“Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn’t sound like a show a lot of people would want to see — a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton, the founding father on the the $10 bill. But just GO and you’ll be amazed. I’ve been to many shows over the years and it’s still the best, overall, I’ve ever seen.
A friend gave me a link to a YouTube video which reminded me of my joy and pleasure in the show. If you’ve been or are thinking of going or have never even heard of the show, check these out:
- A marvelous tracing of just a few of the verbal and musical motifs that appear several times, often morphing in the course of the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWK1B1EiQ7U&feature=share
- The creators (Miranda, the director, the choreographer, and the orchestrator) just before receiving their Kennedy Center Honors award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCEtUP5w5Y0
- Turns out the show made only a few changes in the facts about the women in the show — and several were pretty amazing in their own right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HT3FSQ8uJw
- A novelization of the courtship and marriage of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton: https://smile.amazon.com/Hamilton-Affair-Novel-Elizabeth-Cobbs-ebook/dp/B01H0825PW/ref=sr_1_2?
- It’s so exciting a show that it’s going to generate additional material for generations. In this case, Alexander Hamilton’s wife Eliza outlived him for 50 years and accomplished a great deal during that time. https://smile.amazon.com/My-Dear-Hamilton…/dp/B072F14H1Z/
- The Fraunces Tavern Museum at the southern tip of Manhattan presents regular lectures about Alexander Hamilton. One I attended was a surprisingly engaging talk by historian Michael E. Newton on the results of his research into Hamilton’s date of birth, place of birth, and more. He has numerous books on aspects and details of Hamilton’s history and also has a blog: http://discoveringhamilton.com/about-michael-e-newton/
- And here’s a link to the museum’s calendar in case you get to NYC: https://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/events-calendar
This doesn’t even begin to describe the depth of entertainment linked in some way to “Hamilton” itself which began at the Public Theatre, moved to Broadway, and now has productions in a number of locations. For example, “Spamilton” is a spoof off-off-Broadway production that makes fun of the show. It’s endless.
Abycats' Thoughts 