everything (I think) you need to know about Hamilton
In a perfect world, this post would’ve come out last Thursday, or this Thursday. But if this world was perfect, I would have my own sword. The fact that my getting a sword doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon just shows the corrupt state this world is in. Back to the matter at hand, I saw Hamilton with my family (minus one) (minus two if you include the cat) two Saturdays ago in Chicago.
We had seats on the second level (the Dress Circle) with a fairly good view of the stage so long as no one was sitting in front of us. The people in front of us weren’t bad, other than being tall and broad. The people behind us were rich apparently because they decided to drop a hundred bucks to spend half the musical in the bathroom. And the people to the left of us had not studied the common courtesy guidebook before coming. The guy sitting directly next to me not only took the armrest but also had his knee halfway into my seat.
Luckily, that was the worse part, and there were many enjoyable parts. Such as (in no sensible order):
• King George
King George was so dramatic and over-the-top, and it was the best. Before the musical started, he made an announcement over the speakers, welcoming us all to “his” show. During the musical, he popped in and out as he pleased, and his face when he heard George Washington was stepping down as president was priceless.
• The Stage
The stage looked fairly simple. Before the musical started, I noticed some divots in the floor. I assumed they were tracts for moving set pieces or something. But the divots were actually rotating parts of the stage. Like a turntable. It allowed the cast to move while standing still, and it was pretty neat.
• Eliza Beatboxing
During “Take a Break,” Eliza Hamilton is the one beat-boxing while her nine-year-old son is rapping, and it was completely adorable.
• The Lighting
One can only do so much with sets for plays or musicals, so lighting becomes an even more crucial element. The most memorable lighting for me was during “Hurricane”; everything was washed in shades of blue and the lighting imitated swirling water. (Which is apparently referred to as Gobo lighting.)
• Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was probably my second favorite character. He was extremely sarcastic, and he insulted Hamilton’s clothes multiple times, even though he was the one wearing a plum-colored velvet suit. Also, near the end of “The Reynolds Pamphlet,” he, Madison, and King George walked circles around Hamilton, throwing the pamphlets he wrote back in his face. They enjoyed it way too much.
• • •
As a whole, Hamilton is fairly historically accurate. Some dramatic license has been taken, of course, because sometimes the truth doesn’t tell as good of a story.
Still, from Alexander’s background as an orphan in the Caribbean who wrote his way to New York to his time in the revolutionary war serving as Washington’s chief staff aide (or right hand man) to his wooing of and marriage to Eliza Schuyler to his time as Secretary of the Treasury to the Reynolds Pamphlet to his son, Philip’s death in a duel to his own death in a duel with Aaron Burr, the main plot points follow historical happenings. Which means that it technically counted as a day of school.
But, while I’m talking about historical accuracy, I want to bring up a few things.
Firstly, I like to look up lyrics for songs (so I can actually sing the words instead of making obscure humming noises), and Genius is a fantastic way to do so. It not only has lyrics, but also notes that add context, and sometimes songwriters will even add their own annotations. So, while I’ve browsed through some songs I’ve found these:
• In “It’s Quiet Uptown,” when Alexander sings “I know there’s no replacing what we’ve lost” talking to Eliza about Philip, their son, who was killed in a duel, this annotation popped up:
• In “The Schuyler Sisters,” when Angelica, Peggy, and Eliza are singing about New York being “the greatest city in the world”:
• And in “The Election of 1800,” when Alexander sings “the people are asking to hear my voice”:
I’m pretty sure that there are more snarky comments, but I haven’t had the chance to look through the songs any further.
• • •
Moving towards an end, I want to talk about Eliza. She is not only an incredibly important character in this narrative but also one of the main reasons this musical was able to be made. After Alexander’s death, she went through his papers, essays, and writings with the help of her son, John. She got Alexander’s biography published. She did everything she could to make sure history would remember Hamilton and his legacy. And because of her efforts, we do.
At the very end of the musical, Eliza breaks the fourth wall by looking out at the audience and gasping. She realizes that she achieved her life’s goal, that she told both of their stories, and preserved both of their legacies. And it’s definitely not emotional at all or anything.
