The Road to Hamilton Review – Delray Beach Playhouse

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Entertainment, education and fabulous music.  That is what The Road to Hamilton delivers.

This beautiful, lakeside Delray Beach Playhouse theater never disappoints.  Today, it was another great performance.  But, it was also a great education for me.

We all know by now that Hamilton on Broadway is the BIGGEST hit in the history of Broadway.  We also know it’s about $800-$2,400 a ticket; the cost of which most of us cannot afford.  If you ever wondered HOW Hamilton became such a smash hit as a rap, hip-hop show, you will certainly find that out when you buy tickets to see the latest, limited-run show at The Delray Beach Playhouse.

You cannot say enough about the multi-talented Randolph DelLago.  He not only narrated this entire production, but was a large part of the talent, which included Alicia Branch-Stafford, Elizabeth Sackett,  William Stafford and Alex Jorth.  They may not sound familiar to you but you will certainly appreciate their talent.

Together, this troop of five brought the history of Broadway from the 1920’s right up to the production of Hamilton, including some of the top songs in the show.  If you have ever wondered why a rap, hip-hop show became such a phenomenon, you will learn all there is to know by going to see this show.

We were introduced to history of famous composers, their songs, their collaborations and their ultimate Broadway Blockbusters.  I never knew that Danny Kaye was the premier choice of the lead in The Music Man.  It wasn’t until his wife wouldn’t let him take the lead (and you will find out why), that an unknown Robert Preston stepped in.  The rest is history.

Every song had the history behind it and each song was well known by most audience members.

The talent and animation that each singer possesses, makes this show come alive.

As Mr. DelLago brought us through the decades of the up’s and downs of Broadway, we soon understood the reasoning behind ‘talking the songs’ rather than ‘singing the songs.’  “It wasn’t about how well you could sing or if you had a wonderful voice, it was about your ability to ‘act the song,’ according to Mr. DelLago.

Now, of course, I want to see Hamilton* more than ever.  And, I learned to love rap.

Currently playing at Delray Beach Playhouse until April 12th, 2018

*The Broadway musical Hamilton has become both a financial and cultural phenomenon. It is the MUST-SEE show on Broadway today and is poised to become the most financially successful show of all time.

The “revolutionary” aspect of this show about the American Revolution is that the actors playing our Founding Fathers are being played by non-whites and the score is a blend of hip-hop and rap music. At first glance, the score for Hamilton seems like a total departure from classical Broadway music.

However, the show’s composer points out that “hip-hop” is simply the latest form of the “patter song” first refined by Gilbert & Sullivan in operettas like HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance. This technique of sung-speech later reappeared in shows like The Music Man (“Trouble”) and My Fair Lady (“I’m An Ordinary Man”). Later, Stephen Sondheim “rapped” in Company (“I’m Not Getting Married Today”) and Into the Woods (“Greens, Greens and Nothing but Greens!”).

 

The Delray Beach Playhouse is located at:

950 Lake Shore Drive

Delray Beach, FL  33444

561-272-1281 Ext. 5

Tickets are only $35;  if you are a group of 20+ tickets are only $25.  A great way to spend a day at The Theater.

This is a limited run;  Below are the upcoming times.  April 12th is the final performance.

Wednesday, April 4 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

Thursday, April 5 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

Monday, April 9 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

Tuesday, April 10 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

Wednesday, April 11 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

Thursday, April 12 @ 2:00 pm, 8 pm

 

 

 

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