I believe I mentioned in my last article how the Broadway show Hamilton's cast album deeply and viscerally inspired me. At that point, I would have been content just to have that album and not actually see the show; my sister got the cast albums to dozens of shows she hasn't gone to see. And besides, it was the hit show of the season; we wouldn't be able to get tickets until next Christmas.
It was the last item underneath the Christmas tree. A small box, tied up with ribbon. Mom told Sheridan to take a look at the tag. Our family has a tradition of doing punny hints on present labels, but Sheridan seemed particuarly stirred up by the tag. Then, she showed it to me.
The Schreyer Sisters are not throwing away their shot.
I hadn't yet memorized the cast album, but I knew enough of the catches to recognize the quote(s). Inside the box were four tickets to Hamilton, over my spring break. My mother had fallen in love with the show as well, and was looking at tickets that fall. It was one of the few dates available.
I think I did a bigger happy dance in that moment than I ever remember having over a Christmas present.
After two months of anticipation, the day finally came. After a few appointments that morning, the entire family packs up and drives over to Secaucus. We were going to spend the entire day on the town; it's not every day we go to New York City.
That morning, we took a train into town proper, and our day began. We ate breakfast at the Rockefeller Cafe, overlooking the famous ice rink. I had the most cake-like pancake I ever ate; it was incredibly delicious. I could barely finish it all. Then we went shopping throughout the city; stopping at the NBC store, Nintendo World, Midtown Comics, and the Drama Book Store.
Then the time for the show came. After grabbing a quick slice of pizza, we wait outside the doors to the theatre until they swing open. We purchase souvenirs and take our seats. The lights dim, and the show begins.
The staging and lighting added a new dimension to the show; the visuals themselves only enhance the songs, emphasizing various pieces of the lyrics and showing them in a new light. For instance, whenever Hamilton's dead mother is mentioned in the lyrics, a specific chorus member is body lifted in the same pose, every time.
Some of the songs were staged as I had imagined: Angelica Schuyler's big number left me satisfied. Others left me mildly disappointed: I expected King George (played by our hometown star Jonathan Groff) to dance more, but his performance was still hilarious. And in other places, I was blown away by the staging. Near the end of the show there is a beautiful dance sequence that seems to be literally poetry in motion.
This show made me laugh, it certainly made me cry, and was everything I expected it to be. We waited for I think an hour and a half to get signatures; we ended up getting sigs from George Washington and Eliza before having to go home. I left the city with the songs of the show running through my brain. Since then, the show has only gotten even more popular; you literally cannot get any tickets to the show for the entire period the booking site has available. Yet, the album is available both online and in hard copy. It may not be the full experience, but the story is conveyed through the lyrics whether live or virtually. And that is enough.
