BEFORE

So tomorrow’s the day. Tomorrow’s the day when I go see Hamilton the musical. I have heard about the musical repeatedly from friends and family, and in the media. Yet, it wasn’t until I knew I was going to see it that I really started to listen and pay attention to everything and anything Hamilton related. I have the soundtrack saved on Spotify and can successfully say I know the words to some of the songs (give me a break there’s 46 songs on the soundtrack…). I’ve watched a documentary on Alexander Hamilton’s life. I’ve even searched Youtube watching random videos about the musical such as when the cast performed at the White House and a video of Lin Manuel Miranda talking about writing part of the performance actually sitting in Aaron Burr’s bedroom (how cool is that?!).

Now I’m not going to lie, before I started looking into the musical, I knew almost nothing about the play nor Alexander Hamilton himself. I recognized the name Hamilton, and knew he was on one of the US dollar bills (it’s the ten dollar bill), but that was about it. Little did I know magnitude he played in shaping our country and government today.

After listening to the soundtrack on repeat, watching the documentary and searching Youtube, I think I have a pretty solid beginner’s understanding of the play, and of Hamilton’s life. Doing all this has made me ecstatic about the performance and getting to learn more about Hamilton himself. The lyrics themselves are beyond stellar, and I’m excited to experience the play first hand.

AFTER

Wow, what can I say? It exceeded all expectations. Is that even possible? Especially for all the hype that the play has gotten, I was in no way expecting it to be better than what I had heard. But, it truly was. It was both simplistic and complex, all within a two and a half hour performance. The musical was a captivating, edge of your seat performance: a history lesson you’d be happy to watch again, and again. Not only were the songs intriguing and the talent astounding, but the acting itself made the performance. Each and every performer truly embraced their character, and added their own style and flair to the role.

Listening to the soundtrack, watching a documentary on Hamilton’s life and random videos on Youtube prior to the performance was definitely worth the time. As amazing as the show was, it’s fast paced to say the least. There are very few conversations that occur, as must of show is in song, so it’s on you to pay attention to the lyrics and to follow the story. Take the song “Yorktown (the world turned upside down)”, for example. The song illustrates the violent attack that took place in Yorktown, changing the course of the war. Because of this, it is one of the busiest scenes of the play. Actors continuously move around the stage, and your eyes attempt to follow each and every character, as not to miss a single moment. Imagine watching soldiers fighting on stage, while listening to Hercules Mulligan rapping "A tailor spyin' on the British government! I take their measurements, information and then I smuggle it...we in the shit now, somebody gotta shovel it! Hercules Mulligan, I need no introduction. When you knock me down I get the fuck back up again!"within a mere matter of seconds. It’s a lot to take in all at once. It’s amazing, but a lot.

As a whole, the story itself is tragic, and while Hamilton, himself, may not have been all around perfect, you find yourself rooting for him. Even though the performance is set in the seventeen hundreds, there are many similarities to today’s society, and many valuable lessons that arise from the performance. From Eliza, Hamilton’s wife, we learn to be in the moment and “look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.” From John Laurens, an army buddy of Hamilton’s, we learn to always fight for a cause as even after the US won the war he claims “we'll never be free until we end slavery!"And from Hamilton himself, we learn just how influential immigrants can be to society, and to never give up on what you believe in, to “not [throw] away [your] shot.”

So, if you’re planning on going to see the show: listen to a few songs, Google Alexander Hamilton, and get ready for one of the best performances of your life.

And, if you’re not currently planning on attending, GO! Or at least try to, it is definitely worth both the time and expense.