Hamilton: the musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton`s life. Through, mostly rapped, songs the listeners learn of Hamilton’s extraordinary life, including both his triumphs and misfortunes.
To be honest I was extremely disappointed in its creating of setting on the stage. Many musicals have exceled at having the audience feel as if they are transported to another time or place. Though out the musical numbers the set was the same just a staircase and every now and then they would bring out a prop. It made the musical become a bit boring to watch. Also I think If I hadn’t listened to the soundtrack first, and understood the lyrics, I would have had a hard time understanding where or when they were in time.
I have seen many musicals within my 23 years and in other musical I have seen outstanding examples of creating the environment of the scene on stage with very little props. For example, in Anastasia, one of the main sets was built to look like a ballroom the floor was made to look tiled and large windows that surrounded the back of the stage as well as the sides. They use this same set a few times throughout the musical but change it slightly using lighting, adding different backgrounds (behind the windows), and by adding props. This something very simple, that could have been easily used in Hamilton. Overall, I felt for the money they are charging they would have put more effort in their stage presence.
Okay now that I said that, let me get into what I loved about Hamilton. The music is literally one of my favorite musical soundtracks to this day. Lin Manuel Miranda, the composer and creator of this musical, amazingly combines techniques of hip hop artist and famous musical theater composers. The songs are able to make you feel every emotion and its astonishing. Songs like “Cabinet battle #1” and “Cabinet Battle #2” compare rap battles to the way the founding fathers argued with one another over policies. Which I found both brilliant and hilarious! Another smart move by the composer was making his songs not only fit within the musical, but also be relatable to America in its current state. The song, “The Story of Tonight” makes my heart skips a beat every time I hear it! This song reminds me that people will always fight for our rights and that our freedom will not be compromised. Here is my favorite lyric from the song, “raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away…no matter what they tell you. Raise a glass to the four of us, tomorrow there will be more us, telling the story of tonight.”. On the other end, they had songs that made you cry. “Its Quiet Uptown” briefly but efficiently describes the Hamilton family`s struggle to deal with, Phillip Hamilton`s death.
I also felt the oddity of having black and Latino performers rap as the founding fathers added to the appeal of the show. It made it unique and I honestly don’t think it would have gotten the same attention if it was white man playing these roles.
The below video takes place back when Hamilton was just an idea in Lin Manuel`s head. This was the first version of the opening number of the musical.
Musical Me 