By: Jenna Beresheim News Editor
As someone who has personally struggled with learning history my entire life, I am constantly craving a learning source that tricks me into learning about new topics.
My childhood consisted of mnemonics, Wishbone the dog, and hours of Schoolhouse Rock. I even faintly recall The Animaniacs doing a few shows on states and presidents.
Names, dates, and locations have always been something I had to fully submerge my brain for any hopes I would retain an ounce of that information.
I was always that student in class that hummed a song or had some weird mental recollection tool to pull out of my pocket when the scantrons came out.
That is exactly the preconditioning that led me to latch onto the idea of a Broadway Musical featuring our Founding Fathers performing rap battles in an all-American, rags-to-riches story.
“Hamilton” puts Alexander Hamilton in the spotlight as a young twenty-something on his way up in the blossoming American government.
Other key figures that come into play are Aaron Burr, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Marquis de Lafayette, King George, and many more. Look at that, proof that I’m already recalling all of these key political figures.
The musical boasts over 46 tracks broken into two separate acts.
Through those 46 songs, Hamilton’s life is re-lived and history is told in a fascinating, enchanting way. Important dates, locations, events, and people are all laced in so seamlessly so as to educate the listener subconsciously.
The songs themselves accurately represent their characters as well – George Washington speaks in polished prose, while Lafayette sports a thick French accent.
This gives the characters more depth, and creates a relatable connection for all of them, even the characters you love to hate.
“Hamilton” debuted in February this year, where it sold out. Broadway quickly swooped in to host the musical on Aug. 6 2015, with multiple critical acclaims following shortly afterward.
The off-Broadway productions have even scored many awards, such as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, along with seven other Drama Desk Awards out of 14 total nominations.
It is even rumored that the Broadway production is in the running for a 2016 Tony Award.
If that doesn’t speak for the musical enough, then listen to this: the entire soundtrack is free to enjoy on Spotify. So try it out for yourself without the big Broadway box office prices.
Now that may not seem like much – it’s a play for a reason, obviously.
But I have never experienced a musical that so accurately portrayed entire scenes within just the music itself. While listening, you’re dropped into war scenes, cabinet meetings in the form of vicious rap battles, and even countdowns to duels between two foes beyond compromise.
While I would fully encourage anyone to see “Hamilton” in its intended format for full immersion, I can attest to an experience just as fulfilling through the soundtrack alone.
And if you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop talking about it – or listening to it, for that matter – until everyone around you also has it memorized whether they like it or not.
4 out of 4 Paws
