After reading about the creation of this musical, watching the documentaries surrounding it, knowing the history it's built on, and rocking out to every song; the only thing missing was sitting in a velvet seat and actually watching it live. Its success had continue to grow, and the theater swelled with people pushing through the door to see this marvel in live action. I had pretty much given up hope on seeing this show, until I heard it was touring. It was coming to the Kennedy Center, and I wanted nothing more than to snag a ticket. Then reality kicked in and I became sure it would be too good to be true. However, as you can tell by the headline of this article, I made it there. My mom stayed up all night in a lottery and got us two tickets. We were going to see Hamilton.
Me at Hamilton
The night before I tossed and turned all night a child on Christmas Eve. I was thinking about what I would wear, what it would be like, if it would meet my expectations, and if it would all be ruined by someone seven feet tall sitting in front of me. When the sun finally rose I was ready for action. After I made myself show ready we were off. We had brunch on the rooftop of the Kennedy Center, which was an in kitchen buffet, and it was delicious. I mean come on, look at that plate. As we were sitting there my mom and I started discussing what we were looking forward to about the show, and that's when it really started to become real. We walked around and took a couple pictures, visited the gift shop, and then we were ready for what we came for. Waiting for the doors to open we anxiously awaited among the crowds.
My beautiful breakfast plate
When the doors opened after what felt like hours, but was really a matter of minutes, we made our way into the theater. I stood there in awe of the intricate set, which had an underlying simplicity to it. It all fit together in a seamless way. When I was brought back to reality it was time to make the most important decision of the day, which seat I would sit in. Now, because this show was so popular my mom had to get us two separate seats, approximately four rows apart and one being more towards the center. After a few trips between the two seats I picked my spot and made myself comfortable. I was shaking with anticipation, and as each seat started to fill, I had more difficulty keeping in my excitement. Finally, the lights went down and I entered a whole new realm. As the music started and the striking pools of light filled the stage, my head began to rock with the beat and didn't stop until intermission. It was so surreal to be hearing the songs I had listened to so often be performed live in the setting they were made to stun audiences in. I couldn't help but find my eyes watering from time to time at the brilliance of what I was watching. Being alone, surrounding by people I didn't know, I was able to fully dive into the story, connecting with each character, and listening to each melody and rhythm that filled the theater.
One thing I found to be so important about this show was its relevance, on several occasions the audience thundered after lines that were impactful to todays climate. It's one of the many elements crafted in the staging that brought goosebumps to my arms. Although being written about the early days of America, the revolution like the one present in Hamilton is so close to where we stand today. Its empowering to see that these people who rose in power to make changes so long ago can still be an influence to bring justice to what's happening today. As they say in the show we're gonna rise up, rise up, it's time to take a shot. With each word written in this master piece, it's a true anthem of revolution.
When the show was over there was only one thing on my mind, how and when I would see it again. I was in denial that it was over, and I found myself reliving every moment in my head as we drove out of the city. Being surrounded by the monuments of D.C. our day of Hamilton was brought to a close.
