What's better than seeing "Hamilton" the first time? Seeing it the second.
Composer and lyricist Lin Manuel Miranda crammed so much into the musical that we'll be unpacking references for decades (he famously said that when he wrote the show he was not playing checkers, but the more complicated chess).
You're bound to spot more wordplays the second time, which may make "Hamilton" even more fun. Most well written work gives actors room to interpret and that's true even if they play real-life people like George Washington and Angelica Schuyler. How devious or opportunistic is duelist Aaron Burr? How far does Alexander Hamilton's flirtation with Schuyler, his wife's sister, go? How much of a tool is Thomas Jefferson? You may change your mind when you see a new actor add nuances.
Here are five things to think about if you are seeing "Hamilton" again:
- The double casting: When you know the show, you have more bandwidth to attend to the multiple meanings that occur when one actor plays two characters. In the opening number, for instance, men playing Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan sing of Hamilton, "We fought with him." That's because their characters literally battled beside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War. But hold onto that thought because those same actors play different characters later in the show, characters who despised — and, thus, "fought with" — the title character. The actor who plays Hamilton's sister-in-law Peggy also pops up later in a role that expands on the jealousy that is Peggy's running joke in the musical.
- Revolutions: Because historical figures rap and beatbox in "Hamilton," it was hailed as a new kind of musical. But is it? When Burr tells colleagues racism is "carefully taught," he's not just calling out a theme of the show. He's also quoting "South Pacific." "Hamilton" may also remind you of other classics including "Les Miserables," where the tense and ultimately violent standoff between male leads Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert is similar to the relationship between Hamilton and Burr.
- Try reading "Hamilton: The Revolution": In the book, Miranda discusses creating each song, inspired by the '80s and '90s rappers he reveres. One hallmark of the show is that rap, like revolution, is a form of protest. So many characters are modeled on specific rapping styles — Mulligan, for instance, is Busta Rhymes. Miranda is surprisingly self-effacing, so reading his thoughts on the creative process, and his creative heroes, makes viewing the show even more fun.
- Watch the dancers: When I saw the original Broadway "Hamilton," I loved it, like everyone else, but thought the choreography was distracting and too literal. On subsequent viewings, though, I've appreciated how it focuses our attention and connects parallel stories.
- Think about slavery: The legality of enslaving people was on the minds of the Founding Fathers, who ensured that their freedom-espousing writings protected their "right" to own people. Slavery isn't a major topic of the musical — and in fact, Miranda conceded it could be interpreted as glorifying slave owners, including Washington and Jefferson. It's fascinating to listen to what they and others say, though, while knowing they profited from bonded workers. "Your debts are paid because you don't pay for labor," Hamilton sings to Jefferson, but "we know who's doing the planting." Not that Hamilton, who new research suggests owned slaves, is blameless, either.
'Hamilton'
When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 1 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends May 6.
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $119-$349. hennepintheatretrust.org.
Lottery: Forty $10 seats will be distributed for each performance. Register at hamiltonmusical.com/lottery or via the official "Hamilton" app.
