Hamilton in Chicago: The Dangers of Idealization
I'm the type of person who can't remember the lyrics to a song I heard five minutes before. Unless it's "All Star" by Smashmouth, chances are I don't know the lyrics. But then, I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda's Saturday Night Live monologue last year, and I was hooked. The monologue was based on "My Shot" from Miranda's musical, Hamilton, which is based on the American Revolution and the politics of early America. So, of course, I listened to the real version of the song. And then the rest of the musical.
And it was the best thing I'd experienced in a long time. I learned every word. I could rap the lyrics without even having the music playing (much to my loved ones' annoyance). I followed Lin-Manuel Miranda to see what other brilliance came out of his mind. I promptly fell in love with the Moana soundtrack, penned by him, when it was released. On my many 12-hour drives of the summer, I listened to the Hamilton soundtrack countless times.
So, my fiancé being the amazing person that he is, for our anniversary, he bought us tickets to see Hamilton in Chicago.
To be honest, I was worried that the musical wouldn't live up to expectations. I've been listening to the soundtrack nearly non-stop since I found out about it, so I could perfectly picture every note and how it was "supposed" to be said by the original cast. However, even though this was a different cast and not the Broadway show in New York, it felt like I finally understood all of the show's inside jokes and could fully appreciate every aspect of Miranda's expertly crafted musical.
It's easy to constantly compare the Chicago cast to the original Broadway cast. I fell into this trap at the beginning of the night. When the lineup was introduced in the opening number, I immediately started categorizing them in my head: Wow, Laurens looks just like the original. But Washington is so tall compared to Chris Jackson. Aw, but I loved Daveed Diggs so much. I couldn't fully immerse myself in the show because I was pitting this cast against the original cast and analyzing all their differences.
But once I abandoned that line of thought, I found that I could appreciate the show for what it was: a different take on the musical, with its own little quirks and character changes. Just like each iteration of a Shakespeare play shifts setting or gender, or each remake of a movie changes certain aspects of it, this show needed its own take. In the Chicago show, James Madison was funnier than I'd ever noticed in the songs. Washington was intense and commanding. King George sang the songs in a drastically different tone of voice and inflection than the soundtrack, but it made them hilarious.
Ditching my idealized view of the musical as a perfect recreation of the soundtrack with the original cast, I was engrossed by how amazing Hamilton is. It is amazing to see the world of infant America through the lens of modern diversity. I can only imagine how important this musical will be for young Americans who, when they picture Alexander Hamilton or George Washington, see a person of color. How empowering will that be to see themselves represented in positions of power?
For anyone who hasn't seen Hamilton, go listen to the soundtrack. Don't be scared off by the premise of a musical about American history. I promise it will change your life.
P.S. Enjoy some photos of me and Ryan enjoying the rest of Chicago. We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, visited the "Bean," walked down Navy Pier, and basked in the glory of the Buckingham Fountain.
