The Hamilton Experience

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing the musical Hamilton.

If you know me well, you know that I have been obsessed with this musical for about a year now. And when I say "obsessed," I mean that I have had it playing on a constant loop in my car at least 95% of the time since about last April (and I am still not tired of it), have spent hours down the rabbit hole watching various Hamilton-related videos and interviews, and have spontaneously burst into lyrics when the occasion presents itself. I even incorporated one of Hamilton's essays into my American Literature curriculum. (And maybe I showed a couple of video clips from the show. And maybe I even gave the day a hashtag.)

When I first read about this musical while it was in previews, I thought, "A hip-hop/rap musical about a founding father? I think I'll pass." And then I watched this performance on last year's Grammy Awards and was a quick convert from that point on.

Okay. I think I have established that I am a bit of a fan.

So anyway...the show.

We had two tickets for the matinee show of Saturday, January 14. Darryl was originally going to go with me, but around mid-November, I decided to take Amelia instead. Sure, Darryl would have been a good sport about it (and he would have enjoyed the show, I am pretty sure), but Amelia knows the soundtrack almost as well as I do, and she, too, is fascinated by anything Hamilton related. I'm so glad I was able to experience it with her.

(Yes, there are some "colorful" lyrics in Hamilton, but A) Amelia misses many of them because they are whizzed through in quick, rapid fire lyrics, B) We have addressed the ones she can hear and explained that those are not words her 9-year-old self should be saying, and finally C) I was listening to the Grease soundtrack on my 8-track when I was six years old, and I think I turned out okay.)

(Why am I defending my parenting choices?)

ANYWAY.

First, the audience was just great. It was probably the most diverse audience I have been a part of -- by race, by age -- and to say that the crowd was electric with anticipation would be a gross understatement.

Here's what you also need to know: I am not a very emotional person. I don't cry often. Sure, I might get what my friend Tim calls "wet in the eyes" on occasion, but a full-on cry? Rarely happens.

Well. Hamilton flipped that switch from the get-go.

When I heard those oh-so-familiar "dah da da da da da dah" beginning notes, hot tears started streaming down my face. STREAMING. As in I could not stop them. I think I was just gobsmacked with the reality that I was "in the room where it happens." (See? Spontaneous outburst of lyrics. #sorrynotsorry #itwillhappenagain)

I think it is safe to say that of that 3-hour show, there might have been 30 minutes that I was not crying in some form or fashion, from tears dancing on the ends of my eyelashes to the full-on UGLY CRY.

via GIPHY
(Noted: Oprah's eyeshadow has more staying power than mine did.)

I cried over the story itself, as the musical chronicles the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of the ambitious-almost-to-a-fault title character.

I cried whenever Amelia looked at me with a big smile on her face. (She smiled. I cried. Between the two of us, we ran the gamut of emotions.)

I cried whenever someone died. Two of these deaths brought on the above ugly cry.

I cried from the song "Hurricane" (when Hamilton decides to come clean about his single greatest moral failure) to the end, and the last song, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"-- a reminder to all of us that we need to live our lives in such a way that others will feel compelled to "tell our story"--LAID. ME. OUT.


via GIPHY

(I would like to say that is an exaggeration, but I'm not so sure.)

But here's the other thing, too... *

When I bought my tickets last May, I had no idea what would be going on in our country on January 14, 2017, that it would be the weekend before one president would be leaving his eight years as our leader and that Donald Trump, of all people, would be swearing in as our new president.

And as I sat there in the Richard Rodgers Theatre, amongst that diverse crowd I mentioned earlier, I realized just how transcendent Hamilton really is...

At one point in the show, George Washington tells Hamilton that he is stepping down as president, expressing the necessity for the nation to grow and flourish under new leadership while also acknowledging the uncertainty of the future. As I watched, I couldn't help thinking about the unrelenting misgivings many of us currently have.

When Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton sang to their respective daughter and son, "You'll come of age with our young nation / We'll bleed and fight for you / We'll make it right for you," I was saddened that nothing feels very "right" right now. And I so want it to feel and be "right," especially for the future generation.

And ultimately, in one of the last moments of the play, Alexander Hamilton soliloquizes these thoughts in the moments before his death:

I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me
America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me
You let me make a difference
A place where even orphan immigrants
Can leave their fingerprints and rise up

Well.

I think Alexander Hamilton would HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY about some of the goings-on the past few days.

(I'm stepping off the soapbox now.)

Now, lest you think that Hamilton was the most depressing afternoon of my life (because as I have mentioned one or twelve times, I cried a lot), I assure you it was not. I smiled. I laughed -- because there is much, MUCH humor as well. And honestly, the whole experience felt like an emotional cleansing that was long overdue.

I will end with this:

Hamilton is the single-most captivating, enthralling, and all-those-kind-of-adjectives theatre experience I have ever had.

Not only that, I would say seeing Hamilton is one of the top ten experiences of my life.

I will never forget this afternoon with my girl.**

*I really hesitated to write this part. I rarely say anything political because I hate dissension and conflict. I know that the current social issues that are plaguing our nation are complex and that there is no simple solution, and I'm not trying to minimize or oversimplify these issues. However, these feelings were such a vital part of this experience that I wanted to include them, if for no other reason than memory keeping.

**If you are not a fan of musicals and somehow made it to the end of this post, I understand if you want to respond with a big eyerolling emoji.