When I last left you, we'd just checked into our hotel in San Francisco wherein we discovered the fragile nature of the tiny beds and the presence of complementary yoga supplies.
We rested up and made ourselves pretty because that night was the event we'd come to San Francisco for... Hamilton at the Orpheum Theatre!
A little back story of how this trip came to be:
Our friend Mark is to credit for introducing us to Hamilton in April of 2016.
Last year when Hamilton came to Salt Lake City, Mark had two tickets, and he wasn't able to go, so we bought his tickets. We went with our friends Rob and Brenda, which was great, but we were sad that Mark, who brought Hamilton into our lives, wasn't able to see it.
Earlier this year, my BCIL (best cousin in-law), Cyndi, told me that she was going to see Hamilton (her second time) in San Francisco. That got the wheels in my brain turning, so I suggested to Scotty that we ask Mark and Michelle if they wanted to go to San Francisco to see Hamilton.
It's rare for my big ideas to get a resounding YES, so I'm going to enjoy the high from this one for a while. No one needed convincing.
Our hotel was right by the theater. In fact, we could see the Hamilton signs from our window.
The Orpheum is a pretty cool theater.
Mark was the "pano man" on the trip. He was
always taking panoramic shots of everything
and making awesome sound effects while doing so.
It's old, so the seats are close together, but that seems to be the San Francisco way. Despite their closeness, our seats were pretty amazing. When we saw Hamilton in Salt Lake, we saw it from the balcony. I have no complaints about that. But in the Orpheum, we had floor seats, and it was stinkin' awesome!
One interesting feature at the Orpheum is that the bathrooms have a downstairs. Am I the only one that finds this totally fascinating? You go in the restroom and then you have to decide if you want to do your business upstairs or downstairs!
Stairs!
In the bathroom!
But the play...
One interesting feature at the Orpheum is that the bathrooms have a downstairs. Am I the only one that finds this totally fascinating? You go in the restroom and then you have to decide if you want to do your business upstairs or downstairs!
Stairs!
In the bathroom!
But the play...
The play was incredible. I loved it in Salt Lake, and I loved it in San Francisco. Both casts were fantastic. It is so powerful to hear the music performed live.
And the dancing?
Awesome! Wow!
Plus it was really fun to get to see it with Mark - I've always felt guilty about seeing it before him.
After viewing Hamilton for the second time, my thoughts are very much the same as the first, so read here, if you're interested. I will reiterate that I love Aaron Burr. His flawed character reaches me somehow. It helps that both times I've seen the play, Aaron Burr has been played by outstanding actors with beautiful voices.
All the performers had great, powerful voices, and there was palpable energy coming from the orchestra pit as well. The recorded soundtrack, while fabulous, just doesn't compare to the live experience.
That night I went to sleep in my itty bitty San Francisco bed with many a Hamilton lyric on my mind. In fact, several days later, as I write this, I'm singing "Thomas Jefferson's coming ho-o-ooome."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Please don't hate me but I've tried listening to the Hamilton soundtrack to see what the fuss is all about and I just don't get it. I want to see it though because maybe I'll feel differently if I see it acted out. I'm sure it makes more sense. I couldn't even figure out what was going on in the songs.
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