Like many people, I had been dying to see Hamilton from the moment I heard the opening notes to "Alexander Hamilton" on my iPhone speakers. I had followed the musical from its Broadway debut to where the show is currently at. The original cast is gone, but the magic of the show is still alive eight times a week at The Richard Rodgers Theatre.

I entered the digital lottery almost every day for the past year and never won one of the coveted $10 front row seats. I searched every online ticket seller possible to find remotely affordable tickets, but could never convince myself that buying a $1,000 ticket would be worth it on my very low college student income. So I continued to watch from online and viewed every gif and picture from the performances that I could as I played the cast recording on repeat hoping that one day I could see the show in person. There was even a night where a new block of tickets were released and I was able to reserve a ticket with a price I convinced myself was reasonable, but as fate would have it when I went to put in my debit card information to pay for the ticket, my debit card was $5.50 short. By the time I realized why my card was being declined, the ticket was lost. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.

Twitter was on Hamilton overload during Lin-Manuel Miranda's final performance, along with many of the other iconic original cast members. While browsing social media and crying over the fact that I couldn't be there for the Miranda's last night as Alexander Hamilton, I sat on Broadway.com and stared at a ticket for a show in February that was more than I would have liked to pay, but was still reasonable. I had worked all summer and convinced myself that it was okay to treat myself. With hesitation, I bought a ticket for February 2017 in the middle of the summer and hoped that the ticket would not conflict with my yet to be scheduled classes for a semester that was very far away.

Last week the show finally came around. I purposely planned my class schedule to include Wednesday nights off so that I could attend the show I so desperately wanted to see. I bought the ticket without the extra charge for a refund in case I couldn't make it, so I was very lucky that I didn't have to miss a class on the first week of the semester to go to the show.

When I got to the theatre I had a really good feeling. I sat down in my seat in the center rear mezzanine and waited for the show to begin. I don't want to give away spoilers to anyone that is not familiar with the show, so I will just say that it was everything I wanted it to be and more. I laughed, I cried and I laughed again. I was very impressed with Taran Killam's performance as King George. I knew he was funny based on his work from Saturday Night Live, but I kid you not, his comedic timing stole the show. Another surprising star was Jordan Fisher, who was great as John Laurens, but managed to be both hilarious and heartbreaking as Phillip Hamilton during the second act. I had incredibly high expectations for this show, so I'm happy to tell you that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I met most of the cast at the stage door after the show and they are just as kind as they are talented.

I definitely recommend that everyone see this show if they have the opportunity to. Even if you're not a musical or history fan, there is so much heart and passion put into this show that everyone can find a way to relate to it and love it. The amount of money I spent was completely worth it, so if you're fortunate enough to have enough money to treat yourself in New York City, seeing Hamilton is the way to do it.