It's no secret that I am a fan of musicals, both live in the theater or through the big screen. My first experience at the theater was seeing Wicked with my mom after she won tickets from a local radio station. Since then, my obsession only grew. I've seen national tours of West Side Story, Elf, and Rock of Ages, my old high school's productions of The Little Mermaid, Jr., Rock of Ages, and Beauty and the Beast when my younger brothers were in the drama club, and I even saw Beetlejuice on Broadway when it was at the Winter Garden Theater.
Unless you have been living under a rock since 2015, you have heard of Hamilton. Written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, this "sung-and-rapped-through" musical became a huge hit. I will admit, I didn't initially jump on the Hamilton bandwagon until the proshot with the original cast was put on Disney+. After that, saying I became obsessed would be an understatement. I watched the show multiple times, memorized about 95% of the songs, and, believe it or not, I tried to learn some of the dances. I wanted more than anything to see it on Broadway, but I knew I could never afford those tickets due to the show's insane popularity.
Only one person in my family is as obsessed with the show as I am; my aunt. We couldn't see the show when it toured near her, and we were both bummed. However, one night when I was watching TV, I saw it would be at a theater near me from December through the second week of January. So, I hatched a plan with my parents and brothers that we would pitch in for her ticket and a hotel room for the night, and I would go to the show with her. They all agreed, especially since none of them was interested in seeing the show. When she found out we were going, she was ecstatic.
When the day of the show arrived, my aunt showed up at my house, and we drove to where the show was. We checked into our hotel room, Uber-ed to dinner, and then walked to the theater. We made our way into the jam-packed lobby, scanned the tickets on my phone, and found our way to our seats.
Our view was great. We were seated right above the theater entrance with only one row in front of us, so our view was unobstructed. Also, our seats were only slightly to the right of center stage, and we could see everything.
Also, the theater was huge! It was bigger than the theater near my hometown and the Winter Garden Theater in New York. Plus, it was gorgeous. The only picture I remembered to take was the beautiful chandelier and magnificent detailed ceiling at the center of the theater.
Onto the show! We saw the actors that were part of the Philip cast. They were phenomenal. They all put their personal touches on the characters without taking anything away from how they were initially written. Now, it's opinion time. The two best singers from the entire cast were Ta'Rea Campbell (Angelica Schuyler) and Nikisha Williams (Eliza Hamilton). Their voices were so angelic yet powerful at the same time. Rory O'Malley (King George) played the part almost identically to Jonathan Groff's rendition. My aunt and the gentleman behind us said they couldn't tell the difference. Warren Egypt Franklin (Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson) was my favorite actor. Not only did he play the parts perfectly, but he also added a flair that made them memorable. Lastly, I liked how Marcus Choi (George Washington) made the character a little more laid-back than Christopher Jackson's version. It made some scenes less intense and made the character come off as more calm, cool, and collected.
The set was great, and all transitions were handled with ease. I still love the slow-motion movement of the furniture during some of the songs. Of course, the rotating floor was center stage, and it was interesting to see the actors moving on it in real-time. There were no technical difficulties, and the microphones were crystal clear. Finally, the band was flawless and showed they were masters of their respective instruments.
The whole experience was surreal. Nothing will beat seeing a production in person compared to seeing it on tv. I felt like I was in a trance the entire time. I still can't believe I saw the show, but seeing it with my aunt made it much more special. If you haven't seen Hamilton yet, I strongly recommend you do. You will not regret it!
Be sure to check out the Hamilton Official Site for Broadway, North American Tour, and International Tour show dates and tickets!
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