At some point in 2016, I can't pinpoint the exact date, Marilyn and I fell under the spell of the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton", almost to the point of obsession. Talking with some people who had the good fortune to see it on Broadway, seeing the show, and seeing it sooner rather than later, became an unspoken goal of ours, and when friends described seeing the production in Chicago this Spring, we went proactive and ordered tickets. This past Wednesday, October 11, the date finally arrived. We were at the CIBC Theater in Chicago, with tickets in hand to see "Hamilton".
When you anticipate something for so long and with the highest of expectations, there is always the risk that when the moment finally arrives, it will never live up to those expectations, and you will experience a letdown. So, what happened?
No letdown, and those high expectations were actually exceeded. Far exceeded.
Having listened to the cast recording of the show, with Miranda and all the original cast members doing the singing, I wasn't sure if I would be able to accept the voices of anyone but Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Chris Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Philippa Soo, or any of the others of the original cast in those parts. That notion ended shortly after the Chicago cast members first appeared and began singing.
We have listened to the music of "Hamilton" countless times over the last year and a half, but what struck us on Wednesday night was just how much more there is to "Hamilton" when seeing it in person. The music from the orchestra, the acting of the cast, the choreography, the costumes, the interplay between actors, not only with each other, but with the audience, well, if you think that listening to "Hamilton" is an extraordinary experience, actually seeing it performed takes that experience to an entirely different level of "extraordinary".
There are some people, I suppose, who may close themselves off from this show and it's music because it's rap music , because it's hip-hop music. I would plead with you, DO NOT DO THAT! Listen to this music, listen to the patterns and the rapidity of the intricate rhyming schemes that Miranda wrote and that the actors perform. Hey, this show has made 66-year old me very much appreciative of the art form that is rap and hip-hop. It is simply amazing.
And it's not just rap and hip-hop. "Hamilton" gives you traditional Broadway-style showstoppers with "My Shot", "The Room Where It Happens", and "What'd I Miss?". You like Beatles-style music? Listen to "You'll Be Back". Girl Group songs? Listen the "The Schuyler Sisters" and "Helpless". Love songs? Try "Dear Theodosia". Heartfelt ballads? "Burn" and "It's Quiet Uptown" will bring tears to your eyes.
And I am only scratching the surface with the songs named above.
At this point, I need to list the names of the talented principal cast members that we saw in Chicago, each of whom was terrific:
Miguel Cervantes....Alexander Hamilton
Gregory Treco.....Aaron Burr
Ari Afsar....Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
Jonathan Kirkland....George Washington
Chris De'Sean Lee....Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson
Wallace Smith....Hercules Mulligan/James Madison
Jose Ramos....John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton
Montego Glover....Angelica Schuyler
Aubin Wise.....Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds
Alexander Gemignani....King George III
All backed by an incredible cast of supporting actors and chorus members.
Someone asked me, who was my favorite character in "Hamilton"? Impossible to pick, but I do want to specifically cite young Chris De'Sean Lee in the dual role of Lafayette/Jefferson, and when I say "young", I mean it.
Lee was a junior in college when he auditioned for and won this role for the Chicago production. He is now all of 22 years old. I am sure that he is on the way to becoming a huge star in the years ahead. His performance in "Guns and Ships", "What'd I Miss?", and "Cabinet Battle #1" were just fabulous.
As for Miguel Cervantes in the title role, how hard must it be for an actor to play a part that has already become so closely associated with one actor? The temptation is to say, well, he's okay, but he's no Miranda, and that is just so unfair.
However, as soon as Alexander asked "Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr, sir?", you knew that Cervantes was going to be a very good Alexander Hamilton, and he was.
In talking to friend yesterday, he asked if this was the kind of show that you'd want to see more than once, to which I answered, "If I could go see it again tonight, I would", and I do hope to see "Hamilton" again in the future. The show will begin touring next year. It is scheduled to be in Cleveland in 2018, and in Pittsburgh in 2019. I am hopeful to be able to see it in one or both of those cities then. Also, sometime after 2020, "Hamilton" will be licensed to local theatrical companies and schools for production. It is not beyond possibility that within the next five years, we will all be able to see "Hamilton" as a high school musical. In fact, Lin-Manuel Miranda wants to see "Hamilton" mounted by high schools and colleges, and he hopes that the diversity of the casting of the roles that has made this show unique and special, will be maintained as it is performed into the future.
"Hamilton" was not the first Tony Award winning hit show from Lin-Manuel Miranda (that one was "In The Heights"), and he has been called everything from a genius to a current day Shakespeare. I admit that I am totally in the tank for him, and I can't wait to see what he does next. With "Hamilton", Miranda has given us a cultural gift that will surely outlive us all. I hope that everyone reading this will some how, some way, some day get a chance to see this extraordinary show. It is a true work of art.
Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.
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And to close, I found this forty-eight second promotional clip from the cast of the Chicago production. It may give you an idea of the energy of this show:
Click, boom!
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