⭐Hamilton⭐

Saturday night I went to see Hamilton. If you’ve been living under a rock and you haven’t heard of it, it’s a musical on Broadway. According to Wikipedia, “in 2016, Hamilton received a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical, and was also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.” So yeah, it’s sort of a big deal. And since it’s such a big deal it’s semi-impossible to get tickets. For example, on Ticketmaster right now, the cheapest seat is $448. Per person.

To be honest, there are some serious Hamilton-heads out there who know every single lyric and even go to themed-spin classes with the songs. I am not one of them. Or I wasn’t. In fact, I didn’t even know any of the music before this weekend. Except the one song performed on the Tony’s. I always knew I wouldn’t have the money to go to see it on Broadway so I figured, why bother trying to know the songs?

My best friend was in town over the weekend from Seattle because her boyfriend bought tickets to Hamilton on presale OVER A YEAR AGO. He flew from Seattle to see it! He had 4 tickets, and at the last minute, one of the people going to the show canceled. I told him I would advertise the ticket on my Facebook so he wouldn’t lose the money. My brother, the protagonist of this whole story, LOVES Hamilton. He has seen it on tour, but never in NYC. He saw my Facebook status and texted me asking why I wasn’t going. He said “do you know the music? Is money the only thing holding you back?” He knows my student loan situation. I was about to text him back when I heard phone “CHA-CHING!” and I saw that he Venmo-ed me the money for the ticket!! I texted him back my extreme gratitude and deleted my Facebook post advertising it to anyone else – I WAS GOING!

I called my brother, so he could tell me his favorite songs, and I got to listening! I had 24 hours to learn a VERY LONG soundtrack. Literally, there are 46 songs. I listened to the songs all day Saturday and by the evening, I had a better idea of what would go on. The play was LONG. But it didn’t seem like it! The lyrics are fast, since most of the songs are rapped, and my brother had warned me I would probably not understand all of the lyrics. However, maybe it’s the decades of listening to rap, but I understood a lot of it! The music is super catchy and I’ve been listening to it ever since.

The coolest part of the story, if this isn’t cool enough already, is that my best friend’s boyfriend and his brother, went to school with the musical director, Kurt Crowley. They’re from Helena, Montana, and not too many people are from there, so they kept in touch. Kurt stayed after the show and let us onto the stage to talk with us about the show, and to take photos. There were actors from the show all around us on stage signing Playbills, but since I didn’t know the cast well, I didn’t ask for any signatures. We did get some awesome pics, though! And it’s an amazing experience to be on a Broadway stage, looking out at the theater; it’s not as big as you’d think! We took some more photos, and then left. We hadn’t realized that more than 3 hours had passed! A testament to a great show is that there can be nearly three hours of FAST speaking, and it seems quick.

I feel the need to end this post with some serious cliché’s – it was such an incredible experience to be IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED IN THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD! I recommend it to anyone who has the money, or a SUPER SWEET BROTHER with the funds. THANK YOU AGAIN, BABY BRO!