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The Hamilton Cover Art and Logo
You must be outta your goddamn mind if...you still haven't seen the smash hit musical Hamilton that finally hit Disney+ as a movie in July! When it first came out on Broadway I was immediately hooked on the music and would play it Non-stop (yes, there will be lots of Hamilton puns throughout this review. If you don't get them or don't like them then just don't read this). After months of dancing around to the first few songs of Act I, I finally discovered that Hamilton was an actual show...when my parents ditched me to go and see it by themselves! I gotta say...that hurt. Finally, after years of hoping I would get to see it one day, Disney+ was released and the Hamilton movie was announced! Suddenly, I remembered how often I used to listen to the songs and my hopes were lifted skyward once more! After months of tortuous quarantine waiting desperately for Hamilton to drop, my dream came true in July! That night, I sat down with my brother (and some friends we were on vacation with) and witnessed the masterpiece that is Hamilton with my own eyes. Let me tell you...words can't even begin to describe the experience.
The musical started with many of the familiar songs and stories I knew from listening for so long, but everything else was ten times better than I ever could have imagined! The cast, to begin with, is one of the most talented group of people I have ever seen come together to make create something as beautiful as Hamilton. Each and every member, down to even the background dancers, brings something different and special to the table and I believe this element of the small cast is one of the key reasons of why Hamilton works so well. Every single person in the cast has at least one line, but what amazed me the most was the fact that even main characters had multiple roles! One of these talented people was none other than a Mr. Daveed Diggs, who not only played the role of a key immigrant general of the revolution Lafayette, but also one of our very own founding fathers and the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Diggs's stage presence was so unique and he played both his roles with the same energy, yet he still managed to distinguish them from one another. Other personal favorites include Phillipa Soo, with her breathtaking vocals for Eliza and overall grace and delicate air she brought to the stage. Ariana DeBose, my brother and I's favorite backup dancer who we felt managed to impact the show even without playing a key role. Finally, none other than the man behind it all, musical theater genius Lin-Manuel Miranda!
This is Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is known for these controversial lip-biting selfies...(I'll let you decide)
For those of you that don't know, (why don't you know?!) Lin-Manuel Miranda is the mastermind who not only wrote the entire freaking play but also starred as the show's main character, Alexander Hamilton himself. If that's not talent, I don't know what is! This brings me to one of the second key reasons that I think is one of the key parts of Hamilton. The genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda not only wrote songs that were each more amazing than the one before, but the little thing he did that overall improved the whole show was how he continuously incorporated the same idea or bits of other songs into the rest of the show! Let me give you an example:
~In Act I, the character Aaron Burr, played by the talented Leslie Odom Jr., sings a song called "Wait For It" (often considered one of the show's best songs) which gives us a little more insight into Burr's character and his more patient personality, which is very different from Hamilton's go-getter type. Later on, in Act II, during the song "The Room Where It Happens" (a song about the secret dinner between Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison in which they reached a mysterious compromise despite being enemies) Hamilton is explaining how he ended up getting exactly what he wanted and why he manipulated Jefferson and Madison into giving him that. Burr, who sings most of the song, expressing his desire to be in the room "where it happens" is watching Hamilton explain all this with desbelief. Hamilton just walked in and took what he wanted, which goes against Burr's personality type. During his part, Hamilton then turns to Burr and tells him, rather condescendingly, "When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game. But you don't get a win unless you play in the game, oh, you get love for it. You get hate for it. You get nothing if you wait for it, wait for it, wait." This line is a direct reference to both Burr's personality, reiterating that he isn't as bold as Hamilton and suggesting that perhaps that's why he isn't as successful, and the song he sang earlier in Act I.
Of course, there are thousands more of examples like this sprinkled throughout Hamilton and I really think it gives the story more depth and just really help support the story and get the main messages across. Overall, I think it's safe to say that I spent the first time watching Hamilton shouting out "Genius!" every time one of these repetitions occurred. After the first time, I realized how much I loved the music, the cast, the story, the messages, the show, and just everything in general! I quickly learned all the music (songs I can do by heart include: parts of Alexander Hamilton; Aaron Burr, Sir; most of My Shot; part of The Story of Tonight; most of The Schuyler Sisters; Farmer Refuted; You'll Be Back; most of Right Hand Man; A Winter's Ball; Helpless; Satisified (yes, I can do the whole rap); The Story of Tonight (Reprise); Wait for It; Stay Alive; parts of Ten Duel Commandments; Meet Me Inside; That Would Be Enough; Guns and Ships (yes, I can do the fast parts); History Has Its Eyes on You; Yorktown; What Comes Next; Dear Theodosia; and Non-Stop (and that's just Act I, guys. In fact, now that I think about it, you might as well just conider this list the complete soundtrack list for Act I. Don't worry, I won't make you read through Act II ((if you're interested, just look it up))).
In summary, Hamilton was a smash hit on Broadway and is now the same smash hit on our screens at home. We are all very lucky to have been blessed with this opportunity to see this masterpiece for ourselves (no, I'm not joking, yes, I'm aware I have a problem. I figured that out after the 18th time watching it). The entire cast is incredibly talented, the songs are all catchy and powerful, the story has a ton of depth, the messages are meaningful and the acting is unique and just generally top-notch. If you have not yet had the chance to experience the amazing sensation that is Hamilton, why are you even still reading this??? Go watch it!!!
~Hey guys! Thanks for reading this little review! I figured I'd make this post a bit more light-hearted after that heavy first post! I hope you are enjoying the site and that you watch Hamilton! Make sure to let me know if you have something you want me to write about or just subscribe if you enjoy the content! Thank you so much for supporting me!
Lorelei xx
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