A Letter of Appreciation to the Stars of Hamilton

Dear Lin-Manuel Miranda,

I'm still not exactly clear on how you wrote Hamilton (a musical that has influenced my life and countless others' lives), but I do know that it is a masterpiece. You have changed the way we think about life and the theatre, and my gratefulness for this knows no bounds. You have taken history and made it light up in the world's understanding. (As a history nerd, THANK YOU SO MUCH.)

Thank you for the way you have written Hamilton to be about everything in life -- whether that is love, or conflict, or things that really just appeal to my sense of humor. People really are the same throughout the ages, and thank you for reminding us that people that have long been dead were nothing more than human. They have flaws and faults and sins, just like we do. But they also have virtues and have done marvelous things, just like we have.

Thank you for the complex way you write characters. I am in constant awe of how simple it is to understand their motivations and yet how difficult at the same time. I catch something new every time I listen to Hamilton and that is good storytelling. Good stories have influenced nearly my whole life, and Hamilton quickly became a new favorite.

Thank you for the motivation that "My Shot" has given me over the last months. It has reminded me that only hard work will permit us to achieve our goals. On the days I feel like quitting, it has given me a shove of self-motivation. As an artist, I'm sure you have felt that feeling of utter tiredness of what you love. It's these moments that "My Shot" has helped me through.

Thank you for giving us all a gift,

Amanda

Dear Phillipa Soo,

Thank you for your grace-filled performances of Eliza. You have filled me with a thankfulness I cannot describe for bringing to life a woman that I can relate to on a deep level. You have struck a chord with me in Eliza's paradoxical mix of fierceness and gentleness. I wish I knew how you manage to portray Eliza's emotional layers. If I knew, I would have far more skill than I currently possess.

You have reminded me that there is a place for soft-hearted girls out there in the world -- and the women who have the most compassion and love in their hearts are often the strongest. It's so refreshing to find characters that I connect to, and I cannot thank you enough for bringing Eliza to life. Eliza's enthusiasm and love is inspiring for me, and her gentleness is humbling.

Thank you for giving us your all every day in your performances. You have inspired me to work hard to accomplish what I want to in life, and you have reminded me to work hard at my art. Just from listening to you sing, I can tell that you love what you do, and I hope that is something that comes across when people meet me in the future as well.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart,

Amanda

Dear Leslie Odom Jr.,

Thank you for your sensitive and deep portrayal of one of the most infamous men in American history. Throughout your performance, I learned who Aaron Burr was, where he went wrong, and how fundamentally different from Alexander he was. He had flaws, but so did Alexander. Neither of them were even close to perfect, and I think that's what makes this story so fascinating and real.

Thank you for giving us one of the most beautiful vocal performances I've ever heard. "Dear Theodosia" especially has touched me (even though I'm not a parent), because it helps me understand what love is truly about -- putting the other person before yourself. There are so many truths in your performance and that means so much to me.

Thank you for pouring all of yourself into this role. We see everything in Aaron Burr -- his hesitancy, his ambition, his intelligence. That's why it hurts so much. Through you, we can see his ambition taking a hold of him and dragging him down to a place he will never fully recover from. We can empathize with a man who shot Hamilton, a character that we love.

Thank you for helping us to understand a man who is so often misunderstood,

Amanda

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Amanda's Unofficial Ranking of Hamilton Songs

Ever since I first listened to Hamilton a few months ago, this musical has had an enormous impact on me. A few months ago, our very own Sky gave us a ranking of her favorite Hamilton songs, and this is my response with my own favorites. 

1. Wait For It

There's a reason I love this song. Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint it. But I will say that I love how real it is. It feels like Burr just strolled onto stage and started literally singing his heart. This song is the motivation behind practically everything he does... until the second act.

Compared to the other songs in this show, it's not complicated or full of detail. It's simple and clear and direct, and it says a lot about a man whose personal beliefs were shrouded in secrecy.

2. Dear Theodosia

This song gets me every time I listen to it. First, we have Burr, and his perspective on fatherhood really gives us a different take on his character. He really knows how to love, and his daughter becomes everything to him in the space of a few minutes.

But then you have Alex Hamilton. And somehow, his part of the song just confirms everything you already knew about him. He's so articulate before he has a son, but after he meets Philip, he's practically speechless. But it's something that's so in character that it doesn't surprise us at all, and that's what I love about "Dear Theodosia."

3. It's Quiet Uptown

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This is the song that made me sob. This is the song that makes everything that came before worth it, even though it's filled with pain. This is a song of redemption and slow forgiveness. "It's Quiet Uptown" is one of the most accurate depictions of grief that I have ever seen in any story, and even though it hurts to listen to, it's also vital to the impact of the show.

4. Who Live, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

This is one of my favorite finales to any musical ever. It's a chance for Eliza to step into the spotlight and tell Hamilton's story, and in so doing, tell her own. She learns to live her life without her beloved Alexander. It's a fantastic artistic choice to have her narrate the last song of the show as she continues on her husband's life work. It's a reminder that life goes on and that there can still be good things through the pain.

5. The World Was Wide Enough

This song captures a crucial moment in American history, one that has lived on the minds of many people as an early scandal in our history. And yet, this song becomes so much more than just telling the simple story of a duel. It takes everything we've learned about these two men, Hamilton and Burr, and packs it all into a five minute song in such a way that we understand what their thoughts and motivations are. We understand the conflict between them.

6. Helpless/Satisfied

These two songs really show us the minds of two marvelous women who were largely at the center of Hamilton's life. "Helpless" makes me so happy. The feeling of love just filling the room when Eliza and Alexander sing this song is so strong and it's just so... jubilant. 

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"Satisfied" really picks up the narrative strings of "Helpless," and we see the situation more in-depth. This is Angelica's heart, and she drops it in front of the audience in a way that really says a lot about her. She's vastly intelligent, and she sizes up the situation in seconds, knowing that she can't pursue what she wants. Her sister is far more important to her than a man ever could be.

7. Burn

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This songs breaks me. Hamilton broke Eliza's trust in an unfathomable way, and this is her answer. She takes herself out of the narrative, and she has to learn to go on through heartbreak. This isn't an easy song to listen to, but it is important.

8. One Last Time

The contrast in this song between Hamilton's childlike pleading and Washington's joyful acceptance is truly something to see. It says something really special about Washington's integrity that he is willing and even eager to give up power, even when a man that is like a son to him begs him not to. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda's writing is fantastically on display here. He truly knows his characters and how to get not only the point, but also the familiar emotions behind all of the character's actions, across to the audience. I think that this really shows up in this song, and that's why it made my list.

9. What'd I Miss

Not only is this the first song of the second act of the musical, but it's also the song where we're introduced to Jefferson and Madison. The contrast between the dramatic Jefferson and the more stoic Madison is always interesting to see. Their partnership is a big part of the second act of 

Hamilton, so seeing it introduced in this way is really important if they're to be likable characters, considering they're mostly opposed to Hamilton for the duration of the story. Their unlikely friendship is one of the reasons why Hamilton is so much fun to watch.

10. Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

This song perfectly captures the energy that comes from winning. It comes suddenly, without a lot of warning or build-up, and the characters are almost in shock at the feeling of being done after all these years of fighting and pain. They made it through. Lin-Manuel Miranda captures that feeling of suddenness, that feeling of "what comes next?" (Did you like my Hamilton pun?)

Honorable Mentions

 Guns and Ships

This is fantastic. Not only does it feature the crazy high-speed rapping of Daveed Diggs, it's also just plain fun to listen to. Lafayette, otherwise known as "America's favorite fighting Frenchman," is one of the most interesting and eccentric characters in the whole musical, so listening to him headline a song is a change of pace from the rest of the characters. This whole song has such ingenious wordplay and phrasing that I am simply blown away every time I listen to it. I mean, where else can you hear phrases like "ingenuitive and fluent in French"?

Non-Stop

This song practically embodies who Hamilton is. He works and works, and he doesn't know how to stop (nor does he want to). But this is also the first song where we see pain leaking through the work and drive of this man. He's working to drown out the pain from Laurens' death, he's working to ignore the pleas from his wife, he's working non-stop.

 The Room Where It Happens

This song perfectly captures the intrigue and secrets that come with having power. Even though it's after "Cabinet Battle #1," I think it really kicks off the political feeling that's so prevalent throughout the rest of the musical. It's just the slightest bit sketchy and shady and, through Burr's eyes, we start to wonder if what Hamilton is doing is right. We see Burr desperately wanting to join in on what's happening in "the room where it happens," but he can't. He continues the path of being an antagonist that we feel empathy and understanding for.

Blow Us All Away/Stay Alive (Reprise)

I love anything with Philip Hamilton in it. As we watch the musical, we grow with Hamilton, and we see Philip through a different light than we would have at the beginning. Philip is young and foolish and his father's son, and those are precisely the reasons why we love him. He's extremely endearing and that's why these two songs hit me so hard.

Picking the songs that have the most impact on me from a musical where all the songs have been a major influence in my life was a nearly impossible task. There are many that I was not able to include, including King George's songs and everything else with Washington. But my love for those songs is not lessened! Since my favorites from this musical are constantly changing, next week I will likely have an entirely new list.

What are your favorite songs from Hamilton? Are there any I haven't included that you love?

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In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Many people have been raving about the fairly new Broadway musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which leads to more fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda. I'm a hipster fan of this genius man, though, because I knew him in his In the Heights days. In the Heights, you ask? What is this piece of rap-filled beauty a fangirl like me knows all the words to? Well, let me tell you.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote In the Heights, a musical about a barrio (neighborhood) in NYC full of colorful Hispanic characters, in 1999 after he was inspired by the musical Rent. He wanted a Rent with people he identified with. Two-year-old me didn't know that fifteen-year-old me wanted that as well. Lin-Manuel Miranda, being a Puerto Rican immigrant himself, is a role model for all of us.

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The story follows Usnavi (His parents named him when they saw a ship with the words US Navy across it, and if you're Hispanic and don't find that funny, I don't know what funny is). He's an immigrant from the Dominican Republic (Represent!) whose parents have passed away, and he longs to return. Other story lines stream through; Puerto Rican Nina fears she will fail in college, hairdresser Vanessa wants to leave the ghetto barrio, and all of the Heights inhabitants want to win a lottery of 96,000 dollars. Everything is bright and colorful and dramatic and aaaah!

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I am not one for rap—never was, never will be. But In the Heights is different. It's a rap-filled musical and I know every single word to the first song, which warrants strange looks from friends when I perform it. Especially the line: "Cuz I immigrated from the single greatest little place in the Caribbean, Dominican Republic!" Any music lover can love this. That is what's beautiful about what Lin-Manuel Miranda can do: transform rap into a wonderful way of storytelling.

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The most important part of the musical for me though is the representation. We Hispanics don't get a lot in the way of movies, books, or musicals. This was a breath of fresh air. I got every inside joke, understood every Spanish word, and almost teared up when Usnavi raises his Dominican flag.

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In the Heights is a beautiful musical that is Lin-Manuel Miranda's first love. Sure, there is Hamilton, and I'm sure there will be many more afterwards, but In the Heights will always hold a special place in my heart.

Have you heard of or seen In the Heights?

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