TIMESTAMPS (for if you just wanna watch certain bits, I understand) 0:00 - 13:07 : the returns queue and being in the theatre 13:07 - 19:59 : showing merchandise I bought, and doing little tours of the programmes 19:59 - 25:38 : re-iterating about the returns, ticket process etc 25:38 onwards : talking about the view and the show
I'll be seeing Hamilton next week. I'm somewhat concerned about the national tour cast, but I will try no to compare them with the cast album, which is perfect.
After entering the Hamilton lottery on the app for almost a year now today I finally won tickets for both me and my mum for tomorrow night !!! I have front row seats for only £10 each and I’m so excited 😊
This was a brilliant review. I'm so grateful and glad that you still loved Rachelle Ann Go's portrayal even if you have already fell in love with Philippa's original Broadway cast version. Uniqueness is the key to your wonderful point of view. Thanks so much.
Love hearing your reactions on the London cast. I finally got to see HAMILTON for the first time ever here in New York. I won the lottery for Broadway. $10 FRONT ROW ORCHESTRA!! The current cast we have here is amazing.
OH MY GODDDD!! That's AMAZING! What luck! I've not been entering the lottery so much over here just because I'm scared I'll win when I have to be at work and it'll be heartbreaking if I can't go! Really glad the NYC cast are still on point 👏🏼
I'm a little shocked how expensive the tickets are for this show (even the preview prices) and hope it doesn't set the trend for shows being mega expensive like on broadway where only the people with money get to experience these amazing shows :(
That's a fair comment, but it's exactly what I was expecting to be honest, and at this stage I'm not shocked that the only return tickets seemingly available right now will be the premiums just repriced... However, thinking about it, their prices are hardly going to be changing like other WE ticket prices do with dynamic pricing so considering that aside from premiums it'll be £20/37.50/57.50/89.50 I don't think it's the worst, especially when it's a single purchase and not a two parter like Cursed Child! It's an interesting discussion, I personally don't think we're anywhere near Broadway prices yet and thank god for that 😂
Omg sooo lucky, you got all the original cast I had ensemble back up people for laff/jeff, hurc/mad, john/Phil and Eliza but they were still all INCREDIBLE!!
This is the first video of yours I've watched (going on a Hamilton West End vlog marathon) and yours is hands down the best one I've watched! It's long, full of interesting content and very entertaining; not to mention how informative it is. Your experience is just making me SO excited for May next year when I'll be going to see Hamilton also! It's so reassuring to know that everyone who has seen Hamilton has had such great experiences, even though it's still the previews. I've thoroughly enjoyed this video, keep it up!
Hi Rukaya, Firstly I would like to say how much I enjoy your videos. Well done! I have notice how much the prices differ for programmes. When I went to see 42nd Street it was £5, great value for the size, quality and content. For Hamilton £10, what a difference. I have two stories to tell you. When I went to see 42nd Street I went to the stage door and had Sheena Easton autograph my ticket. She was really nice. Secondly, last year I went to see 9 to 5. I was busy taking pictures outside the Savoy Theatre, and who did I meet, Mel B. Had may picture taken with her and managed to get a few autographs. Keep up the good work, wish I could send you the picture of Mel B, cannot on this platform.
AHH! I am so so jealous! What an amazing time you seem to have had. I want to go and see it so much, thank you for vlogging it. Super interesting thing with the returns queue. I wonder who returns their tickets. I would hold onto them like a lifeline, lol. Need to catch up on the vlogmas videos but I am adoring them so far! x
Hehe I guess for some people who booked them almost a year ago, plans come up and some people can no longer make it! But I know, I wouldn't be letting go of my tickets at all! Really hope you get to see this, it's a gem of a show 🌟
Wonderful vlog Rukaya, seeing Hamilton on the 23rd and so immensely excited for it, this vlog has really increased my excitement 😀😀😀, so glad you enjoyed the show.
Rukaya Cesar No problem at all Rukaya, as always it is brilliant to watch your videos 😀😀😀, thank you so much, so excited, been booked for the 23rd since presale in January and that feels like miles away.
It was INSANE. I don't wanna leave a full review on your video but I loved every second of it and the entire cast. Hamilton just changed my life ... again.
I'm turning 16 on the 1st of September and I'm so grateful as my dad spent like £800 on 3 tickets and this is gonna be my big present, Ibiza then Hamilton!! Best Summer Holidays ever!! Xx
Even though I'm not a fan of Hamilton myself, it seems a lot more accessible in the West End in terms of getting a seat and prices. A £100 in London is NOTHING compared to a sometimes $1000 seat for Hamilton on Broadway. I'm really happy about that. Also, out of curiosity, what was the show you were supposed to see that night? I'm really intrigued haha
Oh hell yeah it's more accessible! Even when I visited Chicago recently I was watching the ticket prices and tempted to go and the lowest the tickets dropped on StubHub was to $99 and this was like half an hour before the show! I find it funny seeing everyone say it's so expensive like yeah ok it is, but not in comparison with Bway... I was meant to be seeing La Soiree, whoooops! 😂
This has got to be my fave video of yours EVER!! Dunno when/if I’ll get to see the show - wasn’t even a 100% sure it’d be my sort of show - but you & this video have totally sold it to me. Tony X
WOO! And this is why I work in ticket sales 😂 No but honestly I was worried the hype would ruin this show for me and it hasn't, it's a fascinating piece of modern musical theatre and I think you have to try and see it! Fingers crossed more cheap seats will become available soon or that you'll get lucky with the lottery!!
Hi Rukaya Im fairly new to theatre world and your videos inspired and helped me a lot to decide to see this and wicked i went last week to see hamilton and i loved it i havent been able to get the songs out of my head hope you are doing well
So jealous. Counting down the days until I can see it in February. When I was in New York in April, I bought the brochure as they had a little pop up merchandise shop across the road from the theatre (I also bought a poster). I’m dying to get one of the A.Ham caps as that’s my name! What was the stage door situation like? Great video as always!
Omg you nEEEEEED the hat!! If anyone can wear it, it's you! I think I'll visit the pop up shop when I'm in NYC to check out what the merch selection there is like. I've not been near the theatre in a while but I think stage door is generally still busy, especially on the weekend!
Thank you!! Not all shows do, because not all shows have this sort of demand! Out of the big West End shows the ones that might have a returns queue are usually Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the Book of Mormon :)
Those ticket prices are crazy. 80 pounds for a preview is around 140 dollars AU (which would be considered an A Reserve premium ticket here). You did so well to get a ticket that would later go for 200 pounds!
They are crazy but you have to admit it was a prime seat 😉 There are definitely cheaper seats in their price range but obviously they've all been snapped up...
cool.. Glad you got in... I bought a ticket super way back.. was it February??? and actually forgot about it when I arranged my Christmas Trip to Broadway.... so now I land back in UK about 11 am on December 30th and I have a Hamilton Ticket for the Evening... Crazy ...but if I do arrive on time,, I'll go see A Christmas Carol again in the afternoon because it was beyond Beautiful....
My cousin gets to go see Hamilton in London in June (I think)!! I was jealous until my dad surprised me with tickets!! I practically died! I can't wait to see it in FEBRUARY! And when I saw there was professional merch, I now have a goal of getting some xD
What is the percentage,do you think is the chance of buying a return ticket? When is the best time to try, as I am desperate as well,..weekends or weekdays?
I wouldn't be shocked if they do an international tour one day! The set wouldn't be too hard to move around and the demand for the show is high enough!
Dont think so... Here in Spain we don't speak English in general, our level is bad, so I cant imagine they bring a show in English.. and translate the whole show? Dont know, dont think it would be worthy (economically).. An excuse to travel :)
Hi Rukaya, do you happen to work in a discounted ticket booth in London? I’m positive that I saw you when I was there and I’m sure you sold us ticket to Les Mis. Great video by the way!
Just seen it. Bought the ticket online last week. Already got tickets from the waiting list for Feb and June. Waited an hour for Merch. In the Q from 1830.
So basically if there are unsold seats or people can't go so have to return their tickets, you can then get the chance to purchase them! With a show like this that is technically sold out and the website is awful to navigate, this is a fairly sure way to get a ticket. And I was there because I was desperate to see it 😂
I has booked tickets to the previews which were cancelled due to the theatre refurb delay but luckily was found a seat last week. While I enjoyed the show I didn't think it quite justifies such a high price for tickets. I went to buy tickets to go again for March but all decent seats are £200. So sad to see London theatre prices overtake Broadway prices.
Oh I'm gutted to hear you were affected by the rescheduling but glad you got to see it. I'm fairly certain more seats will be popping up on a day to day basis and it's not just the premium seats available, it's cheeky but I wouldn't be shocked if they're doing it to keep the 'sold out' label. And I politely disagree with your comment on the Broadway prices, I don't think we're anywhere near as bad just yet haha!
Actually Broadway is more expensive. Premium seats are $849 on Broadway, and worst seats in the house are $211, and thats through the box office not resale. I was just looking online at some dates in July for my mum and Sister and there were seats for 37.50 (Sorry I don't have a pound symbol on my keyboard.) Those prices simply do not exist on Broadway! Pretty jealous as I no longer live in the UK, I'm in Canada so I have to pay big bucks to see it!
Just found out yesterday, I'm going to Hamiltons opening night 🤧🤧 I am soooo excited and this made me even more!! Really excited for Rachel Johns Anjelica, shes my fave part of the show 🌟🌟🌟
TIMESTAMPS (for if you just wanna watch certain bits, I understand)
0:00 - 13:07 : the returns queue and being in the theatre
13:07 - 19:59 : showing merchandise I bought, and doing little tours of the programmes
19:59 - 25:38 : re-iterating about the returns, ticket process etc
25:38 onwards : talking about the view and the show
Rukaya Cesar ahh you are a babe for doing this!! Xx
I'll be seeing Hamilton next week. I'm somewhat concerned about the national tour cast, but I will try no to compare them with the cast album, which is perfect.
Who returns a ticket to HAMILTON?!?!?!?!?! #Goals #Scored
lmao RIGHT! Saying that though, I'm 99.9% sure my ticket was just an unsold premium, but regardless I'm happy cause it meant I could see it 😂
After entering the Hamilton lottery on the app for almost a year now today I finally won tickets for both me and my mum for tomorrow night !!! I have front row seats for only £10 each and I’m so excited 😊
This was a brilliant review. I'm so grateful and glad that you still loved Rachelle Ann Go's portrayal even if you have already fell in love with Philippa's original Broadway cast version. Uniqueness is the key to your wonderful point of view. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for watching and leaving such a lovely comment! 😊
Love hearing your reactions on the London cast. I finally got to see HAMILTON for the first time ever here in New York. I won the lottery for Broadway. $10 FRONT ROW ORCHESTRA!! The current cast we have here is amazing.
OH MY GODDDD!! That's AMAZING! What luck! I've not been entering the lottery so much over here just because I'm scared I'll win when I have to be at work and it'll be heartbreaking if I can't go! Really glad the NYC cast are still on point 👏🏼
This literally made me cry with excitement!!! I’m seeing it in February and can’t wait ❤️
Aw Helen I'm so excited for you!! It'll come by so quickly and you'll have the best time, I know it! 😊
I'm a little shocked how expensive the tickets are for this show (even the preview prices) and hope it doesn't set the trend for shows being mega expensive like on broadway where only the people with money get to experience these amazing shows :(
YO I KNOW YOU omg.
Friedrich You do? 😂 Who are ya? 😜
Well I only know your Instagram because I follow you so you probably don't know me haha. But nice to see you here :D
That's a fair comment, but it's exactly what I was expecting to be honest, and at this stage I'm not shocked that the only return tickets seemingly available right now will be the premiums just repriced... However, thinking about it, their prices are hardly going to be changing like other WE ticket prices do with dynamic pricing so considering that aside from premiums it'll be £20/37.50/57.50/89.50 I don't think it's the worst, especially when it's a single purchase and not a two parter like Cursed Child! It's an interesting discussion, I personally don't think we're anywhere near Broadway prices yet and thank god for that 😂
I appreciate y'all having a little meet and greet in the comments 😂
Omg sooo lucky, you got all the original cast I had ensemble back up people for laff/jeff, hurc/mad, john/Phil and Eliza but they were still all INCREDIBLE!!
Thank you for catching that final red flare as the show let out. I LOVE that little flourish.
It's brill isn't it? 😍
This is the first video of yours I've watched (going on a Hamilton West End vlog marathon) and yours is hands down the best one I've watched! It's long, full of interesting content and very entertaining; not to mention how informative it is. Your experience is just making me SO excited for May next year when I'll be going to see Hamilton also! It's so reassuring to know that everyone who has seen Hamilton has had such great experiences, even though it's still the previews. I've thoroughly enjoyed this video, keep it up!
This comment is LOVELY, thank you so much ❤️ I hope you have the best time when you get to see this 😄
Rukaya Cesar thank you very much, I’m sure I will!
Hi Rukaya, Firstly I would like to say how much I enjoy your videos. Well done! I have notice how much the prices differ for programmes. When I went to see 42nd Street it was £5, great value for the size, quality and content. For Hamilton £10, what a difference. I have two stories to tell you. When I went to see 42nd Street I went to the stage door and had Sheena Easton autograph my ticket. She was really nice. Secondly, last year I went to see 9 to 5. I was busy taking pictures outside the Savoy Theatre, and who did I meet, Mel B. Had may picture taken with her and managed to get a few autographs. Keep up the good work, wish I could send you the picture of Mel B, cannot on this platform.
AHH! I am so so jealous! What an amazing time you seem to have had. I want to go and see it so much, thank you for vlogging it. Super interesting thing with the returns queue. I wonder who returns their tickets. I would hold onto them like a lifeline, lol. Need to catch up on the vlogmas videos but I am adoring them so far! x
Hehe I guess for some people who booked them almost a year ago, plans come up and some people can no longer make it! But I know, I wouldn't be letting go of my tickets at all! Really hope you get to see this, it's a gem of a show 🌟
Wonderful vlog Rukaya, seeing Hamilton on the 23rd and so immensely excited for it, this vlog has really increased my excitement 😀😀😀, so glad you enjoyed the show.
Eeee I'm very excited for you to see it, thank you for watching and leaving such nice comments! 😄
Rukaya Cesar No problem at all Rukaya, as always it is brilliant to watch your videos 😀😀😀, thank you so much, so excited, been booked for the 23rd since presale in January and that feels like miles away.
Not gonna lie I cried a little because I'm finally seeing this show on Wednesday. I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself though!
Aw Sophie you saw it TODAYYY!!! Hope you had an INSANE time ❤️
It was INSANE. I don't wanna leave a full review on your video but I loved every second of it and the entire cast. Hamilton just changed my life ... again.
I'm turning 16 on the 1st of September and I'm so grateful as my dad spent like £800 on 3 tickets and this is gonna be my big present, Ibiza then Hamilton!! Best Summer Holidays ever!! Xx
Wowzaaaaa!! That's amazing, hope you have the best time!
Thank you Rukaya!! I will do!! :))
Even though I'm not a fan of Hamilton myself, it seems a lot more accessible in the West End in terms of getting a seat and prices. A £100 in London is NOTHING compared to a sometimes $1000 seat for Hamilton on Broadway. I'm really happy about that. Also, out of curiosity, what was the show you were supposed to see that night? I'm really intrigued haha
Oh hell yeah it's more accessible! Even when I visited Chicago recently I was watching the ticket prices and tempted to go and the lowest the tickets dropped on StubHub was to $99 and this was like half an hour before the show! I find it funny seeing everyone say it's so expensive like yeah ok it is, but not in comparison with Bway... I was meant to be seeing La Soiree, whoooops! 😂
Ben Cartwright I think your right!! #Linnamonroll
This has got to be my fave video of yours EVER!!
Dunno when/if I’ll get to see the show - wasn’t even a 100% sure it’d be my sort of show - but you & this video have totally sold it to me.
Tony
X
WOO! And this is why I work in ticket sales 😂 No but honestly I was worried the hype would ruin this show for me and it hasn't, it's a fascinating piece of modern musical theatre and I think you have to try and see it! Fingers crossed more cheap seats will become available soon or that you'll get lucky with the lottery!!
Hi Rukaya
Im fairly new to theatre world and your videos inspired and helped me a lot to decide to see this and wicked i went last week to see hamilton and i loved it i havent been able to get the songs out of my head hope you are doing well
I was excited just seeing you so excited :) .
What do you mean, I don't think I was excited at all was I?! 😉
So jealous. Counting down the days until I can see it in February. When I was in New York in April, I bought the brochure as they had a little pop up merchandise shop across the road from the theatre (I also bought a poster). I’m dying to get one of the A.Ham caps as that’s my name! What was the stage door situation like? Great video as always!
Omg you nEEEEEED the hat!! If anyone can wear it, it's you! I think I'll visit the pop up shop when I'm in NYC to check out what the merch selection there is like. I've not been near the theatre in a while but I think stage door is generally still busy, especially on the weekend!
Loved this vlog!!! I'm seeing Hamilton soon and I'm too excited!!!
Eeeee hope you have the BEST time! 😄
Great Vlog! We Hope to see Hamilton in the future, may try the returns queue. Just Wondered do all theatres have a returns queue?
Thank you!! Not all shows do, because not all shows have this sort of demand! Out of the big West End shows the ones that might have a returns queue are usually Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the Book of Mormon :)
Thank you. That's really helpful. :)
Those ticket prices are crazy. 80 pounds for a preview is around 140 dollars AU (which would be considered an A Reserve premium ticket here).
You did so well to get a ticket that would later go for 200 pounds!
They are crazy but you have to admit it was a prime seat 😉 There are definitely cheaper seats in their price range but obviously they've all been snapped up...
aussieskates I got tickets for £37.50
cool.. Glad you got in... I bought a ticket super way back.. was it February??? and actually forgot about it when I arranged my Christmas Trip to Broadway.... so now I land back in UK about 11 am on December 30th and I have a Hamilton Ticket for the Evening... Crazy ...but if I do arrive on time,, I'll go see A Christmas Carol again in the afternoon because it was beyond Beautiful....
Hahahah that could've been some annoying double booking! Hope you weren't too tired from getting back 😬
My cousin gets to go see Hamilton in London in June (I think)!! I was jealous until my dad surprised me with tickets!! I practically died! I can't wait to see it in FEBRUARY! And when I saw there was professional merch, I now have a goal of getting some xD
Ahhhhh how exciting! Hope you have an amazing time!
What is the percentage,do you think is the chance of buying a return ticket? When is the best time to try, as I am desperate as well,..weekends or weekdays?
Sadly I can't give you a concrete answer as it changes all the time, just try and check the website as often as possible!
I would love to see the show!! haha I dont think it will ever come to Spain so...
I wouldn't be shocked if they do an international tour one day! The set wouldn't be too hard to move around and the demand for the show is high enough!
Dont think so... Here in Spain we don't speak English in general, our level is bad, so I cant imagine they bring a show in English.. and translate the whole show? Dont know, dont think it would be worthy (economically).. An excuse to travel :)
Thank you for sharing I will definitely be going to the Returns queue!
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 Thank you for watching!! Wishing you luck with the returns queue, hope you manage to get a ticket! 😄
LOVE this video - even more excited!
😘😘😘
I tried to queue for merch, but it wasn’t moving and I queued for about 20 mins.
However, Jesus Christ. This show is ASTONISHING. 🤣🤣
Pahahaha I'm so glad I just went post show, it was so much quicker! And RIGHTTTTT! 😵
Anna and Imy! Hey galss!!!! We need a reunion!!
I'm going in February and this has made me so much more excited!
Eeeeee it's pretty epic, not gonna lie! Hope you have a brilliant time when you see it 😄
I'm sure I will! Thanks again for showing your experience, it's eased my mind about how long the lines take ect.
So happy for u. Amazing seat. I have to wait until April
Thank you so much! Hope you have a brilliant time when you see it 😊
I’m going to see this on the 6th of May exited!!
If you order a ticket online then how do you get in?
Did you have to pay cash, or is it possible to pay with card?
Hi Rukaya, do you happen to work in a discounted ticket booth in London? I’m positive that I saw you when I was there and I’m sure you sold us ticket to Les Mis. Great video by the way!
I do!! So that was probably me, looking rough as hell 😂 Hope you had a great time at Les Mis, and thank you so much for watching! 😄
When your at the merch do they give you time to try the tops/ jumpers on??
They'll hold up the tops for you to see the size but I don't think they're allowed to let you try stuff on sadly!
How easy was it to get a program? I'm going to the show there in March.
Super easy, take cash with you and you can just purchase one from the ushers that are walking around with them like I did 😊
This made me so emotional 😭
Aww bless ❤️
I think Rachelle is 5"8 and I think Jamael is 6"3.
Sounds about right, she looked tiny bless 😂
Just seen it. Bought the ticket online last week. Already got tickets from the waiting list for Feb and June. Waited an hour for Merch. In the Q from 1830.
Nice one! I think the trick is to get in there super early or just go after the show, or find the hidden merch stand elsewhere in the theatre 😂
You are so dedicated!! Some great tips though :)
Hahaha thank you!!
congrats and love ur vlogs about the theatre shows
Thank you so much!! 😊
Amazing vlog. What show did you sacrifice just out of interest?
Thank you!! La Soiree 🙊
I managed to get tickets for Hamilton for £89 each and I am hyped!!
Eeee nice one, enjoy the show!! 😄
That's great but expensive one..be safe.
Where is the stage door located?
To the left of the theatre if you're looking straight at it
What’s the returns queue? (Sorry if that’s a stupid question)
And why was you there? Xx
So basically if there are unsold seats or people can't go so have to return their tickets, you can then get the chance to purchase them! With a show like this that is technically sold out and the website is awful to navigate, this is a fairly sure way to get a ticket. And I was there because I was desperate to see it 😂
Ben Simon Wilson she goes a lot lol
I has booked tickets to the previews which were cancelled due to the theatre refurb delay but luckily was found a seat last week. While I enjoyed the show I didn't think it quite justifies such a high price for tickets. I went to buy tickets to go again for March but all decent seats are £200. So sad to see London theatre prices overtake Broadway prices.
Oh I'm gutted to hear you were affected by the rescheduling but glad you got to see it. I'm fairly certain more seats will be popping up on a day to day basis and it's not just the premium seats available, it's cheeky but I wouldn't be shocked if they're doing it to keep the 'sold out' label. And I politely disagree with your comment on the Broadway prices, I don't think we're anywhere near as bad just yet haha!
Actually Broadway is more expensive. Premium seats are $849 on Broadway, and worst seats in the house are $211, and thats through the box office not resale. I was just looking online at some dates in July for my mum and Sister and there were seats for 37.50 (Sorry I don't have a pound symbol on my keyboard.) Those prices simply do not exist on Broadway! Pretty jealous as I no longer live in the UK, I'm in Canada so I have to pay big bucks to see it!
my favourite chareter Is Peggy who is yours?
Ooo good Q, Angelica comes to mind immediately as a favourite!
erlla Varli Aaron Burr or Eliza have me 😲❤️
Thomas Jefferson!!
ELIZA!!!
Just found out yesterday, I'm going to Hamiltons opening night 🤧🤧 I am soooo excited and this made me even more!! Really excited for Rachel Johns Anjelica, shes my fave part of the show 🌟🌟🌟
Streisand Angelica I**
Gaming Bear Magic spell check **
Hope you had an INSAAAANE time at the opening night! 😱
Right so I might sound crazy bUT does anyone see a tinyyy bit of Phillipa Soo in Rukaya?? I don’t know she just looks a wee bit like Pippa! Xx
HA!!!! I think you're crazy 🤣
All right my friends Juiz de fora MG City Brasil i m one little of culture I love Paris oh ye I know billie
So did I it is amazing isn't it
So amazing! 🌟
WHO WOULD DARE RETURN A TICKET?
Tbf I think at this point it was just unsold tickets but YEAH now when I see actual returns pop up I'm shook
I paid £200 online!!
Yeaaaaah it's super pricey now! This was in the previews so it was marginally cheaper haha
Rukaya Cesar 😂😂♥️♥️♥️