I arrived at my house at 4am Thursday morning, just having driven back from New York City. My parents were celebrating their 20th anniversary and the prize was Hamilton: An American Musical, which I’ve been waiting to see for about two years. We went with our friends who were also celebrating their anniversary, and after eating at a nice restaurant, we scrambled to the theater to see the show.
You may be asking: How did we get tickets??? Well, my friends, it was a Wednesday morning that we drove up to NYC (the show was that night), and that means fewer people out to watch plays and less pricey tickets. Grant you, they were still expensive–that’s the definition of Broadway. But we probably got less than half the price of a weekend ticket. I don’t know the details, but I do know that it was a bit of a steal. So there’s a little tip!
So this post is a review of Hamilton. Did it live up to the hype? Was the original cast better? Was it worth it? Do you have to be a Hamilton fangirl/boy to understand it? Well, here we go.
First Thoughts
I have a confession. When I first heard songs from Hamilton, I was genuinely disgusted at the fact that there was a Broadway musical that included rap music. At the time, I hated rap. Nevertheless, during a long cross-country road trip, I was forced to listen to four of those songs that were included on a Broadway playlist that my mom had made and burned to a CD. (Quick note: Who does that anymore? We do.) After listening to a song so many times, it begins to grow on you. At least, this is the case with me. And that’s how I ended up looking up the Hamilton soundtrack and playing it. And playing it again. And again. And again. At this point, I had most of the songs memorized and was deep into an obsession.
The Actors Here and Now
Each show is going to be different. At the show I saw, the understudy for Eliza (Hamilton’s wife) was performing. But in the show you see (if you ever do), you’ll have different actors with different vocal abilities. The Eliza I saw was not as good as soundtrack Eliza, but she made up for it by being a soulful actor. She. Was. Amazing. In. The. Second. Act. Period. The Aaron Burr I watched was not that great in singing, compared to the original Leslie Odom, Jr. (this guy was also an understudy), but my mom loved him. The man playing Lafayette did not have a great French accent but had a lovely soulful voice as Jefferson (for those of you who don’t know, Lafayette and Jefferson are played by the same actor. The same goes for Laurens and Philip, Mulligan and Madison, and Peggy and Mariah).
Angelica, Eliza’s sister, was played by an understudy as well, but I could not tell. She was an amazing actor and singer. Actually, there were so many understudies that I wonder whether it was an understudy show, and that may have been why it was so cheap. Either way, it was great! I was very impressed with the show.
But I have to say, out of the whole cast, Alexander Hamilton was amazing. Simply wonderful. This actor was black (which was great–I’d been waiting for a black Hamilton), he was hilarious, and touched all the right places of Hamilton’s character. In the first act, he exhibited ambition, determination, intelligence, and bravery. In the second act, he put all of Hamilton’s faults on display: arrogance, lust, stubbornness, and obsessiveness. Throughout the show, he sang skillfully and had superb acting skills. I could not ask for more.
Set, Dance, and Costume
When listening to the soundtrack of Hamilton, one begins to imagine the stage and their own interpretation of the visuals. This happens when reading or listening to an audiobook as well. So of course, I had made my own assumptions of what Hamilton would look like. I had a little bit to build off of, as I had seen pictures on Google, watched the Tony performance of Yorktown, one of the musical numbers, and read the book, Hamilton: An American Musical, which included lots of photos not found online.
My first thought when watching the musical onstage was that you didn’t have to be obsessed with Hamilton like me to enjoy the wondrous visual frenzy of dancers, costumes, and stage in general. The backdrop set was kept the same for the whole show. The actors and dancers simply moved props around, like chairs, desks, and other things. The center of the set, which was all wood, contained two wooden turn pieces that rotated the dancers (and actors) around in many different parts of the musical. For instance, it was used to go back in time during the number Satisfied.
Photo Credit: Huffington Post
Photo Credit: Vogue
Costumes in Hamilton were very time-appropriate, displaying the uniforms of the redcoats and American soldiers. In the second act, Hamilton and Jefferson sported beautifully made clothing. While Hamilton wore a silky green jacket with coattails (green for the treasury–get it?), Jefferson swaggered in a velvet suit, also wearing silky coattails. The ladies throughout the show mostly stuck to the same colors–pink for Angelica, blue for Eliza, yellow for Peggy, and red for Mariah. It made them easily recognizable, and the colors were suited to their personalities. For instance, Eliza’s blue-green color symbolized her quiet, sweet nature (until act two–watch out people, she’s going to burn!), and Mariah’s red color makes the viewer think of sensuality and passion.
Photo Credit: New Yorker
Photo Credit: CBS News
The dancing and choreography were simply amazing in Hamilton. Minor characters were also members of the company, who sang and danced in the background. The synchronization was on point, especially in Yorktown. The dancing company ended up doubling as the stage crew, as they moved around props and pieces of the set as the musical progressed.
Photo Credit: TDF Everything
Is the Fandom Necessary?
So–do you need to have obsessed over Hamilton for a long time to get the show? Of course not! In fact, my mother is a prime example. She and her friend Renee got tickets before the Tonys were awarded and the musical became a hit success. Then, a few weeks before they went to see it, Hamilton became popular. Most of the original cast was still there. However, despite the hype, all my mother knew was that the show was a musical about the first Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton. When the house lights dimmed and the music started the play, the first thing she whispered to Renee was, “They’re rapping!” Renee looked over at her, surprised. “You didn’t know?” she asked. See, my mom had not even bothered to read about the musical or listen to its songs before entering the theater. And at the conclusion of the show, my mom was a Hamilton fan, singing the songs and quoting the sassy characters. So, no. You don’t even need to listen to the songs of Hamilton to prepare for its awesomeness. Just go and have fun!
–Joey
**Note: the featured image of this post is credited to Mills Publishing Inc.**
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