still wants to sell his ticket! HA!

Other musicals I would want to know the music before hand, but this one seems so special. Though I will say at this point, my expectations are so high, I hope it can live up :)

I love tbe first CD. The second act makes me weep, I wasn't expecting that. just thinking about Quiet Uptown now I'm tearing up.

And fiy, there is a bit of language and adult situations, though I don't know how they stage the Reynolds affair. I don't know how innocent your son is, that's all.

I'm going to start playing the Hamilton lottery--my son's friend won, so why not?

Here's the thing about Hamilton, even if it is not your absolute favorite thing you have seen of all time, it is still very worthwhile. One, it is a phenom; two, it is interesting and different and; three IMHO it is good to show producers et al that there is demand for art that is not just revivals and not formulaic.

bpathome regarding the Reynolds affair, it is all sung, there is no nudity or anything more than a kiss.

I would highly recommend listening to the soundtrack. You'll enjoy the show much better. Otherwise, you'll struggle to play catch up…. as you may be wondering "what did they say"???

My son saw it in NYC and we will be seeing it in Chicago. He was familiar with the soundtrack and said it made a big difference in his experience.

Thanks for that explanation. Mtn I was wondering why this show became such a hit. But then to think that I would have to prepare for it in order to enjoy still makes me wonder.

Eld,

I think people would enjoy it without preparing for it. But I think they would enjoy it more and get more out of it if they prepared.

We buy the best seats, because, from experience, we don't think it is worth it to see a show in bad or even mediocre seats. But the best seats are really pricey, so I feel somewhat obligated (and I obligate my kids) to make the best of the experience by getting educated first.

eld6161 I had only heard the first song the first time I saw the show. But, I did know the history behind Hamilton, his relationships with his "peers", specifically Burr, and the beginning of the U. S. Treasury. Knowing that part of U. S. history is, I think, essential.

MtnRdRedux I totally agree on seats. The second time, the seats were obstructed by the mezzanine, which was bad because some of the action takes place on the set's "balcony" and you had to lean down to see it. Not ideal.

Funny story about buying Hamilton tickets. We gave DS a trip to NY and 2 Hamilton tix for his college graduation gift. He was online selecting his dates and seats and sending the links to me, and finally I just told hm to buy the tickets since it was on my credit card anyway. A minute later I get the text alert on my phone that the sale had gone through and OMG I TEXTED HIM WITH A WTF because of the price. Seems that when he was sending me the links, the prices that showed up at his end didn't show up at all on my end. Here in the Midwest I don't pay anywhere near that for a show. (Though I don't know what Hamilton is going for here). Poor DS, he called me (actually called, so you know it was a big deal). In the end, of course he went and had an incredible time, and got a picture with Miranda's understudy that night. Bummer, he didn't get to see the star. (And at that price, too lol). He had great seats, just a few rows from the stage on the floor.

And I learned my lesson about buying cheap seats when I took him to see Jersey Boys. Eek.

At a purely musical performance, I like to sit in the balcony. The sound is so much better. And I go to musicals at a small theater-in-the-roundish, front row which I love. At a Shakespeare-type theater Ive never had a bad seat. But in a traditional theater for a play or musical, where is the best spot?

I forget the name for it ... iirc there is a term among ticket brokers ... but for investment banking clients it was always the center section of the orchestra, first ten rows. Unfortunately I became accustomed to that as did my family.

i do not like the first row for musicals, but some do ... but I still won't take seats further back then row 10. We had first row dead center for Helen Mirren in THe Auduence, and it was amazing for that particular play, like having dinner with her.

ps Bp... uh huh. Now you know why everyone in my house was told they must prepare!

pps We just saw Dear Evan Hansen, and my kids were in the first row center orch, DH and I were row 8 center orchestra. I think where we were was better to see the breadth of a dance number, but they loved the proximity of the actors.

I heard the Hansen lead sing on the Today Show and it had me in tears, I must see that show.

Wayne Brady's going to be Burr in the Chicago production. I'm jealous!

I just heard that, too! I wonder if he will be in the role when Legomom goes?

Brady's run is 1/17 - 4/9.

Ooh, already! Yesterday just for fun I looked at tix for tonight, and decent seats were available and not as bad as i thought. I think I will have to splurge! I'm as addicted to the CD as I was to the Les Mis CD (and its original French concept album) and it's much more fun to sing along to.

Yes! He will be in the role when we go. That should be great. Getting very excited - still sticking to the first half of the soundtrack with lots of background info. For now:)

Lin-Manuel says he will do a special show in Chicago in honor of Oscar Lopez Rivera, whose sentence was commuted by President Obama today. No word on a date.

Argh, I'm not a Tribune online subscriber so I can't eat the whole article. But, I wonder: the current cast works together, so what is it like to have Lin step into the role he created? How does it change the dynamic? And finally, how can I get tickets?

Actually, tix here aren't that hard to get, and not nearly as expensive as in NYC. But for that particular performance, I wonder. When we gave DS tix for his graduation, we bought them about 6 months out, and wouldn't ya know, LMM was off that day. DS did get a great pic with the understudy, though.

Mr. Lopez Rivera won't be released until May, and I would think that LMM would do it after he's finished with the Mary Poppins movie. I'm sure ticket prices for that performance would skyrocket!

Hey, Legomom, did you see This on the news? The Newberry Library pulled their Hamiltonia out of storage for a special exhibit, it runs into March.