Looking for my review of the Broadway production of Hamilton? You can find it right here.
My friend and I decided to be Hamilton groupies last night. If you don’t know what Hamilton is, read my post about the Public Theater production and come back here.
Got it? Okay. So Hamilton is in previews on Broadway right now, and we have tickets to see it at the end of August. We bought them months ago because we knew the show was going to be big, and we decided on late August because of busy summer schedules and coordinating with my friend’s brother’s visit.
But the buzz is starting, and all week we’ve been watching Twitter, because Hamilton is doing the best thing I’ve ever seen with its lottery. It’s called Hamilton for a Hamilton (#Ham4Ham, if you want to Twitter-stalk) and it means that for $10 you can get a front row seat to the show. I think on the first night they said 750 people came. And each night, before the lottery is drawn, a few actors come out to give a mini performance. The other day it was Alan Menken’s birthday and two of the actors sang and danced to a song from Newsies before leading the crowd in Happy Birthday.
So when I had a free night last night and my friend mentioned she was going to swing by the lotto, I figured I ought to join her. We’d double our chances and at the very least we’d get a free mini performance!
The scene outside the theater was wonderful, but also insane – SO many people! We put our names into the drawing, found a good spot, and waited till 5:55, when the stage door opened and out came Philipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton), Christopher Jackson (George Washington), and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler). Chris Jackson introduced the lotto, and then introduced Pippa, who sang Halo by Beyoncé while playing her ukulele.
We didn’t win, but we had a great time, and I managed to get video of the whole performance! If you’re a fan of Hamilton (or you want to be!), stop by the lotto – it opens 2.5 hours before every show, and names are drawn at the 2 hour mark! Update: As time has gone on, the #Ham4Ham lottery show no longer happens EVERY performance (check Twitter!) but the lotto still does!
More info about the show and tickets here! If you get to see it, let me know – I’d love to talk about it with you!
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