Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Part 5: The #Hamildress in NYC!

So, try as we might... it was nearly impossible to snap photos of the #Hamildress in Times Square because there are TOO. MANY. PEOPLE. Oh my goodness, there are so many people. So snapping a pic that included the entirety of the dress resulted in only a FEW successful attempts. 

If you want to see photoshoot-quality pics of the #Hamildress, I recommend checking out the previous post: Part 4: The #Hamildress in Fresno
I stepped into the ROAD to take this unpopulated photo. Exasperated to say the least.

The pic below was the norm. We are lucky to get THIS selfie. Honestly:

"There's too many damn *people* for anyone to understand."

Here's the dress after a few taxis, and walking up and down Times Square!

Sanctuary... please give us sanctuary!
I contemplated going to Ham4Ham but I wasn't willing to brave the crowds when I could be, you know, enjoying myself in a logical manner. So my compromise was to grab a drink at the Playwright Pub and then to walk through the Ham4Ham lotto afterwards. Apparently I missed Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. I'm okay with that. I also chose not to stagedoor after Hamilton since I heard it would leave a sour taste in my mouth to see how such amazing performers are treated after bearing their soul to you for the last for 3 hours. I am happy with my decision. I did stagedoor after Fun Home the next night and the small crowd and respectful audience members and amazingly kind cast made for a wonderful experience. I wish the world of Hamilton could be the same way!

It was difficult to walk through the insanity of the lotto and I'm glad I'm tall because, you know, claustrophobia can kick in for me under the right circumstances.  Here's a shot of me taking shelter after the harrowing journey! You can see the chaos behind me:

And then we the theatre doors opened!
Here's one from INSIDE the Richard Rodgers before the show!


The closest thing I've seen to an Original Broadway cast is Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in the San Francisco World Premiere of Wicked. I hadn't heard any "Wicked" songs by then and didn't know much about how the original cast informed the choices of the musical in the preceding workshops. Hamilton was an entirely different world for me as I knew deeply the way each member of the cast had shaped the role to their abilities. And then I got to SEE THEM perform it LIVE!

Here's me freaking out before the show began:

I brought binoculars and was thrilled to see the nuanced expressions of these original cast members.

And here's one of me TRYING to take a photo in front of the famous wall. 

Look, she's so happy! I mean, the ENTIRE CAST WAS THERE: Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom, Lin-Manuel, Pippa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Chris Jackson, Anthony Ramos, and Oke Onadowan. Oh my God! Since I missed the filming of the OBC (by one performance) I never expected the entire crew to be there. NEVER! I could not be more pleased!

And here's a side-by side of the dress and the gradient it copied. It was tricky to copy a digital image in dye but I think it came out wonderfully!

"Not too bad, if I say so myself!"

I also had a fake tattoo made. One Texan freaked out when she through it was real. NOPE.

Other Hamilthings:

Okay, you HAVE to believe me: We were cruising the Wall Street financial district and came across a really beautiful church. I used Manuel's camera to zoom in to the spires to see a more detailed look. We then did all the touristy things in the area and ended up on the other side of the church where the name was visible. "Trinity Church" it said. THE Trinity Church??? It turns out, it WAS! Here's us visiting Alex, Eliza and Angelica. 

No joke, it wasn't on my map because I wasn't going to "go out of my way to see it." Turns out you can't miss the place! WOW! Made the final song in Hamilton even more powerful the next day when we saw it performed. 
"She is buried in Trinity Church near you..."

We did some other nerdy stuff too!

Washington, Lafayette and the Ham4Ham spectacle (without entering that crazy lotto!)

And finally, here's the reason I got to dream a dream: Manuel. I love him dearly!

*Sniff* This COULD be the last #Hamildress post ever. I'm sad to see it go. 
Here's hoping I fit into the #Hamildress when the 10 year filming of the OBC is released!

If you wanted to go back in time, here's my previous posts about the making of the #Hamildress:
Part 4: The #Hamildress in Fresno (Finished photoshoot!)

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