HAMILTON: An American Musical

People who know me will know that I am obsessed with this musical. There are many reasons why but before I go in to that I want to tell you this: if you are one of these people who insists that they don’t listen to the soundtrack of a show before they see it, this time, you should make an exception!

 

 

I’ll tell you why. This is a hip hop opera… a hip hopera if you must. But if you’re not a fan of hip hop or opera or musical theatre, there are enough different styles of music to suit everyone’s tastes. Of all the 46 songs on the soundtrack there are some influenced by 90’s hip hop, some influenced by Sondheim, and some by Lloyd-Webber.

The creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda is unashamedly influenced by many different styles of music and culture. Miranda is a Puerto Rican/American who grew up in the melting pot that is New York City. Only a few years younger than myself, I share a lot of cultural influences so it explains very much my obsession. I too grew up in NY and I’ve also worked out that I may know someone who actually went to school with him… but you know, it’s a small world.

Miranda is an exceptional lyricist. It’s rare for the writer to sing and perform in his own show but while he was in college, he realised he wasn’t going to star in a lot of musicals unless he wrote them himself. He wrote his first show In The Heights and then eventually Hamilton. The show is unusual because it is entirely cast with a diverse range of ethnicity. Theatre always requires you to suspend your beliefs in some way, so why should the race of the actor have anything to do with the story they tell on stage?

You may have already heard of Miranda’s work in the Disney film, Moana. If you haven’t heard The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) singing the wonderfully catchy song, “You’re Welcome” you’re really missing a treat.

The lyrics of this song, and so many of his others are fast paced, rhythmically entrancing, and take a few listens before you really understand every layer of what he’s saying. I have said time and time again to many people, Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Shakespeare of our time!

Take a look at the lyrics from “My Shot” which I feel describes not only Hamilton himself, but displays the literary genius that is Miranda and his eagerness to be heard.

I am not throwing away my shot!
I am not throwing away my shot!
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot!
I’mma get a scholarship to King’s College
I prob’ly shouldn’t brag, but dang, I amaze and astonish
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish
I gotta holler just to be heard
With every word, I drop knowledge!
I’m a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal
Tryin’ to reach my goal. My power of speech: unimpeachable
Only nineteen but my mind is older
These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder
Ev’ry burden, ev’ry disadvantage
I have learned to manage, I don’t have a gun to brandish
I walk these streets famished
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame

What is truly glorious about the story of Hamilton is that it is set in a time of idealised democracy at the birth of the United States of America. It’s a story of revolution after a time of oppression from the sovereignty of Great Britain. It’s certainly interesting how though this is set during the revolution, the independence from Great Britain, the British  are not offended at all by the portrayal of King George. If anything, Hamilton’s radical socialism is something many people connect with. He’s a man of the people and he never forgets his roots as an immigrant who comes from nothing. He uses his bright mind not to further himself but to free the Americans from the burden of taxes to King George. His passion for the people leads him to choosing to help George Washington, the first president, to form the US State Treasury.

Amongst all the politics and war, he also falls in love, not once, but twice, somewhat. The Schuyler Sisters are force all unto themselves. Eliza, Angelica and Peggy, a trio of Scottish sisters who are born into wealth and status. Angelica spots Hamilton and sees his potential but she chooses to pass on him in search of someone with an equal status and wealth. She introduces Hamilton to her sister, Eliza. What follows is a romance, heartache and passion. When Eliza sings the song “Burn” it is everything! It’s a beautiful song with lyrics that swirl around in your head for hours.

You and your words flooded my senses
Your sentences left me defenseless,
You built me palaces of paragraphs,
You built cathedrals.

The lyrics are wonderful, the ballad is epic, the voices are earnest. The whole album is a treasure. The whole story is told in song and rhyme so if you never even got to see the show, you could still enjoy it so much. The more you listen to it, the more layers you peel away and the more nuances you hear and fall in love with.

So these are my step-by-step tips for enjoying the show if you haven’t seen it yet:

1. Listen to the album. If you are an Amazon Prime member it is included in the available Prime music.
2. Listen to the album again, beginning to end, over and over again. Listen to it while you’re driving, while you’re on the train, while you’re walking, while you’re working out.
3. Watch videos on YouTube of the original cast. In particular look for the video of the cast singing “Yorktown” at the Tony awards in 2016. It’s hard to find a good version but they are there.
4. Watch lots of other videos, you’ll get a good idea of the show over all, and don’t worry, it won’t spoil the whole show for you.
5. Listen to the album again.
6. Get yourself some tickets! If money is no object head over to Ticketmaster and book your tickets!
7. If money is tight, then download the app! Enter the lottery. Enter every day! You can win. I won twice and was lucky enough to see the London cast perform a week after opening the show from third row centre. It was glorious! The second time I won, I had front row seats and my daughter caught a rose petal from Alexander and Elixa’s wedding scene!
8. Listen to the album again and savour every memory of the show.
9. Watch everything Lin-Manuel Miranda has ever done, In The Heights (there are some amdram productions around but I have yet to see it). Watch Moana, listen to all those wonderful songs he wrote.
10. Listen to the Hamilton Mixtape. I think my favourite is “Satisfied” with Sia featuring Miguel and Queen Latifah. I don’t love the whole album but it is worth listening to.
11. Follow Lin-Manuel Miranda on social media. Look out for the monthly #Hamildrop which is always interesting and sometimes there are some fabulous collaborations of artists singing songs from the show.
12. Finally, just listen to the album again. It’s a long album so there is a lot to look at, to consider, to peel away the layers on. It’s truly a work of art.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Hamilton. The show is incredible but the album is equally amazing. Don’t not listen to it because you haven’t seen it yet. I’ve heard so many people say that and it’s such a shame. There is no reason why you can’t just enjoy the show now. There is only about 15 seconds of the show missing from the album and if you really want me to tell you what it is, just ask, but if you are lucky enough to find out, go see it. The choreography and staging is impeccable. It’s probably one of the most flawless theatre productions I have ever seen.

The London cast are wonderful and if you are lucky enough to meet them at the stage door, make sure you have a pen and program ready as well as your phone! They are so friendly! The Victoria Palace Theatre is also stunning and luxurious, by far the most glamorous theatre in the West End.