Hamilton

No, not the town south of Holland.  On February 5, 2020, I had the opportunity to see the play Hamilton in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the DeVos Performance Hall. Despite having been a theatre geek in high school, I really only saw one theatrical production in college and have been away from the thespian arts for over a decade. Hamilton was a fantastic way to get back into things!

I'd done enough pre-reading on Hamilton to know that they recommend listening to the soundtrack and reading the story to prepare yourself for the on-stage experience. But, knowing that, I deliberately did not take that course of action – I wanted to go in having no preconceived notions about the show. I wanted to experience it in isolation. I'm sure there were details and small things that I missed, but that happens with every form of media. I don't feel like I limited myself to the show by avoiding the preparations, and I am wholly satisfied in my actions.

I thought it was a bit odd that the show was only divided into two distinct acts, despite the story following a traditional three-act structure. Minor spoilers here, but I saw the midpoint of Act 2 as the "What'd I Miss?" song, and the end of Act 2 as "The Adams Administration," with the climax being "Blow Us All Away." The show itself was structured in that "What'd I Miss?" was the beginning of Act 2, and occured immediately after intermission. It fits into the overal narrative of the show, as "What'd I Miss?" happened after a break of several years in the storyline, as we see the latter half of the main character's life from there on out. Though, in a traditional three-act structure, that song would likely fall as the midpoint of the story.

The plot was moved along by song, moreso than spoken dialogue. The constant maneuvering from song to song was almost overwhelming, as your senses didn't have a chance to refresh and recharge. In other words, spoken dialogue gives your brain a chance to reset and refocus. Hamilton keeps you on the edge of your seat, with a constant flood of music, an inundation of historical references, and a unique approach to storytelling: An anachronistic rap musical. But, that's why I keep on going back to that word "experience." Lin-Manuel Miranda approached Hamilton from a very different place than, say, The Music Man or Seussical. It needs to be taken in and appreciated from a different viewpoint than traditional theatre.

Speaking of shunning tradition, the set design was amazing! They used a single set for the whole play, moving small props in and out, and making just a few major set pieces move throughout the play. Because the viewing experience was dominated by the sound and the songs, set design didn't really matter a whole lot. Having said that though, my absolute favorite part of the set design was a set of concentric juxtapositions in the floor of the stage! They were used to great effect, creating a feeling of motion as characters were walking down a street (in any of several scenes), generating dynamics in some of the more expressive musical numbers, and allowing growth of the scenes overall. Blocking and stage motion was completely on point, aided by the juxtapositions in the floor, and artfully mastered by the actors themselves.

All in all, I was very satisfied with the play, and was able to get into it a lot more when I realized I had to take it on face value, instead of expecting a traditional theatre play. It is truly set up as a Revolutionary-era rap battle, and should be taken as such.