By Lynda Lacayo
It’s original and yeah, it’s rap. The truth is I’m one of those oldies but goodies who are stuck in the last century. So, I have to ask, “Why all the hype about ‘Hamilton?’ And why are so many of my contemporaries vying for tickets and filling venues such as The Segerstrom Center where “Hamilton” is running May 8-27. Not only are we, with a whole lot of millennial support, packing theaters with sold out performances, but we’re paying astronomical prices to see the show of the century.
Critics rave and theater-loving folks line up just for a shot at winning the “Hamilton” lottery. So to scope out what the hype is all about, I chatted with a couple of contemporaries, admittedly the younger ones, who had scored tickets.
Pasadena Attorney and young mom Gloria Cannon said, “‘Wicked’ used to be my favorite musical until I saw ‘Hamilton.’ The staging and music is just amazing.”
“Hamilton” is full of American history, enough in fact that it’s becoming a teaching tool in the coolest schools.
As Gloria says, “It’s the story of Hamilton the man, and a true history lesson about one of our countries’ founding fathers. That’s why a lot of school kids today are learning about Hamilton and the American Revolution through the soundtrack of this musical.”
History repeats itself and so it seems do the “Hamilton” fans. Cannon is going for a second showing and Elena Peavy, a retired Big Bear school teacher, community actress and first rate songstress saw the show in New York and was so riveted by the first go-round that she saw it again in Los Angeles. For Peavy, the Broadway masterpiece by Lin-Manuel Miranda was the cake but the frosting that flew her to the Big Apple was that a former student of hers, Taran Killam, had a guest stint as King George in the show. Killam’s claim to fame is that he appears on “Saturday Night Live.”
But as Peavy can attest, “The man can sing and he is so funny as King George. Every time he was on stage the audience went nuts. The whole experience was fabulous but then seeing it at The Pantages was actually just as fabulous. It’s so good.”
Self-proclaimed theater junkie Shelley Golden was so excited by all the hype and reviews that she says, “It was imperative that I see the Tony Award-winning musical. With so much enthusiasm about this show I just had to see it. I was prepared to be disappointed. I wasn’t. Miranda is a genius and ‘Hamilton’ is a masterpiece. I loved it.”
“Hamilton” is the story of America as it was then told by America now. The show is about youthful rebels grabbing and shaping the future of an embryonic country. Those white guy founding fathers, the original immigrants, are given innovative vigor by an injection of diversity. Black and Hispanic actors play Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and the rest to comment on America’s fragmented present through its past. As Miranda says, “Our cast looks like America now and that’s certainly intentional. It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door.”
Another of the revolutionary ways in which “Hamilton” is changing the language of musical theater is by using the sounds of our time, rap, hip hop, R&B. The show is entirely sung/said in the musical masterpiece billed as an American Opera. The upbeat operetta, like America’s earthy early founders is fresh, fun and as Miranda’s Hamilton sings, “Hey yo, I’m just like my country. I’m young, I’m scrappy and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot.”
The record-breaking “Hamilton” is making musical history by crossing a transparent boundary line that sometimes separates Broadway from the current culture and in so doing is bringing a new audience to live theater. The too-cool Ham-fans, according to Peavy, “knew every word, every song and the soundtrack is so popular that you could see the audience mouthing the words, singing along. It is a cultural phenomenon and fans ranging from Gen Z to Baby Boomers are obsessed with it.”
Shoba Narayan, Ta’Rea Campbell and Nyla Sostre on the “Hamilton” National Tour.
Golden, a theater sage of a greater age, says, “Rap isn’t usually my kind of thing but it was woven so well into the show that it seems natural, as if it belonged in that time period.”
Peavy concurs, saying, “It’s really funny because you might wonder how does rap, hip hop, that kind of thing lend itself to this show? Well it’s absolutely perfect because all of the historical figures are talking, giving speeches and explaining their story. It’s so fact-inspired that it works.” She continues, “I highly recommend purchasing the soundtrack and really listening to it. Learn the lyrics because that’s how the story is told. This is one of those shows that need to be seen more than once because there is so much to see, so much going on and so much to listen to that it can be quite overwhelming. That is why it pays to be familiar with the soundtrack.”
I took Peavy’s advice and listened to the music, popped, rocked, and generally jived to the beat. I also soaked up the words celebrating the American Revolution as “messy and miraculous.” And I, like Golden, realized because of “Hamilton” how much of our history I had forgotten or maybe never knew. That is why it isn’t Miranda or a stellar cast or superb staging or incomparable choreography that are the showstoppers. The true star of “Hamilton” is history itself.
It isn’t necessary to see the show to love it. The Grammy Award-winning album says it all and that’s good enough for Ham-fans. But hey, there’s still a chance to score an orchestra seat to the show about the man on the ten dollar bill. There is a digital lottery for tickets to “Hamilton” at The Segerstrom Center beginning with the show’s first performance ( May 8) in Segerstrom Hall. Forty orchestra seats will be sold for $10 each beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 6 for tickets to the Tuesday, May 8 performance. Subsequent digital lotteries will begin two days prior to each performance. To enter the digital lotteries use the official app for “Hamilton,” available for all iOS and Android devices in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store (http://hamiltonmusical.com/app) or visit http://hamiltonmusical.com/lottery to register. There are a few related rules for lucky winners which can be checked out at The Segerstrom Center’s site at SCFTA.org. And if all else fails, patrons are advised to check the official “Hamilton” channels and SCFTA.org for late release seats which may become available at short notice.
