Yeah, I didn't tune into the Tonys this year. I just didn't really follow Death Becomes Her, Boop, Dead Outlaw or really any new shows. Unlike last year with The Outsiders, Hell's Kitchen, and some other shows, and the years previous, I did not feel a draw to the musicals performing this year aside from Maybe Happy Ending. The shows from this season I will get around to at some point, I am sure when I am looking for new shows to listen to, in the sea of shows both old in new, I may discover some songs or even shows from this season that I enjoy. The one thing I had to look into though was the heavily advertised Hamilton reunion performance, as after this month, the monthly Hamilton posts collimating in the entire month of July being about Hamilton to acknowledge it's tenth anniversary series this blog has been going on this year will conclude. It's been fun to look back at songs, characters, and now this performance.
This was advertised so much, even sometimes as the reason to tune in and how it was on exclusive streaming services. Built up as this grand return which is cool, but this also lasted a little over five minutes. And not every single show from this season got to perform even, which means this show that is ten years old was picked, and used for advertising to try and get a boost, over shows that are currently running and could use the screen time better, Hamilton is already a household name.
There were complains about the audio before the performance on social media, and I have to agree. During the performance there were times that I could barely hear the singing because the mics were so quiet, which has not been an issue in the past, even during the Tony Awards that Hamilton swept in which was the first one I ever watched.
When I could hear it, it was a cool, nice, little medley of songs from Act One and one song Act Two of Hamilton. Blending together, it was nice, many of the of the actors got to have their moment which was nice, from "Nonstop", to "My Shot", "The Schuyler Sisters" and more, it was a great use of songs. Seeing the cast perform again was great, even though it felt like the point where some lyrics were cut to make it a medley felt a little choppy and run as smoothly.
Everyone wore black, which was a surprise because I thought as did many that the cast would be suiting up again in their old costumes. But this seems more as a tribute, a nice addition, that was added, and fun way to showcase a show ten years later. This was more experimental way then it was a recreation, more so performing the songs we all know, in a different way.
When I first heard this news I thought it was going to be just one ensemble song, perhaps the one that started it all and starts the show "Alexander Hamilton" as it does showcase everyone and has plenty of moments for solos, since "York Town The World Turned Upside Down" was the song performed the last time this show strutted across the Tony Award Stage. That song was used again and that surprised me because that is not new for the Tonys, not even Mulligans swearing that needs to be bleeped, that happened last time too.
The song choice was fine, and it was nice, and the whole crew got the loudest applause of the night with a standing ovation. That shows that all this time later Hamilton still has an impact, it is still in the mainstream to be covered, performed, and parodied. This show changed Broadway and opened the door to shows that could try different styles and music genres and step outside of the norm, many of those new shows I love. Shows that don't follow the traditional musical theater sound, or follow the rule of being two acts even. So was this a nice tribute, yes. But it was not without bumps in the road, some of the lyric splicing was messy and the crowd was so excited with audio that was so low that even on multiple viewings it is hard to hear.
This was very cool, and I enjoyed it, but I was not as hyped as I wish I was. Hamilton will always be in my top three, it will always be special to me, I have seen it multiple times, watched the Disney Plus proshot, I still listen to it all the time. I love the Hamilton Mixtape, the Hamildrops, the covers, the remixes, all of it. So it should be celebrated, but I do think not giving current shows a time to shine, and heavily advertising this and using it as a marketing push was not the best. I think this should of been treated as the icing on the cake, not as the cake itself. just as all the reunion performances of RENT, Wicked, Hairspray, and the like were not too long ago. But at the end of the day it was a celebration I am glad I viewed, a medley that had a lot of heart in it, and is just another reminder of why this show still all this time later means so much to me as the first time I put in my earbuds and heard "My Shot" for the first time.
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