Here are all my random thoughts after watching Hamilton 20 times, i’m not kidding.
Sry, Cayla
I basically owe my friend Cayla a huge apology because she’s been trying for four years to get her friends into Hamilton, but I just couldn’t. There was no way I was going to fall in love with a soundtrack. I’m a visual person and needed to see the people singing and dancing and acting. Also, it took me four times watching the musical to finally even realize George Washington was in it, like it takes me awhile to comprehend some things (I zone out a lot/am also kind of dumb).
I’m not even sure how Cayla discovered it — probably from like PBS or NPR or something lame like that. But for four years, she talked about this soundtrack and would just list off facts about Alexander Hamilton and every time, we were like, “Talk less.”
When my friends and I went to New York in 2016, it was actually just so Cayla could see Hamilton on Broadway. She had a ticket alone and missed the original cast by a few months (I would literally kill myself, I do not know how Cayla is still alive). While she was seeing Hamilton, Augusta and I saw Kinky Boots and KK and KT took a carriage ride through Central Park like the lovers they are. After the show, Cayla told us she cried during Hamilton and I was like, aw, that’s sweet and now I’m like, I get it.
One day during the trip, Cayla spent the entire day visiting Hamilton’s burial site and Trinity Church and a bar where George Washington ate soup or some shit and I was too hungover to go, but also, I love musicals, I don’t love history, so no regrets, but I am sorry, Cayla, hope it was fun.
I actually saw Hamilton live, idk I’m rich
Yes, it’s true, when Hamilton came to Dallas, I saw it and not because I’m rich but because I had press passes. I took Cayla (because I am an incredible friend). I did not understand the musical at all because I am dumb and it takes me four watches to understand everything going on. But I did walk away from the live performance loving the song “Burn” and it’s still one of my favorite songs.
My tears
I think it was the fifth or sixth time I watch Hamilton, I was with my friend and I cried so hard I had the hiccups. Like I was sobbing. And then I couldn’t stop crying and then I made my friend cut three inches off my hair. Man, the last song …. it’s too much. And when Eliza forgives Hamilton, I just sob. It’s just… too much.
Does Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ponytail look like a side ponytail to anyone else?
My knowledge of Alexander Hamilton
Before Hamilton, the only thing I knew about him was from high school history class, and all I can remember from that was that Burr killed him in a duel, but I couldn’t tell you why. I actually knew he was never a president and I’m pretty sure I remember the Reynolds Pamphlet from history class or from Cayla explaining it to drunk me over margs. Either way. (It does kind of sound like something a history teacher would teach students because a good sex scandal would hold our attention.)
I would die for Daveed Diggs
Daveed Diggs plays Lafyette (I refuse to look up the spelling of this) and Thomas Jefferson in the play and he is so hot and so good, my interests are exclusively Daveed Diggs and no one and nothing else. Back to Cayla (again): She knows Daveed’s former college track coach and when she told us this in 2016, I really didn’t give two or 100 shits and now with that information, I would literally give me whole life to hear more.
Back to Daveed: I have watched so many interviews with him and I love him. I did a deep dive into his life and his ex-girlfriend and the ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend and Daveed follows the new boyfriend and likes his posts when he posts photos of the ex-girlfriend. Anyway, Daveed has a new girlfriend now and I, too, was super disappointed to find out she wasn’t a 29-year-old white woman from Texas.
Guns N Ships. You forget about that song but then it happens and you’re like, this is the best thing I’ve ever watched, the only logical thing to do next is to marry both Daveed and Leslie.
Leslie Odom Jr. is so good
Obviously, Daveed and Lin and Renee and Phillipa and Jazzy are good, but the standout performer is Leslie Odom, Jr., who plays Aaron Burr. He is the only one who can sing, dance, act, and rap, do not argue this. Every time I watch it, I’m more and more amazed at his talent. Damn. Like, do you ever just watch him dance even in the background? I get the same joy seeing Leslie perform as I did seeing Aaron Tveit perform in Grease Live. And did you know Leslie almost didn’t do Hamilton the movie because the pay wasn’t good enough? So he demanded he get paid the same as Aaron did in Grease Live. King. KING.
Leslie Odom, Jr. is so good. I need to say it again. When he travels across the stage in Schuyler Sisters. So good. Or when he stands on the ledge of the balcony in Guns N Ships. So good. His dancing in The Room Where It Happens!!!! Who gave him the right to be so amazing!!!! WHO! GAVE! HIM! THE! RIGHT!
Who am I?
Cayla requested this part of the blog. She wants me to explain who each of our friends are. Cayla is 100 percent without a doubt Hamilton. She truly does believe she is the smartest in the room, no matter the room she’s in, like it’s incredible and honorable and only sometimes annoying. We decided I’m Jefferson (MINUS THE SLAVES) because when Jefferson is trying to get Congressional approval to fight for France’s independence, that is very me. I couldn’t sleep knowing France helped us and we wouldn’t help them. I believe Augusta is Burr, but I think she is offended by that. But Augusta gets along with everyone and never makes bold claims that make her enemies. KK is Washington because she is constantly telling us to settle down. And Katie is the king because she’s sassy and likes to watch destruction happen around her. None of us are Eliza because Eliza was amazing but also kind of lame, SORRY but none of my friends are building orphanages.
My friends will probably argue those characterizations, but if they want to, they can get their own blog about blog about it.
Who would I play?
Ok, this is my favorite thing to think about. I think obviously the king would be fun to play because it’s the least work and stage time and you get laughs and you also get the stage all to yourself. I think playing Peggy/Maria would also be good because there’s not a lot of work there either, however, that means you have to kiss Lin every night and I don’t have anything against Lin (I actually really love him) but I think having to kiss him EVERY night while your fiance is right around the corner might get a little awk but I don’t know?????? Playing Burr or Ham would be way too much work, no ty.
I do not believe in war and yet I will ROCK OUT to Battle of Yorktown and beat my chest and scream WE WON WE WON WE WON, like wow what a great number.
Angelica really was the wittiest
I do not believe Angelica and Hamilton shared anything more than some flirtatious letters. Angelica said in “Satisfied” that she is the wittiest and I believe it! She told her sister she should share Hamilton with her! That is witty!!!!!! If historians ever study my texts (letters) with my friends, then I too am a whote (this was supposed to read whore, but I’m not changing it). I once yelled at my father about this for a solid four minutes!!! I’m an Angelica stan for life!!!!! Angelica also wrote letters to Thomas Jefferson and tried to get her political ideas in his ear. He invited her to America when they were both in Europe and she declined.
I would die for Daveed Diggs. Just really need to get that across again.
The gasp. Once I read the theory that the gasp Eliza takes at the end is her seeing the audience because Lin told her story, it’s the only theory I believe. I do believe the gasp means something different for each woman who plays Eliza, but Phillipa’s gasp is the best.
Just PMSing 