In the Room Where it Happens

It's only been two years since Hamilton first premiered on Broadway, and I finally got to see it! (In Chicago.)

The show was a surprise for my sons, who are as obsessed as I am (if not more). I had to hold on to this surprise for five months, which was super hard sometimes. Especially when my older son kept asking if we could see Hamilton when it comes to our neck of the woods in 2018. We had the surprise orchestrated so that we'd tell the boys we were going to explore some museums in the city during our trip to see my family. Their sister would be doing something more for her age and interest level with my parents and sister (which was actually seeing Aladdin, but we didn't tell her this either, as it was also a surprise). The surprise almost blew up in our faces when we entered the parking garage and it said "Official parking for Hamilton." Damn you, parking garage!!! (Not to mention that we reserved space through Spot Hero and it was very hard to find anywhere to park in that garage.) Anyway, we played it off that anyone could park there and that we would just walk by the theater to take pictures. When we got over there, our sons first resisted taking pictures because we did that in New York. We told them to do it anyway. Here's the result (along with some fun video imagery from my husband):



(If you had trouble watching the video for any reason, we stood in front of the marquee to take pictures and my husband prompted the kids by asking "What time is it?" They naturally said "showtime" and I took out the tickets at that point. Then my older son cried. It was a beautiful moment. Of course, my younger son felt the need to be all obnoxious. Go figure!)

After the big reveal, we grabbed a quick snack and had a 20 minute meetup with my best friend. Then we went back to the theater and had to wait in a super huge line to get in, even though we already had tickets. I don't remember it being this chaotic to get inside a theater. We finally got in and I was able to use the bathroom with five minutes to spare afterward. Enough time to get some photos before the lights went down.

Then Daniel Breaker opened the show as Aaron Burr. My older son recognized him as Donkey from Shrek on Broadway (which we watched on Netflix earlier this year). He was a show-stealer, in a good way. I really liked how he played the part and gave a new dimension to Burr, just by the way he emphasized certain words or from the various facial expressions he used to convey his feelings. I really got more of a sense of Burr's animosity towards Hamilton. He was one of my favorite performers. He'll be playing Burr on Broadway soon and that move is much deserved.

It was amazing to see the way the songs played out on stage. Having most of the words memorized, it was nice to be able to focus on other aspects instead of having to listen to understand what was going on. This is a good thing because there was soooo much to see on stage and new ways to think about the songs. I think if I didn't have the soundtrack memorized, I would have been confused or overwhelmed. My husband seemed to do fine though, and has been humming some of the songs around the house. (Don't tell him I told you this. ;) ) I think this was also helpful for the boys. I remember seeing Les Miz when I was in my early teens and most of it going over my head since I hadn't really heard most of the songs at that time. This way, they could also focus on the staging, emotions, etc.

I also liked the fact that I didn't really know the actors all that well, so I could focus on the characters instead of how famous they were. This also came in handy when I saw mostly unknown actors and understudies in Wicked (Joey McIntyre being the only exception to that rule). There were some performances, aside from Daniel Breaker's, that really stood out for me. More on that soon.

Miguel Cervantes played the title role. He was the one originally cast as Hamilton in Chicago, so that was good that we got to see him. He fit the role really well. While I usually have Lin-Manuel's voice in my head, Miguel added a different layer to the part. Perhaps because he is shorter than Lin, this added a nuance that wasn't there before. Like Hamilton had to fight harder to prove himself. I can't really place what it was, but he gave something extra to the role that differed from how I could imagine Lin playing it. He did a great job and I could see all the passion he put into it.

Karen Olivo left the show a few days before we got to see it. I was disappointed to hear that she was leaving so soon, but at least I was prepared not to see her. And that goes back to what I was saying before. If Karen had performed, I would have been focusing on her instead of Angelica. Aubin Wise took over the role of Angelica until the new actress (Montego Glover) starts next month. She played the part well and reminded me of Audra McDonald. I didn't realize how young she is, as she carried herself as the oldest and wittiest.

Ari Afsar was adorable as Eliza. She really made the part her own and put a lot of emotion into it. I got teary eyed at the parts I was expecting to cry from, but more because of how she added an extra punch to those parts. We got to meet and take pics with her after the show. She was the only main character who came out to greet fans. I just found out that she auditioned for my favorite season of American Idol and I even remember her because of the Adopt a Gran-Friend program she started. That stood out eight years ago!

Ari Afsar

Samantha Marie Ware took on the dual role of Peggy and Maria Reynolds. She did great as both characters. As Peggy, she added a bit of comedy through the way she came off as the bratty little sister. As Maria, she was sultry and more assertive than I was expecting. Samantha had a small role on one of the later seasons of Glee, so I remembered her from that.

Jonathan Kirkland, who played Washington, made me think of Collins from Rent. I was surprised to not see that role on his Playbill "résumé." He had a commanding presence, which is perfect for that role.

The other actors who stood out to me the most as top favorites from the show were Alexander Gemignani (King George) and Chris De'Sean Lee (Lafayette/Jefferson). Alexander was hilarious as King George. He didn't even have to do much other than some facial expressions and little gestures to have me roaring with laughter. He reminded me of Rowan Atkinson in some ways. Chris had a terrific energy as both Lafayette and Jefferson, and he also made me laugh a lot. I loved his performance of "What'd I Miss?". He was just a lot of fun to watch throughout the show.

The only thing I would criticize at all is the blocking, as the actors turned their heads toward the back of the stage during some parts and I couldn't see their facial expressions at those times. I thought "cheating out" was always the rule of theater. Not sure if the moving stage had to do with this, but it would have been nice to see their faces instead of the backs of their heads. Really just a minor issue, but something I noticed regardless.

Everyone in the show was great overall and they gave a memorable performance for my family and I to cherish. Would I see it again? Sure, but probably not right away. Maybe if I win a lottery sometime from the new app. I do want to take my daughter to see it when she's older. She loves the music, but the show would have been too much for her to handle right now. In the meantime, I'm glad to have seen it and that I can tell everyone how amazing it is. If you get the chance to see it, do not throw away your shot!

Family selfie

The amazing set

My HamilPop, courtesy of Broadway Goes Pop!