Ever since Hamilton came to Disney+ in 2020, I have been obsessed with the musical. Deep in the depths of COVID-19, with nothing to do but listen to the soundtrack on repeat for hours, I got to know the characters and their desires like my own. I saw my own desire to escape the pandemic and build something I’m proud of in Hamilton’s determination for American freedom and my love for my family in the iconic Schuyler sisters trio. While speaking to me on a personal note, it also reminds us as a whole that disagreement can be a form of freedom.
Being able to attend Broadway Across America’ production of Hamilton was like seeing my friends grow up. Songs, which before I had only heard on the soundtrack, became stories of living people, through which performers invited the audience to witness the most vulnerable thing someone can share — themselves.
After finding my seat and taking a moment to admire the gorgeous star-studded ceiling of the Hobby Center’s theatre, my eyes were drawn to the set in front of me. Exposed beams gave the illusion of a hastily crafted worksite, local pub, or small house, whatever the characters wanted it to be. The rigging hanging from the ceiling and stretching to the floor hoisted barrels and characters alike in an effort to remind us that America was built from the ground up by the working class, immigrants, and enslaved persons.
Background dancers and singers weaved seamlessly in and out of acts, providing a sense of continuity and urgency. When the audience became lost in the middle of a character’s solo, suddenly, the dancers would draw our eyes back to the larger story at hand, reminding us that our country is a combination of every American’s story.
As a proud theatre technician, I paid almost as much attention to the lighting as I did to the actors. Almost. The lights helped to draw us as an audience into the story, highlighting what the director and actors wanted us to see. Changing in time with the story, they gave the illusion of enemy gunfire, lavish surroundings, and the smothering feeling of broken promises and relationships. During the king of England’s solo, as he sang, “I’m so blue,” he gestured to the audience, and the lights shifted to blue, too. This breaking of the fourth wall is what makes live theatre so magical and engaging.
While it can be easy to see the story of the foundation of America as a stagnant and completed story, I see Hamilton as a relevant reminder of what it means to be American. Hamilton refused to give up on independence even after others lost faith. Although others saw the process as messy and, therefore, unrewarding, Hamilton saw messiness as an opportunity for amendments and new freedoms. While we are divided amongst ourselves, this itself is a freedom that Hamilton helped fight for. He reminds us that history has its eyes on us and that anybody can be the change they want to see.
