Okay, that was a little more James Madison as opposed to Hercules Mulligan, but after several years of being completely obsessed with the cast album for the musical, thanks to Disney Plus, I was able to not just hear but see HAMILTON and it did not disappoint. It's been a week since watching it with my entire family and I'm still thinking about it. For two hours I was able to escape into one of the most important and well crafted pieces of art in my lifetime. So, let's discuss.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Writing: Having listened to the cast album countless times, I already knew how tight the writing was, but watching it on screen, there isn't a wasted word, movement, action or note. It really is a study in economy in words and something all writers should watch to see how and, more importantly, why it's so important.
Weakness: This is the closest thing to a "hot take" that I have about the musical. LMM (as he'll be known from here out) is terrific, but he's by far the weakest part of the show. He's still a light years better lead than a lot of other musicals I've watched and, to be honest, I think he knows that. He gets the "I want" song and nails it, but anytime he shares the stage with Leslie Odom, Jr or Renee Elise Goldsberry, he's exposed. The bonus is that he's ALL CHARISMA and is comfortable in the role since he wrote it.
Fast and Loose History: Let's address the historical aspects. The play is based on a dense, massive 800 page plus tome and LMM obviously had to truncate, condense and pare what he didn't need to tell his story. (I'm only about half way through it.) He moves things around, cuts things and remolds history in order to fit the narrative and lyrical structure as he sees fit. This is actually is addressed in the second video here, where librettist John Weidman told LMM to "just write the parts you think are a musical." It's solid advice and good advice to any writer. Just write the parts you think you need to write. I've been told that there's more history in the play than you'd think, but I'm an English teacher and writer (or am a writer that's an English teacher), not a history teacher.
Aaron Burr, Sir: Leslie Odom Jr is a goddamned powerhouse. Every time he's on screen he's riveting and even though he's the play's antagonist (not villain), you're rooting for him. He gets not one, but two showstoppers: "Wait for It" and "The Room Where It Happens", and nails them both. His narration through the show grows in intensity and the sheer power of Odom's performance makes you want more from him. (It reminds me of Indina Menzel in WICKED.)
The Just Bros Hypothesis: A few years back, during the WINTER SOLDIER craze, I sort of became obsessed with the controversy of Cap/Bucky being in love was being "erased" from the canon or something like that. I felt that, while that would be an interesting idea, can't they just be bros? I'm all for representation in our media, but I feel that we need more non-toxic male bonding and need to show that two dudes can love one another and not be in love. It's not a well formed hypothesis but there it is. LMM's pretty heavy handed about the Hamilton/Laurens attraction (it's hinted at in the Chernow book too) and while I was on board with it for a while, I'll be honest. I prefer them to be "just bros." (This is a concept I need to flesh out, because I think there's something to this.)
Love Triangle: The love triangle between Alex, Eliza and Angelica is so much better when seen as opposed to listened to. It's a perfect example of how a performance can elevate writing. Angelica is heartbreaking to watch. She's desperately in love with him, but also reads Alex like a book. She sees his ambition that factors into his romantic intentions but that still can't stop her from falling for him. Eliza, played by Philippa Soo, is a stunning balance of strength and vulnerability. Angelica gets all the attention (Goldsberry's performance is part of that) but Soo's Eliza does all the heavy lifting. It's her that makes Alexander seem like a decent man and adds depth to the story. "Burn" is so much better on stage than on the cast album.
A Bunch of Baked Hams: Do you know what a "ham" is? Click here. I'll wait.
Sidebar for those of you that know what a "ham" is: You get the feeling that LMM had a browser tab opened to TV Tropes and just checked off all his favorites to use. Musicals by their very nature are troperiffic, but LMM is enough of a nerd of many levels that he clearly lampshaded enough tropes to fill a warehouse for the "top...men" to uncover and discuss. I am not one of those men.
Oh, you're done good. Back to it then:
LMM has basically created a "world of ham." And it makes the play even better. Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, Thomas Jefferson and don't forget the King. Jonathan Groff destroys every time he's on stage. My daughter, a burgeoning theater junkie, has already stated that if they ever do HAMILTON at school, she's auditioning to play the king. Granted, they were probably turning it "up to eleven" for the film performance, but the way they are written encourages hammage.
And Finally, Let's Talk About The Stage: The first time my daughter and I saw the stage we both squealed. To see it in action was incredible and the "rewind" was just an incredible piece of story telling that isn't captured by the cast album. Watching it filled me with awe and inspiration.
A few random comments to wrap up:
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Writing: Having listened to the cast album countless times, I already knew how tight the writing was, but watching it on screen, there isn't a wasted word, movement, action or note. It really is a study in economy in words and something all writers should watch to see how and, more importantly, why it's so important.
Weakness: This is the closest thing to a "hot take" that I have about the musical. LMM (as he'll be known from here out) is terrific, but he's by far the weakest part of the show. He's still a light years better lead than a lot of other musicals I've watched and, to be honest, I think he knows that. He gets the "I want" song and nails it, but anytime he shares the stage with Leslie Odom, Jr or Renee Elise Goldsberry, he's exposed. The bonus is that he's ALL CHARISMA and is comfortable in the role since he wrote it.
Fast and Loose History: Let's address the historical aspects. The play is based on a dense, massive 800 page plus tome and LMM obviously had to truncate, condense and pare what he didn't need to tell his story. (I'm only about half way through it.) He moves things around, cuts things and remolds history in order to fit the narrative and lyrical structure as he sees fit. This is actually is addressed in the second video here, where librettist John Weidman told LMM to "just write the parts you think are a musical." It's solid advice and good advice to any writer. Just write the parts you think you need to write. I've been told that there's more history in the play than you'd think, but I'm an English teacher and writer (or am a writer that's an English teacher), not a history teacher.
Aaron Burr, Sir: Leslie Odom Jr is a goddamned powerhouse. Every time he's on screen he's riveting and even though he's the play's antagonist (not villain), you're rooting for him. He gets not one, but two showstoppers: "Wait for It" and "The Room Where It Happens", and nails them both. His narration through the show grows in intensity and the sheer power of Odom's performance makes you want more from him. (It reminds me of Indina Menzel in WICKED.)
The Just Bros Hypothesis: A few years back, during the WINTER SOLDIER craze, I sort of became obsessed with the controversy of Cap/Bucky being in love was being "erased" from the canon or something like that. I felt that, while that would be an interesting idea, can't they just be bros? I'm all for representation in our media, but I feel that we need more non-toxic male bonding and need to show that two dudes can love one another and not be in love. It's not a well formed hypothesis but there it is. LMM's pretty heavy handed about the Hamilton/Laurens attraction (it's hinted at in the Chernow book too) and while I was on board with it for a while, I'll be honest. I prefer them to be "just bros." (This is a concept I need to flesh out, because I think there's something to this.)
Love Triangle: The love triangle between Alex, Eliza and Angelica is so much better when seen as opposed to listened to. It's a perfect example of how a performance can elevate writing. Angelica is heartbreaking to watch. She's desperately in love with him, but also reads Alex like a book. She sees his ambition that factors into his romantic intentions but that still can't stop her from falling for him. Eliza, played by Philippa Soo, is a stunning balance of strength and vulnerability. Angelica gets all the attention (Goldsberry's performance is part of that) but Soo's Eliza does all the heavy lifting. It's her that makes Alexander seem like a decent man and adds depth to the story. "Burn" is so much better on stage than on the cast album.
A Bunch of Baked Hams: Do you know what a "ham" is? Click here. I'll wait.
Sidebar for those of you that know what a "ham" is: You get the feeling that LMM had a browser tab opened to TV Tropes and just checked off all his favorites to use. Musicals by their very nature are troperiffic, but LMM is enough of a nerd of many levels that he clearly lampshaded enough tropes to fill a warehouse for the "top...men" to uncover and discuss. I am not one of those men.
Oh, you're done good. Back to it then:
LMM has basically created a "world of ham." And it makes the play even better. Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, Thomas Jefferson and don't forget the King. Jonathan Groff destroys every time he's on stage. My daughter, a burgeoning theater junkie, has already stated that if they ever do HAMILTON at school, she's auditioning to play the king. Granted, they were probably turning it "up to eleven" for the film performance, but the way they are written encourages hammage.
And Finally, Let's Talk About The Stage: The first time my daughter and I saw the stage we both squealed. To see it in action was incredible and the "rewind" was just an incredible piece of story telling that isn't captured by the cast album. Watching it filled me with awe and inspiration.
A few random comments to wrap up:
- I've said it from the first time I heard about the musical: it proves that an epic fantasy musical could work and I might be the damn fool to write it.
- The sheer number of nods, winks and homages in this play is blurrying. Musicals, hip-hop, history, fantasy, etc. I could do three entries on these alone.
- Okieriete Onaodowan, who played Hercules Mulligan & James Madison, has become the model for the leader of my "black Rohirrim" in the "Epic Fantasy I'm Not Going To Write."
- The "ensemble" is just amazing and the elevated members that filled smaller roles was just brilliant.
If you didn't like this play I weep for you. If you don't see it's value, then you just don't understand.
I'm inspired again. As "Non-Stop" said, I'm writing day and night like I'm running out of time.
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