Back in the summer, while the Original Broadway Cast still starred, you would likely have to endure a multi-day wait in the Cancellation Line (and crazy people, or the people crazy people paid, did it regularly). Now, after much of the OBC has left and also owing to Winter, it has become a bit easier to get a ticket on the same day...provided you line up early enough. I showed up to the Richard Rodgers at about 8:30am and claimed my spot in the line...#2. The first person there arrived at 5:00am and he (Ben) came prepared with a sleeping bag, tent and hand warmers. I got a lot of great info from him as he has waited in many Cancellation Lines (including many times in the Hamilton line) as a part-time job.
Here I am, sitting on the cold steps in front of this silhouette of Jasmine Cephas-Jones as Peggy Schuyler. By about 11:00am there were maybe 8 people in line for a show that wouldn't start till 7:00pm. The day before, NYC enjoyed a warm winters day with temps in the 50˚F range (~10˚C). Unluckily for me (and the others in the line), it didn't warm up much beyond 30˚F (< 0˚C) the entire day. Big shout out to Ben, Caylia, Corrin & family for the camaraderie. The things you read about the Cancellation Line on the web came out to be true. You meet some amazing people from all over who have the same passion for this wonderful show. We talked a lot about our favorite songs, what we were looking forward to seeing/hearing the most and a lot of other random topics. We also held each others spot in the line when someone had to run to the bathroom, warm up indoors or get some food from nearby (pro tip: the 8th floor lobby of the Marriott Marquis, next door to the Richard Rogers, proved to be the perfect refuge from the cold and had the best bathrooms).
While waiting in line, I took a peek at the cast list. It doesn't matter who performs the day you see it, you'll be lucky enough to see a brilliant show!
This ticket, one of the front row seats offered up daily to Lottery winners, for one reason or another went unclaimed by the lottery winner at the $10 lottery price. Luckily for me, at 5:30pm and after 9ish hours of waiting, I got called into the box office and offered the ticket (at the face value price of $199). Also, all the other people near me in the Cancellation Line got tickets too (perhaps as many as 10 in total). Good things come to those that wait I suppose! And that gave me about an hour to grab a quick dinner prior to showtime (others continued to wait in line up until the show started).
The view from my seat, front and center. Unbelievable. To paraphrase a lyric from the musical, I made it into "the room where it happens"!
I entered with extremely high expectations after a months long build up (with countless listens to the cast recording in its entirety). Even with all the hype and without the OBC, the performance impressed. I came to the performance knowing the quality of the music, but the sets, costumes, lighting, staging, choreography, etc all merit praise. I simply don't have the words to adequately describe my complete experience. I'm not ashamed to say that it brought me to tears on more than one occasion ("Burn", "It's Quiet Uptown", "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story").
Highlights of my impressions of the cast I saw: Michael Luwoye = Sensational as Hamilton (and he'll lead the Tour Cast when they kick off their performances in SF next month). Nicholas Christopher brought the presence and weight you'd expect of someone playing George Washington. Rory O'Malley added such humorous flourishes as King George III (and will also be in the Tour Cast). Jordan Fisher = Engaging and energetic performance as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. Alysha Deslorieux = Amazing voice and a powerful, sultry rendition of "Say No to This".
And after the show, on the trip back to Brooklyn, it snowed!
All in all, a fantastic experience. I would love another chance to see the show again and try to absorb more of the detail of the rich production (Broadway, Chicago or Tour Cast, I'm not picky!). I hope you all get a chance to see this amazing show for yourselves too. I can't recommend it enough. Lastly, much love and aloha to Jason, Gigi and Anne for spending a bit of time with me in NYC when I wasn't at the Richard Rogers!
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