Some of you may have heard of Hamilton, whether it be from CBS's 60 minutes to having friends who became obsessed with it. First, I'll give you some background on the idea behind "Hamilton the Musical." Lin-Manuel Miranda picked up Ron Chernow's biography on Alexander Hamilton while on vacation and became inspired. He and wrote a song about Hamilton for the White House's Evening of Poetry, Music, and Spoken Word and performed May 12, 2009. Now the musical is on Broadway and has won 11 Tony Awards, almost making a new record for most Tony's won by one musical.
1. You're lost.
Why won't these people shut up about this musical? What could possibly be so interesting about a musical that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton? Well, this musical is almost entirely rapped. The cast album is about two and a half hours long, but clocks in with 20,520 words, and if it was slowed down to a "regular" tempo, it would be about 10 hours long. What?
2. You give in.
You're gonna eventually give in, let's be honest. When you do, there is going to be a slight possibility that you hate yourself for listening to it. First, you're going to love jamming out though, and you might secretly learn something. In time, you'll finish the cast album and more than likely be left in a puddle of your tears because of "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story." Then, you're gonna listen again, and again. And again.
3. Tell everyone.
I wish I was kidding. The first time I listened to "Hamilton," I was in my first hour online class, and by my last hour, I had rapped "Satisfied" to one of my best friends so much that he knew all the words. Oops. When I say everyone, I'm not kidding. My five year old sister runs into whatever room I'm in every time I play "Guns and Ships" because she loves the beginning. She also knows all the words to "Schuyler Sisters." I'm quite proud. Eventually, you'll realize you became the friend you were annoyed by who told everyone about "Hamilton," and you have absolutely no shame.
4. Eliza (Spoilers!).
When it's discovered that Hamilton had been having an affair, Elizabeth "Eliza" (in the musical) decides to burn all the letters he had ever written her because she didn't want people to know how she reacted. After the Hamilton v. Burr duel, Hamilton is killed and she spends the next 50 years of her life getting him the recognition he deserves. Eliza interviews every soldier who fought with Hamilton, she raises money to have a Washington Monument built, speaks out against slavery, and starts the first private orphanage. Basically Elizabeth Hamilton is a person everyone can feel inspired by.
5. You learn.
At some point you're gonna start accidentally learning a lot about America's early days and the people who made it possible. "When was the battle of Yorktown?" It was in 1781. Once you finish musical a couple times, you decide to look up some facts and you can barely believe some of them, but then you remember how problematic Alexander Hamilton was and go on your way. I couldn't remember that to save my life before this musical. Not only are you gonna learn about history, but you're going to learn the words. It's not too tough to remember the lyrics until you reach "Guns and Ships," you're going to lose you're mind. How can anyone possibly talk that fast? Daveed Diggs actually raps 19 words in the course of three seconds, which he refers to his "medium-fast" rapping. I can't even say three words in 19 seconds—half the time.
