Teen Review – Hamilton
Review by Vyshnavi, member of the Cedarbrae Youth Advisory Group
On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, I had the privilege to see hit Broadway Musical “Hamilton”. The musical, which originally started playing in New York in the Richard Rodgers Theater, is now playing in the Private Bank Theater in Chicago. Originally based on the biography “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow, the musical has played in New York since August 2015, and has gained nationwide success immediately. During the past few weeks, I had been overwhelmed with the amount of school work I had been getting. I thought grade 9 was hard, but turns out grade 10 is tenfold the difficulty. I have always been a fan of the musical, to a point where it was the only thing I listened to on repeat. I also got a few of my classmates in Spanish class to listen to it, and we are currently working on translating the whole musical to Spanish. I somehow convinced my mom to take me to Chicago to see the exceptional show during my school’s November break.
It was a lot of convincing, and pleading I would pay her back the ticket price, but I managed to get her to buy me a ticket. I had to give up ever asking for anymore pets, because I had been bothering my mom, who detests animals, to buy me a puppy. Along with that, I had to promise to stop teasing my younger brother. Now, tickets are usually $500 USD, but sometimes people resell them up to $3000 USD. Luckily, we managed to find a ticket for $299 USD on Ticketmaster. Although the price is still insanely high, it is considered “cheap” for a musical with such great reception.
Originally my family planned to go to Chicago by car, a 10 hour drive. Even longer with traffic. However, I somehow managed to convince my family to let me and my mom go by flight. And so the long searching on expedia began. You might be wondering, “You spent over a thousand dollars to go to Chicago to see a musical? That’s ridiculous!”. Well that’s not entirely true! We also got to explore downtown Chicago! Okay, I admit, the thought did seem quite scary and insane to me at first as well. But the musical was worth every penny.
When one asks, “What exactly is Hamilton about?”, they might be shocked to discover the musical is about the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton. However, the musical is more than just a biography. It is a true American Musical, and describes the hardships an immigrant faces to rise up in their nation. Alexander Hamilton, an orphan immigrant was an intelligent, bright, young man who wrote his way to the top. Author of 51 of the 89 federalist papers published, he was the first Secretary Treasury of State, Aide de Camp to General George Washington, and husband to Elizabeth Schuyler. The musical spectacularly tells his story through hip hop, RnB, and soul. It is a hip hop musical. This fact was quite minded boggling to me. Founding fathers? Rapping? I couldn’t have been more confused. But my doubts were diminished after I first heard the soundtrack
Words cannot describe the beauty that the soundtrack of this musical is. Each and every song was so meticulously written, with numerous underlying meanings and tells the story of Alexander Hamilton. It took the creator a total of 6 years to write it. With catchy, upbeat rap songs such as “My Shot” and “Washington on Your Side”, and slow paced, soulful songs like “Satisfied” and “Burn”, this musical truly is a big deal. There isn’t any criticism discoverable with the soundtrack. Each song overflows with passion, and uses modern day language so the audience can relate with the characters. Not only that, but the characters are played by people of color of different ages. If the commendable music wasn’t enough, the choreography is also notably excellent. Each song has highly energetic dance routines, with the main characters and the ensemble jumping and dancing all around the stage while singing amazingly.
The experience that is witnessing the musical in front of your eyes is truly magical. The Private Bank Theater, where the show is playing., is stunning. The set is beautiful. What makes Hamilton so unique is that there is never a closed curtain, the actors just move from song to song with eloquent flow. What’s funny is that the mother of the cast member who played King George III was sitting behind me, and she even offered to take pictures of me in front of the stage! Each and every actor of the show is immensely talented, with truly soulful voices. Their melodious voices and strong charisma keep the audience on the edge of their seats, anxious on what will happen next. I can guarantee, along with the millions of other people dying to see the show, that their skills will not disappoint you. These guys are dancing, acting, and rapping/singing at the same time. They are truly triple threats.
If you thought it couldn’t get any better, you are wrong. My mother and I had previously met a worker of the hotel right beside the theater, who had helped us out a lot. He gave us tips on when the cast members would be coming out to greet fans, and even helped my mom with parking. He also let us stay in the lobby for the time of being that we had to wait for the show to start. And so, right before the show my mother and I walked across the street to target to buy a canvas and a silver sharpie. And right after the show, the cast members indeed came out. I was stunned. The cast took pictures with me and signed my canvas. The pictures I’ve attached make me appear as if I were about to cry, and indeed I was.
If you are ever given the opportunity to see this musical in real life, you must take that opportunity immediately and thank the world. The musical has gained immense success in the year it has been running, and almost always sold out. Tickets can go up to $3000 and are booked almost 6 months in advance. Although this might seem extravagant, the show is truly worth the cost. It is one experience to fall in love with the soundtrack, but it is another experience to witness it firsthand. You’ll find yourself simply enchanted and engaged with the actors on stage, moved by the emotions they portray.
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