I Got To See Hamilton!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I’m a bit of a Hamilton fan. I’ve obsessed over Hamilton an American Musical for months.

I tried getting tickets while it was still playing at The Public but it was sold out. When it moved to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, I was able to get one ticket. It was in my cart and during that 8-minute countdown you have to purchase – I talked myself out of it. WORST MISTAKE EVER.

For the longest time, I avoided listening to the music. I was saving myself for the Broadway experience. When I finally listened to it – that was it. I was hooked!

If I couldn’t see the Broadway musical, I was determined to find other ways to experience Hamilton.

Related: How To Experience Hamilton

On November 1st I got to see Hamilton!

Nope, I didn’t win the lottery. And this is not a sponsored post. I paid for my tickets. I got my tickets through a friend and I will be forever grateful (insert all the heart emojis here).

When I posted my picture on social media, so many people expressed how happy they were that I got to see it. I guess my “secret” obsession is not so secret. People also asked what I thought about Hamilton. I figured, why not write about it…

Hamilton – without the (full) original cast

Yes – it would’ve been amazing to see it with Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Leslie Odem Jr. (Burr), Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson), Phillipa Soo (Eliza) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica). But I did get to see it with some members of the original cast like Christopher Jackson (YAY!), Okieriete Onaodowan (I love me some Hercules Mulligan), Anthony Ramos and Jasmine Cephas Jones.

Related: Monday Motivation: Lin-Manuel Miranda [Snapchat Story & Tweets]

Javier Muñoz was fantastic and totally deserving of being dubbed “Sexy Hamilton.” (I may or may not have yelled out “Sexy Hamilton”.) I’m happy that I got to see him perform. I also loved Brandon Victor Dixon as Aaron Burr. After listening to the Hamilton original cast recording, it was interesting to hear it with other voices. And I loved it just as much.

People Watching at Hamilton

Sold out for months in advance, tickets nearly impossible to get and insanely overpriced – Hamilton is the hottest show on Broadway.

Looking around the theater, I wasn’t surprised to see that I was one of the few people of color in the entire audience.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about the lack of audience diversity. This (hip hop inspired) musical written by a Latino, featuring a mostly “ethnic” cast and the audience was predominately all white.

It was interesting to watch/listen to their reactions – or lack thereof – to certain lines. I’m almost positive most didn’t get the hip hop references.

There’s a line where Hamilton and Lafayette say “Immigrants – We get the job done.” They pause after they say it, allowing the audience to react. This line is one my absolute favorites. But only a handful of people in the audience – myself included – reacted to it.

Zoe Saldana sat a few rows in front of me and she was one of the first to raise her hands to clap and cheer.

Lin-Manuel Miranda does make an effort to introduce Hamilton to students in New York City through the #EduHam program.

Meeting Christopher Jackson

I have never ever waited by the stage door after seeing a Broadway show. But for Hamilton, I had to. The cast was super nice and signed autographs, took pictures for their fans. And then I was able to go backstage to meet Christopher Jackson. As you can see – I was excited. (Translation: I had a major FAN GIRL moment.)

We talked about his family, our kids and our excitement over Disney’s upcoming Moana. He was sweet and completely down to earth.

Note: Today (11/13/16) is Christopher’s last performance. Don’t worry – you can hear his singing voice (as Chief Tui) in Moana and watch him on Tuesday nights on the CBS comedy-drama, Bull.

Was it worth it? Would I see it again?

OMG YES! If you have an opportunity to see Hamilton – don’t second guess it. See it! I laughed, sang, danced and cried (like, ugly cried). Hamilton was one of the best theatre experiences I’ve ever had in my entire life.

Watching it after memorizing the cast recording made it even better. I had an idea of what it would look like on stage, seeing it come to life was magical.

I would see it again and again. Until then, I’ll continue listening the cast recording and the Hamilton Mixtape.

More about this later…