Hamilton

Hiya, pals! This Thursday I'm going to give you a little peek into my life at the moment. My life is mostly comprised of Hamilton lyrics right now, so that should be easy enough.  In case you're not familiar with Hamilton (are you seriously trying to tell me you're not riveted by the founding of the US Treasury Department?), let me explain. The most sought-after ticket in Broadway history is this hip hop/rap/show tune mashup that features amazingly talented minority actors portraying our founding fathers and their loved ones. I feel like I held out as long as I could, because I didn't want to listen to the soundtrack before I'd seen the show, but that thing has been sold out since before it opened, with no end in sight, so I just went ahead and listened to it. Then I waited as long as I could -maybe two weeks- and I bought it online. I mean... I had to. 

My house the minute the discs came in

If you know me at all by now, you've guessed that the part that impresses me the most is the writing. Lin-Manuel Miranda is this amazing story teller and lyricist who actually described the title character as "handsome, and boy does he know it..." AND THEN HE CAST HIMSELF. That's guts, folks. Good thing he pulls it off, eh? They spend a lot of time complimenting his eyes, and okay. Yeah, I can see that. You win this round, Miranda! But you're on thin ice! Just kidding, but they really are gorgeous eyes, though. My favorite song in the soundtrack is Helpless, and there's one line where Eliza says that she's trying not to cry because there's nothing that Hamilton's mind can't do, and it occurs to me every time I hear it to wonder if Lin-Manuel Miranda's wife Vanessa spends a lot of her time trying not to cry because there's nothing that her husband's mind can't do. It certainly seems like she would feel that way, and I hope she does. In fact, that's the way I feel about my husband, and it's something that I can genuinely say that I wish for everyone. It's a wonderful way to spend life. 

Oh. Too sappy? Sorry about that. Back to Hamilton. Anyway, if you buy the music, you get the whole show. There's not really any speaking; it's all in the songs. I feel qualified to pick a favorite character, just from the soundtrack and definitely, easily, this is King George. He sings a kind of beautiful, joyous love song to America that includes the phrase, "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love! La da da da daaa..." I mean, just go find it. And give Say No to This your undivided attention. Let me know what you think.