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Post by poster J on Jan 2, 2018 21:14:03 GMT
So I’ve just got in my seats for tonight’s performance and quite disappointed with the height of the stage. I’m in row B and there is clearly a restriction on the view from these seats by about 3ft at the back of the stage. These definitely aren’t sold as restricted view - what are people’s thoughts on this? There can't be many seats in the stalls which don't miss something because of the overall staging and how much the entire stage is used in the background of scenes - the sides will miss one side of the upper level each, the very front misses the back, the back misses the top. Yes, you won't be able to see everyone all the time, but there are so many people on stage you would never be watching all of them anyway. However, nothing important will take place in the back 3ft of the stage from what I remember, so you're not missing out on much in the grand scheme of things, and really compared to a lot of other people you're lucky because you can see the whole width of the stage (which I couldn't). I'd take your seats over where I sat for the same price any day. A high stage isn't unusual, and the one in the Victoria Palace didn't seem particularly high to me, though I was sat further back. If you want a view in the stalls where you can see every inch of the stage, then you'll have to pay for the premium seats. That appears to be the way all theatre is going nowadays...
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Post by showtoones on Jan 2, 2018 21:15:57 GMT
If B and C are restricted I wonder what is the first row that wouldn't be a restricted view? I have a friend who sat in G and said the seats were fine...
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Post by oysterman55 on Jan 2, 2018 21:58:22 GMT
So I’ve just got in my seats for tonight’s performance and quite disappointed with the height of the stage. I’m in row B and there is clearly a restriction on the view from these seats by about 3ft at the back of the stage. These definitely aren’t sold as restricted view - what are people’s thoughts on this? Should I be concerned about row C? Not too much but there will be some small restriction, getting worse the nearer to the front you go. Slight spoiler! I was in row D, fairly central. I think that's the row in front of the £200 seats. I could just about see the whole stage but not the revolving platform underneath the actor's feet (though I could see what shoes they were wearing!). Therefore I think that row is possibly the best unless you want to pay a fortune or have a restriction on your view.
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Post by geweena on Jan 2, 2018 23:09:37 GMT
So I’ve just got in my seats for tonight’s performance and quite disappointed with the height of the stage. I’m in row B and there is clearly a restriction on the view from these seats by about 3ft at the back of the stage. These definitely aren’t sold as restricted view - what are people’s thoughts on this? Would be interested to hear your post show views on the overall impact a seat in Row B had on the production geweena. Thanks in advance! Ok firstly let me say this production was spectacular! Ash Hunter was on as Hamilton and he was brilliant. I’d listened to the cast album before but to see it brought to life on stage was just as exciting as I imagined. Now to the seats. I still feel that this row should be sold as a slight restriction. As others have said at £90 a go I don’t think we are being unreasonable to expect a pretty good view. My view was probably from knees up any time they weren’t at the front of the stage. At 2 points when someone was lying down you couldn’t see them at all. To me that is a restriction. The stage just seems very high. We were in B35/36 and I would recommend unless you are much further back, try and stay more towards the sides as there is a lot going on and to see if you are dead centre. Overall though, it didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the show. I just think that having paid top price (excluding premium) and having booked a year ago that this should have been some sort or notification once they have finalised the refurbishment.
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Post by Rory on Jan 2, 2018 23:17:19 GMT
Thanks -really helpful. Glad you enjoyed the show so much!
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Post by ellie1981 on Jan 2, 2018 23:29:30 GMT
I do think £90 for the front stalls is excessive. My original tickets that I bought a year ago are in Row D for that much, yet I bagged an earlier Sat matinee last week for £37.50 in Row A. I'll absolutely be expecting a restricted view, but for less than half the price of sitting a few rows back it's an absolute bargain. Mostly hoping to see Ash Hunter that date.
The price tiering is quite bizarre, but I experienced the same in other shows - paid £75 for centre dress circle for Book of Mormon but the seat in front of us was £125.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2018 0:31:21 GMT
Went tonight too.
I could and have waxed poetic about the show itself. It's perfect to me. The music, lyrics, characters, story, direction, choreography, everything. So thrilling to get to see it again and back in the circle for the first time since August 2015 so I got the full effect of that gorgeous lighting design once more.
So my main thoughts are about the cast who were the only part of this that was new to me.
As noted, Ash Hunter was Hamilton. He was very good. Great rapping and singing, perfect enunciation. Good acting. He doesn't have the look of Hamilton in my mind, nor does he live upto the stage presence and charisma of Lin, but perhaps no one ever will. Looking forward to seeing Jamael's interpretation.
Sifiso Mazibuko was an utterly fantastic Burr and perhaps my highlight of the cast. I mean the role is so brilliant so that's definitely an advantage for whoever gets to play him but still, a truly great performance with his Wait For It and The Room Where It Happens being two of the highlights of the night. Again, looking forward to seeing Giles.
Mentioned many times on here that Eliza is my favorite character in the show and that to me Phillipa Soo's interpretation of her was completely faultless and a performance I still think about to this day. So to be fair to Rachelle Ann Go, she had huge shoes to fill in my eyes and unfortunately she did not manage to do so. Helpless is my favorite song in the show and it ended up being the worst performed number of the night in my mind. Just so Disney Princess, so overexaggerated, huge smiles, huge arm and hand motions, just too, too much. To be fair to her, her performance after that was much better, but no she is not a patch on Phillipa. Not even one ounce of the nuance or subtleties. She still got me emotional at various points but overall, a big amount of the emotional impact of this show was lost to me because I didn't care about Eliza anywhere near as much as I usually do. Such a shame. Also a lack of chemistry between her and Ash but perhaps that is improved with Jamael.
Rachel John was very good as Angelica, no complaints at all really. Not outstanding perhaps, but she certainly delivers everything she needs to do.
Obioma Ugoala was another highlight along with Sifiso. So brilliantly commanding, perfect gruff voice and One Last Time brought the house down as it should. Expertly done.
Jason Penneycooke was probably my least favourite of the cast. His voice/accent was grating and whilst he has comedic timing, his comedy bordered on irritating rather than entertaining. Daveed was another that was sorely missed unfortunately.
Christine Allado, Tarinn Callender, Cleve September and Michael Jibson all really great and lived up to their OBC counterparts.
So yes I have niggles about Go and Penneycooke. Whether I would have these niggles if I hadn't seen the OBC twice, I do not know. Otherwise an outstanding production of an outstanding show.
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Post by CG on the loose on Jan 3, 2018 1:51:39 GMT
I sat centre Row C and didn't feel I had a restricted view, although as others have mentioned, I couldn't see the revolve itself so some might consider it a slight restriction. For me, what I gained from the closeness more than made up for not being able to study in detail the company's footwear ;-)
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Post by Elle on Jan 3, 2018 6:40:16 GMT
To drag things back to the show itself: I caught a very bad ear-worm over Christmas, when my brain noted that "You'll Be Back" shared it's catchiest notes with "Daydream Believer." Both were ringing in my lug-holes for the entire week. You are not the only one! I was listening to Hamilton just before I left for London and the entire time there I had "You'll be back" in my head, which was fitting. Very hard to get rid of that one. Regarding the lottery I entered a few times and didn't win. Good luck to those trying! Save
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Post by Elle on Jan 3, 2018 6:46:58 GMT
The worst performance for both of us, hands down, was that of King George. What a waste of a gifted part. And such ropey singing. Aww, that's such a pity. King George was the highlight of the show for me on Broadway. Sorry to hear he wasn't that entertaining for you guys. Save
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Post by andrew on Jan 3, 2018 10:03:13 GMT
Saw it from the end of row D, felt there was enough restriction to warrant at least a warning on the seats being sold at full price and complained to the box office. The reply was 'we think it's a fantastic view and stand by our decision not to classify it as restricted'. I felt what they meant is, 'most people would gladly pay this money to see this show and so we feel completely unobligated to dissuade anyone from paying £90 to sit there'.
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Post by viserys on Jan 3, 2018 10:32:16 GMT
I sat in the middle of Row D and I thought it was just fine. I took a photo, so if anyone is curious, PM and I'll share a link with you. I mean, you can't see the stage floor and miss some lighting effects, but being close to the stage and performers more than made up for that for me.
I also thought Michael Jibson was perfect as King George. With his babyface and somewhat angrier delivery than Groff on Broadway, he appeared like an overgrown malicious toddler to me (any ressemblance to current political leaders is certainly entirely accidental...).
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Post by theatrefan77 on Jan 3, 2018 11:13:11 GMT
Saw it from the end of row D, felt there was enough restriction to warrant at least a warning on the seats being sold at full price and complained to the box office. The reply was 'we think it's a fantastic view and stand by our decision not to classify it as restricted'. I felt what they meant is, 'most people would gladly pay this money to see this show and so we feel completely unobligated to dissuade anyone from paying £90 to sit there'. A friend saw it from the end of row D and felt cheated too. The reply you got from the box office just proves that they care about this issue as little as they care about touts even if they try to make us believe otherwise. You should always be warned if a seat is restricted at the time of purchase, then it will your choice if you want to pay £90 for it. On a happier note another friend went last week to the box office about 10 minutes before curtain up and was offered a seat in the centre of row E for £57.50 which he took. I guess the dynamic pricing is already taking place.
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Post by MoreLife on Jan 3, 2018 12:14:19 GMT
Mentioned many times on here that Eliza is my favorite character in the show and that to me Phillipa Soo's interpretation of her was completely faultless and a performance I still think about to this day. So to be fair to Rachelle Ann Go, she had huge shoes to fill in my eyes and unfortunately she did not manage to do so. Helpless is my favorite song in the show and it ended up being the worst performed number of the night in my mind. Just so Disney Princess, so overexaggerated, huge smiles, huge arm and hand motions, just too, too much. To be fair to her, her performance after that was much better, but no she is not a patch on Phillipa. Not even one ounce of the nuance or subtleties. She still got me emotional at various points but overall, a big amount of the emotional impact of this show was lost to me because I didn't care about Eliza anywhere near as much as I usually do. Such a shame. Also a lack of chemistry between her and Ash but perhaps that is improved with Jamael. Amen to that! I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the OBC in action - live or otherwise - so I can't draw a comparison with Philippa Soo, but my first thought when I saw Rachelle Ann Go's Eliza was also 'Disney princess', and I was so annoyed by her mannerisms and take on the character I couldn't quite see what Hamilton would ever find in her Eliza (other than the family name and money). If it gets a bit better as the story unfolds it's because of the quality of the material IMHO, not because she does any justice to the character's arc. And the lack of chemistry to me was evident with Jamael, as well - I mean, when you see Jamael's Hamilton and Christine Allado's Maria you don't doubt for a second that the spark is there... with Rachelle Ann Go there's roughly as much chemistry as you would expect between Cinderella and her Prince Charming in the original animation movie.
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Post by andrew on Jan 3, 2018 13:31:54 GMT
I sat in the middle of Row D and I thought it was just fine. I took a photo, so if anyone is curious, PM and I'll share a link with you. I mean, you can't see the stage floor and miss some lighting effects, but being close to the stage and performers more than made up for that for me. I also thought Michael Jibson was perfect as King George. With his babyface and somewhat angrier delivery than Groff on Broadway, he appeared like an overgrown malicious toddler to me (any ressemblance to current political leaders is certainly entirely accidental...). I reckon as long as you're about 4 seats from the end of the row (on either side) then it's a great view.
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Post by allthatjazz on Jan 3, 2018 14:21:51 GMT
Was there last night as well. Had a truly grand time. It was my brother’s first time seeing Hamilton (my mother and I had seen it in NYC exactly a month before). He had trouble with the leg room (he’s 6’ 3”), but was transfixed enough that it didn’t bother him.
You all scared me so much about the merchandise queues that I ended up early enough to be the first in line - scared the people manning it a bit because they were conferring over the setup and didn’t notice us at first! Got the items we were interested in (King George shirts), and relaxed in the bar area until the doors opened.
Was very impressed by the cast. Ash Hunter did very well as Hamilton, especially his younger self. Loved Burr and Washington. Enjoyed Jason as Lafayette but thought his Jefferson was a little weaker. Eliza seemed to have a couple of moments with diction issues. She was much stronger than the Eliza we had in NYC, and I liked her performance a lot, but I understand the “Disney Princess” criticism.
Loved the look of the theater. Overall it was a great night.
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Post by Polly1 on Jan 3, 2018 20:34:39 GMT
I reckon as long as you're about 4 seats from the end of the row (on either side) then it's a great view I agree. Was interested to note that the original NY production reduces exactly the same end of row tickets as the London one. That's annoying as I paid £90 for tickets on the end of row M. Still, I need to make a quick getaway, so I suppose there is that.
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Post by poster J on Jan 3, 2018 20:48:16 GMT
I agree. Was interested to note that the original NY production reduces exactly the same end of row tickets as the London one. That's annoying as I paid £90 for tickets on the end of row M. Still, I need to make a quick getaway, so I suppose there is that. If you're stage left you'll miss very little (I sat row L stage left on the end), just a few people occasionally on the left balcony, not main action.
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Post by Polly1 on Jan 3, 2018 21:18:16 GMT
That's annoying as I paid £90 for tickets on the end of row M. Still, I need to make a quick getaway, so I suppose there is that. If you're stage left you'll miss very little (I sat row L stage left on the end), just a few people occasionally on the left balcony, not main action. Think we are the other side (low numbers) but thanks for trying to be cheery!
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Post by poster J on Jan 3, 2018 21:53:07 GMT
If you're stage left you'll miss very little (I sat row L stage left on the end), just a few people occasionally on the left balcony, not main action. Think we are the other side (low numbers) but thanks for trying to be cheery! I was low numbers too, so same side!
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Post by andrew on Jan 3, 2018 23:55:29 GMT
Having said all that, my boyfriend has booked tickets for the near future in the royal circle, also on the end of a row, and I didn't stop him. He's annoyingly tall though so the aisle seat in a cramped theatre was a must.
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Post by Stasia on Jan 4, 2018 7:41:04 GMT
We were in B35/36 and I would recommend unless you are much further back, try and stay more towards the sides as there is a lot going on and to see if you are dead centre. January 2nd evening show? My friend and I were in B 33-34, hello, neighbours! Will tell more about the show next week as don’t hsve tine while in London and meeting so many people and seeing shows...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2018 8:05:00 GMT
I agree. Was interested to note that the original NY production reduces exactly the same end of row tickets as the London one. That's annoying as I paid £90 for tickets on the end of row M. Still, I need to make a quick getaway, so I suppose there is that. I sat there. The right-hand side of the balcony as you are looking at the stage is largely obscured, but when people are actively doing things up there, they're either about to move into a more visible place, or they come right to the front so you can see them. You really don't miss much at all, or anything of importance. And there's a LOT to be said for the quick getaway!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2018 9:03:54 GMT
I did enjoy the show, but I didn't leave as aglow as I've been known to after something really special. A good four stars. The cast impressed. Every named character could easily hold the stage, A good bit of attitude on Washington and Mulligan, Jamael had a real sense of heft and stature, a face fit for a banknote (very impressive given his age). It felt fresh, and it felt fun - it wasn't a production swallowed by its own worthiness. The major plot points were well-emphasised, though some of the finer points were a bit lost in the rush.
I still don't think it's Lin's best score - some of the themes are well-developed, but it suffers from repetition. More variety in tone would have been welcome. And as good as Room Where It Happens is, I didn't find that truly ecstatic show-stopper anywhere.
The seat report from E21, dead centre in the Royal Circle, is of a pretty much flawless view, and a less painful seat than I was expecting. There wasn't room to stretch, and muscles tired a little, but it wasn't painful. At 6'2", I could just bring my legs together at the centre, with a whole 2cm left infront of me. The worst part of it was the bitchy glances from the woman infront any time there was the lightest (unavolidable!) brush against the back of her seat. And whilst I don't think I share the same taste in interior decor as Cam Mac, it was lovely to be in such a fresh looking auditorium, and a venue that smells of new carpet.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2018 10:28:19 GMT
Mentioned many times on here that Eliza is my favorite character in the show and that to me Phillipa Soo's interpretation of her was completely faultless and a performance I still think about to this day. So to be fair to Rachelle Ann Go, she had huge shoes to fill in my eyes and unfortunately she did not manage to do so. Helpless is my favorite song in the show and it ended up being the worst performed number of the night in my mind. Just so Disney Princess, so overexaggerated, huge smiles, huge arm and hand motions, just too, too much. To be fair to her, her performance after that was much better, but no she is not a patch on Phillipa. Not even one ounce of the nuance or subtleties. She still got me emotional at various points but overall, a big amount of the emotional impact of this show was lost to me because I didn't care about Eliza anywhere near as much as I usually do. Such a shame. Also a lack of chemistry between her and Ash but perhaps that is improved with Jamael. Amen to that! I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the OBC in action - live or otherwise - so I can't draw a comparison with Philippa Soo, but my first thought when I saw Rachelle Ann Go's Eliza was also 'Disney princess', and I was so annoyed by her mannerisms and take on the character I couldn't quite see what Hamilton would ever find in her Eliza (other than the family name and money). If it gets a bit better as the story unfolds it's because of the quality of the material IMHO, not because she does any justice to the character's arc. And the lack of chemistry to me was evident with Jamael, as well - I mean, when you see Jamael's Hamilton and Christine Allado's Maria you don't doubt for a second that the spark is there... with Rachelle Ann Go there's roughly as much chemistry as you would expect between Cinderella and her Prince Charming in the original animation movie. Disappointing to hear that there's no improvement in chemistry with Jamael. I'm actually starting to wonder if the way Tommy Kail directs these actresses to play her has changed as 'Disney Princess' has been such a common complaint/observation that I've seen for post-Phillipa Elizas. I hope not.
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Post by Ade on Jan 4, 2018 10:30:36 GMT
I did enjoy the show, but I didn't leave as aglow as I've been known to after something really special. A good four stars. The cast impressed. Every named character could easily hold the stage, A good bit of attitude on Washington and Mulligan, Jamael had a real sense of heft and stature, a face fit for a banknote (very impressive given his age). It felt fresh, and it felt fun - it wasn't a production swallowed by its own worthiness. The major plot points were well-emphasised, though some of the finer points were a bit lost in the rush. I still don't think it's Lin's best score - some of the themes are well-developed, but it suffers from repetition. More variety in tone would have been welcome. And as good as Room Where It Happens is, I didn't find that truly ecstatic show-stopper anywhere. The seat report from E21, dead centre in the Royal Circle, is of a pretty much flawless view, and a less painful seat than I was expecting. There wasn't room to stretch, and muscles tired a little, but it wasn't painful. At 6'2", I could just bring my legs together at the centre, with a whole 2cm left infront of me. The worst part of it was the bitchy glances from the woman infront any time there was the lightest (unavolidable!) brush against the back of her seat. And whilst I don't think I share the same taste in interior decor as Cam Mac, it was lovely to be in such a fresh looking auditorium, and a venue that smells of new carpet. Largely sums up how I felt about it last night. Very enjoyable but a solid 4 star production for me.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Jan 4, 2018 11:31:20 GMT
Amen to that! I haven't had the pleasure of seeing the OBC in action - live or otherwise - so I can't draw a comparison with Philippa Soo, but my first thought when I saw Rachelle Ann Go's Eliza was also 'Disney princess', and I was so annoyed by her mannerisms and take on the character I couldn't quite see what Hamilton would ever find in her Eliza (other than the family name and money). If it gets a bit better as the story unfolds it's because of the quality of the material IMHO, not because she does any justice to the character's arc. And the lack of chemistry to me was evident with Jamael, as well - I mean, when you see Jamael's Hamilton and Christine Allado's Maria you don't doubt for a second that the spark is there... with Rachelle Ann Go there's roughly as much chemistry as you would expect between Cinderella and her Prince Charming in the original animation movie. Disappointing to hear that there's no improvement in chemistry with Jamael. I'm actually starting to wonder if the way Tommy Kail directs these actresses to play her has changed as 'Disney Princess' has been such a common complaint/observation that I've seen for post-Phillipa Elizas. I hope not. I just suspect the part tends to be played with the wide-eyed, bland sweetness that the actresses hired think Eliza needs, and it just falls short of being very good, because Angelica is near universally played with so much more depth, and is basically the more interesting Schuyler sister. The contrast is particularly noticeable in Act 2, when the Peggy actress also gets to stick her teeth into the Maria Reynolds character. At that point, when I saw the show, there were 2 actresses relishing in the interesting characters they got to play, and Eliza still being blandly sweet. Even the later scene, with her son's death (is that a spoiler when it's a historical fact from 200 years ago?!), didn't seem to rouse much more from me than 'so, now she's sad and bland'! Saying that, Rachel Ann Go has a spectacular voice, and it is used to the full in Hamilton. In terms of acting, though, she has been better served in her productions of Miss Saigon and Les Mis, so it's not that she isn't capable. I do suspect it's a director choice combined with the show still being relatively new to the cast. I have hopes that, in a few months time, I'll go back to the show and be able to see her giving a performance with much more nuance and depth. Fingers crossed that she and Jamael also manage to find a way to give the couple some chemistry and spark, as that was (as others have said) sadly lacking when I saw the show.
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Post by vabbian on Jan 4, 2018 11:52:37 GMT
I want to get tickets for this but I cannot bear the ticketmaster website
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Post by kathryn on Jan 4, 2018 12:33:50 GMT
I suspect this is the key lyric for the Angelica/Eliza characterisations:
Angelica: I know my sister like I know my own mind, you will never find anyone as trusting or as kind.
'Trusting' and 'kind' does seem to translate into wide-eyed, smiley 'blandness', whereas knowledge (of self and others) translates into 'depth'. It's how they're written. I also think Hamilton having more 'chemistry' with Angelica than Eliza is sort of inherent to the storytelling.
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Post by viserys on Jan 4, 2018 12:37:54 GMT
I'll say that for Rachelle Ann Go: She thoroughly annoyed me in the first act with that toothy bright-eyed Disney princess attitude and I mentally prepared to snooze through Eliza's parts in the second act. But when she sang "Burn", she had me transfixed and I hung on her every word.
So this might really have to do with how the role is written and as soon as Eliza gets something to do/sing of substance, she does become a more interesting character. However, Rachelle should still tune it down in the first act and nothing will probably change the fact that down-to-earth sassy Angelica is the more interesting Schuyler sister because she also speaks more to our modern sensibilities.
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