HamiltonChi

After a year of listening and months of waiting, this was Hamilton Week.

The first time Lilah heard The Schuyler Sisters, it came on her "Broadway Pandora" station. A rapping Aaron Burr introduced the little-known daughters of the revolution, women who would subtly and powerfully shape a newborn nation by bending the ears, hearts, and *ahem* other organs of the men in charge of it. They were young, beautiful, and "looking for a mind at work". She pulled it on up YouTube and listened to it on repeat every morning while she got ready for school. After a few weeks, she expanded to more of the soundtrack and was fascinated by the characters, the stories, the lives and deaths of these real-life heroes. Over the course of the year, it led to conversations about politics, gender equality, immigrants, race, finances, friendship, loyalty, and the complexities of the human experience. During a volatile election year, she made sense of the world of modern politics through Hamilton-colored glasses. We prepared to say goodbye as Obama led the nation "One Last Time". She said to me in the car one morning, "This year, we can either vote for Hillary Clinton, or Aaron Burr." As an added bonus, we could all glibly rattle off important dates from the Revolutionary War, and she learned snippets of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and other famous works.

It was a miracle we got tickets, but we did. We watched for months as the Chicago cast posted pictures and short video clips on Instagram. I bitterly assumed that it would be great, but they wouldn't hold a candle to the original cast. We got our HamilTees in the mail, each with a favorite quote from the show. We drove to Chicago, planning to stay overnight with friend in Boystown. Stepping off the bus onto State and Monroe in the Theater District, all the street pole banners displayed Hamilton silhouettes on that familiar gold background. I pointed up and Lilah started making a high pitched sound and clapping her hands. We located the theater and I wanted to take pictures in front of the marquee. I hesitated, seeing a small crowd of well-dressed adults in front of the theater. Then I saw one young woman move away from them and pull the man with her against the Hamilton wall out front. They both put on matching t-shirts and hats and took pictures. I didn't feel as shy after that.

We had dinner and drinks with friends, and walked to the theater. It was smaller than the theaters we'd been to in Detroit, but old and beautiful. We made our way to our seats about 20 minutes before the show started. Lilah clutched her playbill to her chest and made more high pitched noises. I felt like making them myself. When the lights went down, we heard the familiar eleven-note introduction, with those final four strings notes that make you feel like you're leaning in to listen. Lilah's eyes were as big as tea saucers.

By no means am I a theater critic, but I can give my take on the Chicago production compared to original Broadway cast soundtrack.

Burr was sublime. I honestly liked Joshua Henry better than Leslie Odom Jr. His voice was rich and colorful, but he took the guarded and cynical Burr to a different level. His "Wait For It" and "The Room Where It Happens" had so much energy, the air felt like it was vibrating. His performance was flawless.

Jose Ramos was the Chicago John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton. His intro in "Alexander Hamilton" gave me shivers. In both roles, his voice could have melted chocolate. It was so sweet and warm. I think his Laurens performance (especially the non-soundtrack "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us") was amazing. Phillip's role was almost a background character through most of the second act. NYC's Anthony Ramos was a little more dynamic as Phillip.

Lafayette/Jefferson are two roles I was dying to see how Chris Lee would handle. Going from French nobleman to cocky Southern plantation owner, all while rapping a mile a minute would be a challenge for anyone. As Lafayette, he pulled a believable French accent. It wasn't Daveed Diggs, where every inflection was perfect. But I didn't complain. In "Guns and Ships", Dano pointed out his tendency to toss a French inflection on the end of a phrase instead of carry the accent the whole way through, but clocking 6.3 words per second while maintaining a French accent is tricky, and I can forgive him for slipping. As Jefferson, oh my god. He was cocky and mocking and hilarious, but also sneaky and brilliant. You felt like he truly wanted what was best for America, he just differed vastly from Hamilton on what that looked like. The Cabinet Battles had me laughing out loud. His body language enhanced the entire role. He had swagger.

Hercules Mulligan/James Madison were played by Wallace Smith. He lacked Okieriete Onaodowan's looming, bulky presence on stage but his voice made up for it. He brought more depth than the soundtrack afforded to the stuffy James Madison role.

Miguel Cervantes' Alexander Hamilton made me feel very conflicted. His voice broke my heart. It blew Lin's out of the water (those are fighting words, I know). Any time he opened his mouth to sing, time stopped. Songs that never impressed me like "Hurricane" had me absolutely spellbound. His speaking parts, however, were a little lackluster. We did go to a later performance, so it was possible he had performed earlier in the day at 1:30. He was just a little monotone, whereas Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton shook you with emotion when he spoke or rapped.

Chicago's Eliza was Ari Afsar. She was lovely. Not the ageless beauty of Phillipa Soo but beautiful and her voice was perfect. Dano pointed out that her singing Eliza was on point, but her acting still needs a bit of tweaking. It's her first acting role, so I feel like she's still finding her stride. She tended to overact some of her more emotional lines ("Sept, huit...") and didn't have Phillipa's subtle, raw emotion.

Jonathan Kirkland as George Washington filled the room with his presence (he was super tall) and he was great, overall. I absolutely prefer the rich baritone of Christopher Jackson, but Kirkland did an excellent job. Just slightly more theatrical than Jackson's impressive moral authority figure.

Alexander Gemignani's King George was great. Of course he was no Jonathan Groff, but is anyone? He was crazy, intense, and hilarious. The benefit of show vs. soundtrack is seeing him on the sidelines of The Reynolds Pamphlet enjoying the first American sex scandal and relishing in the show, tossing pamphlets into the air.

Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds was played by Samantha Marie Ware. At first glance as Peggy, I was thinking "How the hell is she going to pull Maria?" She had a pronounced pout and sassy defiance as Peggy. She couldn't be bothered and was super annoyed with her sisters. In Act II, pouty little sister was gone and she sashayed onto the stage, every inch a seductress. She didn't have Jasmine Cephas Jones' curves, but she had her powerful voice. Her line "If you pay, you can stay" could have broken glass.  I was also happy that "Say No To This" wasn't explicit in any way, visually.

Last of the main cast, Karen Olivo's Angelica Schuyler. Holy. Shit. She brought a depth of feeling to Angelica that I didn't even realize Renee Elise Goldsberry didn't have. Where Renee was strong, powerful, and independent, Karen's Angelica was a little sweeter, but cut even deeper with her "God, I hope you're satisfied". She was just as powerful, but with a twirl of a parasol, nudged Hamilton in the right direction with her hip instead of giving him a firm push with both hands. "It's Quiet Uptown" made me want to cry. She didn't play Angelica. She was Angelica.

And last, the thing that made the show most memorable to me. The Ensemble. Their choreography, singing, and presence around the stage, whether leaning from the set balcony, strolling around the turntable stage, or carrying the bullet that would kill Hamilton in the end, those people made the entire show. Their talent blew me away and they don't get the credit they deserve for making Hamilton what it is.

When we stood and clapped after the final bow, we all left the theater with massive smiles on our faces. I would love the opportunity to see it when it comes to Detroit next year. Lilah made it onto the 146 bus and fell asleep on my lap, fingers curled around her Playbill. I hope it's an experience she doesn't forget. I know it's one a lot of people would love to have but can't. I know it's one I'll carry with me for a long time. I'm still on a Hamilton High.