Hamilton Review/Report

Hamilton: Review/Report

1. Alexander Hamilton was an orphan who had a rough childhood, and by the age of 19 he goes to get an education. He was half/British and half/French and part Scottish. After his mother died, his father took his estate and left him penniless. What was important was his writing that bought him attention, and he was also quarrelsome with people. He also criticises Aaron burr to not being committed to any beliefs. Hamilton was a part of the revolutionary war and was George Washington’s right hand man. Due to differences Hamilton is shot by Burr from a confrontation that Hamilton has endorsed Jefferson as president making Burr angry at him. Hamilton is an important figure, because he is one of the first founding fathers of the United States. He has also co-founded the first bank in North America. 

2. The main characters of Hamilton are: Alexander Hamilton the protagonist of the story. Aaron Burr the antagonist of the story who faces Hamilton in a duel, The Schuyler sisters, mainly Elizabeth who marries Alexander (Eliza) and Angelica. John Laurens who dies for Hamilton during the war with Lafayette and Hercules along side them. Jefferson, who goes up for president and rivals Alexander, Madison and George Washington. To start with the main subjects are Politics, Blackmail, Secret Affairs, Wars. A big central theme throughout the musical, I believe is Legacy as it portrays Alexander doing everything he can to protect what he has built. The story tells how Alexander rose and fell from grace.

3.  The different ways used to tell the story are the songs rapped and sung throughout the musical. The genres consist of Hip Hop, R&B and Pop to tell their story, and also the ensemble who perform the dance numbers and backing vocals help convey the characters emotions. Lighting is also used to progress the story along as it can indicate the moods of other characters and can suggest the time of day.

4. The musical styles I heard was an acapella and rap for when Lafayette, John and Hercules go inside the pub, the Schuyler sisters that has a destiny child twist to it giving it a modern pop take to the song, and Helpless takes inspiration in the R&B and is heavily influenced by the 1998 Brandy and Monica. These genres are used throughout the musical as we see them being sung by different characters.

5. Personally I think this is very different to other musicals as this takes a modern look at the biography of Alexander Hamilton using Hip hop to tell the story is something that not a lot of musicals have done. I think this is a brave move, because most musicals love to stick to traditional opera style songs that many young kids and teens may find boring or repetitive. Normally, musicals use spoken dialogue during songs and also most don’t sing continuously throughout. I also believe this was unique and makes Hamilton stand out than other musicals. The ensemble stands out miraculously as they make the songs more enjoyable to watch as an audience.

6. Significantly, the character’s performances that stood out to me was Eliza’s “Burn” as you can hear the pain in her words and anger she’s feeling, bottling them up inside. Hearing her made me think she was either going to burst in rage or tears, and I think the tone of her voice was done very brilliantly and also made me feel sorry for not only her but their son Philip as well. This made me think how was Eliza going to forgive Alexander for the affair. Another character that stood out was Angelica, because in “Satisfied” she shows her true feelings for Alexander, however chooses to suppress them as he isn’t as wealthy of a man to marry as the oldest daughter she has to marry someone who can provide money. I think this made her character stand out as she tries to make others happy instead of putting her own happiness first. I also think King George 3rd made a comedic approach as the lyrics in his songs aren’t serious and makes his character more loose and carefree. Finally I believe Lafayette’s character stands out in “guns and ships” as there is a lot of character development as he raps, because in the beginning he couldn’t pronounce some words and is rapping which shows how far he has come.

7.  People were surprised in “satisfied” as they weren’t expecting Angelica to have feelings for Alexander, and I was shocked to find that Hamilton isn’t always satisfied. People were cheering when the dance numbers for “my shot” came around and the character of Hercules got into his character. When King George comes on the audience laughs at how comical and calm he acts as he sings. Also when Alexander cheats on Eliza the audience was shocked to learn that he would publicly expose himself just for his legacy. I think Philip dying was a depressing moment as I believe that Eliza and Alexander still had some tension towards each other that they resolved soon after. When Thomas Jefferson came trying to get an applause ironically the audience applauded making his entrance very big. Finally when Alexander gets shot I’m at the edge of my seat thinking is this how he is going to die, as one of the ensembles resembles a bullet with her hand flying to Alexander. 

8. In the Q&A The actors spoke about how they get into character by doing exercises, and how it helps them stay focus before a show starts. Moreover being on stage means you have to be persistent and to remember "the only way you know that you are giving your all is to do better than yesterday ". One of them says to themselves in the mirror that they can become the character they are playing by repeating "you are this character", and portrays belief in themselves. When you don't believe the person you are acting differs from you, the audience won't believe it either. I think belief helps you broaden your mentality to fully embody your character.

9. The challenges that I found was that there is going to be a lot of competition, and that you will have to be working long hours and not having to see your families. Actors will have to start early and finish late at night. 80% of actors are not at work, and you will have to find jobs elsewhere to receive income. You will also have to work on projection on your voice so it can reach the back of the audience. They will also want you to be punctual, and the ability to analyse roles from different contexts.

10. Lin Manuel Miranda wrote all the songs in the musical, and it took him a year to write “my shot” he read the biography of Alexander Hamilton and after reading the first 2 chapters he was picturing a musical in his mind. The musical received so much success and critical acclaim.

11. The message that Hamilton left us is don’t take life for granted, because it could be too short. You shouldn’t limit yourself, because you can exceed your dreams. It also shows that you shouldn’t put other people’s happiness before yours.  Moreover, you should stand by your beliefs. Hamilton also teaches us about making a name for yourself, and sharing your story with other people. They also teach us about camaraderie and about working together to get your voice heard. This message shouldn't be forgotten, because people belittle themselves on what they can or can't do leading to them not being able to find weaknesses about themselves or having the confidence to improve their attitude.  

12. An actor must be able to take rejection, and also keep moving forward to the next audition. I will take this to my training by never giving up, and trying to stay consistent. Also by going out of my comfort zone and trying out different roles. Also by being punctual and enunciating every word I say. Overall this will become a routine for me to familiarise myself with that can help me get a clear structure of what I must do. For example, finding work that can help with my confidence: Spoken words can help share your work with the audience and voice your opinions. Another one is writing your own script and performing it with classmates that can help with creativity and imagination. This is what I will take forward with me to the next project!