Happy Birthday: Hamilton on Film (10th anniversary edition)

[cjlasky7]

I am on vacation!

I took a full week off. It's been awhile since I've done that. But it was long overdue. I've been under a lot of pressure at the bank; with our assistant branch manager out on maternity leave (and no replacement coming), everybody gets a much bigger workload. I've been training the new tellers, and they've picked up enough of the job to the point where I can leave the line in their hands for awhile. (I'll clean up any messes when I get back.)

My birthday was on Sunday (#66...6). I already gave myself the best-est present ever (see previous post), but my wife wanted to know if I had anything in mind for the actual day. I had no idea. I hemmed and hawed and put it off (which irritated her no end).

Finally, she said: Hamilton is playing at our favorite Staten Island movie theater on Sunday morning. Wanna go?

Sold!

I was coming in to Hamilton cold. I hadn't studied the libretto, and I didn't know the numbers (aside from a brief snippet from a Tony awards ceremony). The performers? Those I knew: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Jonathon Groff and Renee Elise Goldsberry were familiar from other projects. (And I have to compliment Miranda for giving these scene-stealers room to strut--literally, in Daveed Diggs' case. A less secure showrunner might not be so generous with the spotlight.)

Remember how I whined about the long runtime of Wicked (the movie)? Well, Hamilton ran just as long--but it flew by. I read about how much historical material was packed into this libretto, but I was still amazed by how DENSE it all was and yet didn't bog down into boring exposition. Miranda balanced the serious matter of nation building with biting humor and he used the anachronistic contrast of a hip hop soundtrack and colonial America to keep the audience off balance and engaged. (I freaking LOVED that cabinet meetings in the Washington administration were framed as rap battles.)

Diggs pranced like a rock star as Lafayette AND Jefferson(!!), and Groff was incredible, sauntering on stage as King George III, charming and terrifying the audience with a naked display of old world power. (Brilliant choice by Miranda to make the King's solo an old British music hall number. Made it SCARIER.) But the pleasant surprise for me was Philipa Soo as Hamilton's wife, Eliza. She was the emotional backbone of the entire production, and Miranda actually gave her the last word.

[Nitpicks? Not this time! Score, libretto, staging, performances--all top quality. I was puzzled, though, at the omission of John Adams as a major player. I guess Miranda had to cut somewhere; otherwise, we'd be running close to four hours.

The 10th anniversary edition has reminiscences from all the major players about the creation of Hamilton, the initial production off Broadway and the move to the Richard Rodgers Theater for its epic run. Pleasant, but not essential.]

To wrap things up, I was treated to a deluxe burger at the Parkway Diner and pastries from Villa Abbate.

Right now, I'm on the bus, heading for the UA Sheepshead Bay and an afternoon showing of Weapons. Tomorrow night: Spinal Tap! Thursday (or Friday): Spike Lee and Denzel! This weekend: Darren Aronofsky! (And maybe some actual house maintenance.)

I'll try to keep up with reviews. Watch this space.

Comments

[shadowkat]

Curious about Weapons (I won't see it - read the description, but still curious). Along with the others.

Kudos on the vacation! I am thinking of taking a staycation soon in October.

I thought you were seeing the stage musical not the film version. The film version is easier to follow and has the original cast. Although the guy who played Burr, Leslie Odom Jr. (arguably among the best vocalists in the cast) reprised his role this year. He's also been in other things. Groff splattered the first row with spit - so more frightening then you realize. Spit and sweat.

The reason Adams doesn't make an appearance is probably because Miranda adapted it from Ron Chernow's epic Hamilton biography, which clocks in at about 818 pages. And, Chernow like most biographers is more interested in the duel between Aaron Burr and Hamilton then in the rivalry between Adams and Hamilton. Honestly, I can see why? Adams and Hamilton got along for the most part, it was Jefferson who didn't get along with Hamilton and Adams. Hamilton wasn't that involved with Adams - mainly because Hamilton never ran for the Presidency and Hamilton disliked Jefferson and Burr, so he tended to support Adams. Actually the only person he disliked more than Jefferson was Burr. But all of this is controversial - many Hamilton scholars hate the musical and disagree with Chernow's take. History is in the eyes of the historian.

The musical is amazing - because it manages to blend rap, hip-hop, Broadway musical ballad, British music hall, and Broadway show tune all in one package and seamlessly. Also it changed Broadway and other mediums - in making it possible to cast non-white actors in traditionally white roles, which commented on the whole thing in a new way. Because of it? We got an all female cast for 1776. And others followed suit. Also, it allowed for less racial profiling on Broadway and more roles for minorities and women across the board. It basically changed musical theater, theater, etc forever.
(Also pissed a lot of folks off along the way.) That's the best theater - if you aren't pissing someone off - you are doing something wrong.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love the musical. I've listened to the libretto and even read it multiple times. It has songs that work outside of it, and resonate long afterwards.

Very different from Wicked - which drags, and doesn't have the quality musical and dance numbers. Nor the humor. Hamilton is a clever, witty, and somewhat satirical take on American history and how it has been taught over time. There's a reason it's still selling out on Broadway, and costs more than I can budget for it.

[cjlasky7]

I thought I read (somewhere) that--even though they were both Federalists--Hamilton and Adams butted heads a lot during the Washington administration. But, as you said, their conflicts were probably less dramatically interesting than the more fundamental differences Hamilton had with Jefferson and Madison.

[Still...I'm imagining Lin Manuel Miranda hurling "little man" insults at Paul Giamatti's John Adams.]

No slight on Lamar Odom. "The Room Where It Happens" is one of the best songs in the show.

It's interesting that Hamilton's respect for Jefferson's intellect and commitment to principles outweighed their mutual hatred, while he obviously didn't respect Burr at all. Just goes to show you that if you stick to your principles, you might gain more allies than pandering to an imaginary "center."

Oh yes. The spittle. The movies gave us a nice, juicy closeup. No poncho necessary.

[shadowkat]

You're right, Adams and Hamilton hated each other. They left it out to streamline the musical and focus it more on Hamilton and make him more sympathetic. (Also why historians don't like the musical, they didn't like the portrayal of Hamilton and found it problematic. The mocking satire was kind of lost on them or they took it personally. One or the other.)

I looked it up and google spit out this AI summation:

"The relationship between Alexander Hamilton and John Adams is largely absent from the musical Hamilton due to practical and narrative reasons, including the show's focus on Hamilton's story, Adams's relative lack of direct involvement in events crucial to the musical, and a desire by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda to preserve audience sympathy for Hamilton rather than delve into their significant mutual animosity and political clashes.
Why John Adams's role was limited:

Focus on Hamilton:
The musical is primarily about Alexander Hamilton's life and rise to prominence, and Adams was not central to Hamilton's personal narrative or key achievements. [True enough - we don't see much of Hamilton in John Adams stories - 1776 is the musical that is heavily focused on John Adams, and from his perspective and I don't remember Hamilton being in it at all, Jefferson yes, Hamilton no. Same with the biographical series - not a lot of Hamilton. Yes, they hated each other - but, for some reason they were more peripheral to each other?]

Narrative Coherence:
Including Adams's complicated history with Hamilton would add another large ensemble character to an already complex story, making it harder for the audience to follow and creating a less cohesive narrative. [True it is a three hour musical not a mini-series. I honestly think someone should do a mini-series.]

Mutual Dislike and Political Feuds:
Adams and Hamilton had a long-standing and intense rivalry, marked by political disagreements and personal animosity, particularly during the election of 1800 and in the Quasi-War era. Miranda likely excluded Adams from a prominent role to avoid complicating Hamilton's portrayal and losing audience sympathy for him. [Considering we already had Burr and Jefferson to contend with...]

Adams's Role Was More Behind the Scenes:
Adams's primary interactions with Hamilton were often in the context of political maneuvering and power struggles, such as Hamilton's interference in the 1796 election and his support for the war against France in the late 1790s. These were not central to the main story of the musical.

Subtle References:
The show does include a subtle joke referencing the ongoing tension between Hamilton and Adams during a cabinet meeting, which hints at their animosity without requiring extensive explanation"

So, you are right, I was wrong on that one. I remembered it wrong. My father would scold me. He told me all about it - and I forgot. ;-) I remember him telling me, I just forgot what he told me.

Now, I want to re-watch the musical. Hmm, I may do that this weekend - if it is still on Disney +.

[shadowkat]

I got more information on Hamilton/Adams from mother, who has read both biographies. She said that I was right Chernow's biography barely mentions Adams, he didn't factor into Hamilton's life all that much and wasn't important. Nor was Hamilton all that important to Adams. Part of the reason was the class divide. Adams was from the upper class - a wealthy Brit, who was well educated. Hamilton came from the Caribbean and was a merchant. Hamilton fought under Washington in the War, while Adams didn't fight at all, much like Jefferson and Franklin, and wad involved in diplomacy abroad. Adams and his wife both believed that the President should be President for life, similar to the Supreme Court, while Hamilton believed in term limits. Also, Adams was more involved with foreign affairs, while Hamilton was more involved in the Custom's House and banking. They aren't even buried in the same location. Hamilton is buried at Trinity Church in NYC, and resided in NYC, while Adams resided in Massachustus and is buried up there. Adams was close to Jefferson but not to Hamilton.

Miranda based it on Chernow's book and for much the same reasons, Chernow didn't - he didn't include Adams, that's mother's theory.