I feel these criticisms are not trivial, they are musical/storytelling/songwriting fundamentals
1. With very few exceptions, the songs that aren't just rapping have very little melody. It's almost like if you gave someone a page of dialogue and said "instead of saying this, make it into a song on the spot". It really often feels like there's that little planning put into the melody structure. Contrast that with the music in The Book of Mormon, where nearly every song is an earworm, and incredibly well written.
2. Add to that the lyrics themselves, same thing. If you told me the show was improvised on the spot (Which is exactly what Lin did with his group Freestyle Love Supreme) then I could be impressed. But it's not. Lin had time to pre-write this. They're so basic, and repeat SO much. I can't believe the quality of writing choruses like "I want to be in the room where it happened, the room where it happened, the room where it happened". Look at the lyrics to The Story of Tonight: I may not live to see our glory I may not live to see our glory But I will gladly join the fight But I will gladly join the fight And when our children tell our story And when our children tell our story They'll tell the story of tonight Let's have another round tonight Let's have another round tonight Let's have another round tonight Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what they tell you Raise a glass to the four of us Tomorrow there'll be more of us Telling the story of tonight They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what they tell you Let's have another round tonight Raise a glass to the four of us Tomorrow there'll be more of us Telling the story of tonight Let's have another round tonight They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom They'll tell the story of tonight They'll tell the story of tonight
They just repeat themselves so much, it's so hard to stay engaged with lyrics like this. You find this throughout the show.
3. In Lin you have a man you cannot sing surrounded by phenomenal Broadway singers and it is jarring. If he wanted to put the quality of his play first he wouldn't have taken the lead role.
4. This is a story that is complex, covering numerous historical figures, events, policies, court cases, places and dates. And you choose to rap it? It makes it incredibly difficult to catch all of the information they're firing off. I didn't want to but I ended up having to keep the subtitles on.
5. Finally, in my opinion, even if this wasn't rap or even a musical, just scenes, I don't feel like it was a cohesive, well paced or structured story/choice of scenes to represent Hamilton's story. It jumps around so much, to different time periods and events. Now suddenly a whole song about some other character who just got introduced halfway through the show. it just felt scattered. Telling the story a man's whole life that was surrounded by so many consequential historical events is a titanic undertaking. It takes an incredible amount dedication and thought and talent. Knowing what it essential to keep in the story, and what should be shed. Where the focus should lie. I like Lin, been a fan since his early appearances in Collegehumor videos, I just feel unequivocally that he did not succeed in pulling this off.
To me kind of an exception and the highlight of the show is like 15min in: The Schuyler Sisters and their song. Those three were great together. Special shoutout to Peggy, who kind of stole the show with like 4 lines.
1. With very few exceptions, the songs that aren't just rapping have very little melody. It's almost like if you gave someone a page of dialogue and said "instead of saying this, make it into a song on the spot". It really often feels like there's that little planning put into the melody structure. Contrast that with the music in The Book of Mormon, where nearly every song is an earworm, and incredibly well written.
2. Add to that the lyrics themselves, same thing. If you told me the show was improvised on the spot (Which is exactly what Lin did with his group Freestyle Love Supreme) then I could be impressed. But it's not. Lin had time to pre-write this. They're so basic, and repeat SO much. I can't believe the quality of writing choruses like "I want to be in the room where it happened, the room where it happened, the room where it happened". Look at the lyrics to The Story of Tonight: I may not live to see our glory I may not live to see our glory But I will gladly join the fight But I will gladly join the fight And when our children tell our story And when our children tell our story They'll tell the story of tonight Let's have another round tonight Let's have another round tonight Let's have another round tonight Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what they tell you Raise a glass to the four of us Tomorrow there'll be more of us Telling the story of tonight They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom Something they can never take away No matter what they tell you Let's have another round tonight Raise a glass to the four of us Tomorrow there'll be more of us Telling the story of tonight Let's have another round tonight They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom They'll tell the story of tonight Raise a glass to freedom They'll tell the story of tonight They'll tell the story of tonight
They just repeat themselves so much, it's so hard to stay engaged with lyrics like this. You find this throughout the show.
3. In Lin you have a man you cannot sing surrounded by phenomenal Broadway singers and it is jarring. If he wanted to put the quality of his play first he wouldn't have taken the lead role.
4. This is a story that is complex, covering numerous historical figures, events, policies, court cases, places and dates. And you choose to rap it? It makes it incredibly difficult to catch all of the information they're firing off. I didn't want to but I ended up having to keep the subtitles on.
5. Finally, in my opinion, even if this wasn't rap or even a musical, just scenes, I don't feel like it was a cohesive, well paced or structured story/choice of scenes to represent Hamilton's story. It jumps around so much, to different time periods and events. Now suddenly a whole song about some other character who just got introduced halfway through the show. it just felt scattered. Telling the story a man's whole life that was surrounded by so many consequential historical events is a titanic undertaking. It takes an incredible amount dedication and thought and talent. Knowing what it essential to keep in the story, and what should be shed. Where the focus should lie. I like Lin, been a fan since his early appearances in Collegehumor videos, I just feel unequivocally that he did not succeed in pulling this off.
To me kind of an exception and the highlight of the show is like 15min in: The Schuyler Sisters and their song. Those three were great together. Special shoutout to Peggy, who kind of stole the show with like 4 lines.