I am obsessed with Hamilton, and it is driving my family crazy.
I have wanted to see Hamilton for years. I saw a video of Lin-Manuel Miranda at the White House about ten years ago doing a rap about Alexander Hamilton and it was funny and brilliant. I tried to get tickets to no avail. So when Disney+ announced it would be available July 3, I was thrilled. I will say, being a theater geek, I was concerned I may not enjoy it as much. Sometimes stage productions don’t hold up well when they’re filmed and it comes off like a parent’s recording from a school play.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR HAMILTON. History, musical theater, hip hop – it is all of my favorite things rolled into one.
I was hooked from the beginning. When the nearly 3-hour production was over, I was so sad. (I make frequent jokes about how nothing on stage or screen should be more than 2 hours or I fall asleep. Mama is tired! And anything more than 2 hours is typically self-indulgent nonsense, in my humble opinion.) But this? It is triumphant, heartfelt, heartbreaking, fun, hilarious and brilliant. Not to mention, the hooks get stuck in your head for days. This work of genius took 7 years to write. SEVEN. YEARS.
I watched it the evening of July 4th after we put the kids to bed. Then a couple of days later, I watched it a second time over a period of 3 days because of being interrupted by the family (sheesh!), and I wanted to pay closer attention to a few things. There is so much happening with the set, and some of the raps are 5-6 words per second. It deserved another look.
The soundtrack has become the music of my life. My kids ask for a snack 20 minutes after they have lunch – I burst into “Wait for It.” They get mad because I say no and as they storm off, I sing “You’ll Be Back.” Working on a piece – I start singing ‘why do you write like you’re running out of time…” Hearing of someone’s passing, the lyrics “who lives, who dies, who tells your story” sink in. I fold the laundry and it’s “work work…” and “Satisfied” takes on new meaning when you’re dieting.
You know how our kids watched Moana 300 times? And you know how we know all of Miranda’s genius songs by heart? This is our chance to get them back.
