Prior to this past weekend, to say I was looking forward to seeing the Broadway musical, Hamilton, would have been an understatement! I was in possession of the tickets for eight months! It’s a miracle I didn’t lose them… although I did treat them like you might care for a precious gem. They were kept in a place of respect and care.
As I approached the theater, I could feel my heart beating faster — not only because my husband and I chose to walk the 16 blocks to get there. Knowing the incredible respect the show has already garnered, including a record number of Tony nominations, just seeing the marquis was a thrill. Having had the privilege of seeing the original production of In the Heights, music and lyrics by the incomparable Lin-Manuel Miranda, I had very high expectations of Hamilton.
The verdict — it was everything I hoped it would be… and then some!!! As both a modern history buff and theater enthusiast, it was an outstanding blending of modern theater at it’s most creative, coupled with historical facts presented in a memorable and moving style.
I have seen a number of Shakespearean plays throughout my life, including numerous productions of Romeo and Juliet. The measure I used to illustrate the success of each Romeo and Juliet performance is whether I found myself so engrossed that I had hopes the title characters would not die. Apparently, I could have used a similar standard for Hamilton. I actually found myself on the edge of my seat, hoping for an alternate outcome to the infamous Hamilton/Burr duel.
From the moment the first words of the musical were sung, there is no question as to the energy of the incredible cast, in my performance, led by Javier Munoz in the title role. While it was unexpected, in all Saturday matinees, Alexander Hamilton is played by Javier Munoz. When I learned this fact, upon receiving my Playbill, I was quickly comforted when reading the cast “Who’s Who” and discovering he was the same actor who played Alexander Hamilton for the Obama family. If it was good enough for them, it was certainly good enough for me!
I don’t want to give away the intricacies of the show but I will say, having Aaron Burr take the role of narrator of the opera style musical illustrating the life of Hamilton, was an outstanding choice, demonstrating an interesting point of view throughout.
Lin Manuel Miranda created an entirely musical journey that brought me into the past with the highest level of musical performance I may have ever witnessed.
Experiencing history come alive has never been so brilliantly demonstrated and it will be a challenge to find another musical to match the quality. It had a similar, strong impact as the first full-length musical I attended as a child — 1776 (in London, England when I was eight years old).
I’m still humming several of the songs from Saturday’s matinee, including one with the profound title of “My Shot”.
If you get a shot at seeing the musical, Hamilton, take it! You won’t regret it!!!
I want this opportunity SO badly. Sad that Lin wasn’t there for your performance but yes…good matinee actor!
Leslie Odom is amazing in all things so I’m glad you liked him, too.
Jelly of your opportunity!!!
This was an incredible opportunity and seemed like it would never come as I’ve been looking longingly at the tickets for so long! LOL
So very happy you got to see Hamilton. I am hoping to get a chance to see it when it plays in Chicago. The music is amazing. For the last 3 months I have played it over and over again. There are so many magic lines. History has it’s eyes on you is great.
Still can’t get through the second disk without crying.
I hope you get to see it soon! I would imagine the touring company will be wonderful. I have seen a number of shows in CT that are Broadway touring shows.
I had not listened to the music in advance and got very emotional — far more than I expected!
Was just announced that Hamilton will be part of the 2017-2018 season at The Kennedy Center.
Make sure to get tickets as soon as they’re available! It’s fabulous!
Glad you loved it! I have heard great things of Javier’s performance, and many think he is perhaps even better in the role than Lin himself. Personally, my money is on Leslie to take out the Tony.
I’m just going to have to wait for it 😉 but I will definitely be in that audience one day. When the next lot of tickets go on sale for my Uni break, I’m going to snap them up. Even if I end up having to resell them, it should be for a tidy profit !!
I was so impressed with the entire performance and am amazed at how it surpassed my expectations… and they were VERY high! I hope you get to see it sooner than you think. You’ll love it!
It sounds like an extraordinary experience. I hope to see the show someday. It is nice to see a new spin on history. It makes us realize that historical figures were just people like us. I also loved 1776.
Has anyone seen “Bright Star”? One of the performers is Carmen Cusack – she is married to Paul Telfer (Xander on Days) The show has gotten great reviews and I believe Carmen is up for some awards.. The show was written by Steve Martin and a woman whose name escapes me at the moment.
It’s great when such a popular performance can have the added bonus of delivering history in a great, and memorable, way! I hope you will get to see it. 1776 is a timeless production.
I did not see Bright Star, but thank you for sharing the info about it. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your spectacular experience Carolyn!
I went to see “Hamilton” in April and like you, I already had super high expectations. I was obsessed with the soundtrack (I know “My Shot” by heart) and could not wait to see those songs come alive on stage.
My life was forever changed after seeing the show. How it even exceeded my sky-high expectations, I can’t even begin to understand. I laughed, danced in my seat and by the end, I was bawling my eyes out.
Everyone was amazing. I had just missed Jonathan Groff’s run as King George III but I got to see the rest of the main cast. I hear Javier is incredible as A. Ham so I’m sure you didn’t miss anything. It’s hard to say what a favorite show moment was for me. I damn near squealed when Daveed jumped off the table as Lafayette in “Guns and Ships” and I was mesmerized by Renee Goldsberry’s performance of “Satisfied.” I did the fist pump when Chris Jackson graced the stage as George Washington and I was in awe of Phillipa Soo’s near-perfect vocals as Eliza. But I’ll say that I got chills watching Leslie Odom Jr. perform “The Room Where It Happens”.
Seeing “Hamilton” was an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous experience at Hamilton! I could feel your enthusiasm and the impact the musical had on you. I felt the same way. It will be hard to match this experience at another musical in the future — but I can always hope for even better! lol *Humming The room Where It Happens*