May 2019 – RCAH Student Blogs

A Very Hamilton Weekend

This weekend I travelled to Chicago to visit Hamilton: The Exhibition, a new museum that recently opened on Chicago’s Northerly Island. Designed by David Korins, the set designer for Hamilton on Broadway, the museum has 18 visually stunning rooms that immerse you in the life of Alexander Hamilton and the founding of America. The exhibit begins with Hamilton’s life in the Caribbean, works its way through Hamilton fighting in the Revolutionary War, serving as Washington’s Secretary of the Treasury during his presidency, and finishes with how his wife, Eliza, worked furiously to keep his legacy alive after his death. In addition, the entire exhibit is narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, and Chris Jackson, three actors from the original Broadway cast.

Although the exhibit focuses more on the historical events of Hamilton’s life than the musical, it still incorporates the musical by explaining where historical facts were altered in order to better fit. For example: No, Hamilton did not actually punch the bursar at Princeton, it just happened to rhyme very well the words “Burr, Sir.” The presence of the musical was also alive because of the use of the musical’s quotes in each room, as well as the overall ambiance of Korins’ designs. The exhibit even had a few interactive elements, such as an economic depression carnival game and a 3D performance of the Hamilton Puerto Rico cast performing the opening number, “Alexander Hamilton.” I had no clue what to expect going into the exhibit, but I was very impressed. I would highly recommend the exhibit to both those interested in history and fans of the musical. It is the most visually interesting museum I’ve ever been to, so it’s definitely worth making a trip to Chicago to see it.

On Friday, I had the awesome opportunity to meet with John Gilmour, the director of communications and press for Hamilton in Chicago and Hamilton’s three national tours. John is an MSU alum, former Wharton Center intern like me, and founder of the Wharton Center Student Marketing Organization (WCSMO), the student group I’m heavily involved with. We met up at a coffee shop on the north side of Chicago, and he shared his professional journey with me. I learned that he came into contact with Laura Matalon, the founder of Allied Live Marketing, while he was working at Wharton Center, and that he moved to Chicago immediately after graduation with hopes of working at her company. He’s now been working for Allied Live for almost 13 years, and he’s worked on a variety of shows, including In the Heights, Mamma Mia, The Book of Mormon, and now Hamilton.

I had an amazing time getting to learn from John, and I’m so glad he took the time to meet with me. Like me, he grew up with a passion for theatre, and he entered MSU with a totally different career path in mind before switching to theatre marketing. He said that his time interning at Wharton Center gave him the most preparation for his career, and it inspired me to see an MSU and WCSMO alum being so successful, living in a big city, and working at a job he loves. It gave me a lot of hope that I will be doing similar things in just a few years.

How Lucky We Are to Be Alive in the Age of Hamilton

My queen Michelle Obama once referred to Hamilton as, “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life.” I would have to agree with her.

Hamilton holds a special place in my heart. I first became familiar with Hamilton back in the fall of 2015, when I was a junior in high school. I was inspired by the fact that Hamilton surpassed all limits. It achieved the unimaginable by making American history understandable and accessible, all while creating deeply human, multifaceted roles for people of color. It was truly making history.

Seeing Hamilton on Broadway.

Later that same year, I would end up getting diagnosed with a chronic health condition and having a surgery in March. Those months leading up to surgery were the most difficult and lonely months of my life. Because of my health, I missed over a month of school. I was in so much pain that I could barely eat or sleep.

The one thing that gave me temporary distraction from the pain was the soundtrack to Hamilton. The voices of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and Phillipa Soo filled my ears and gave me the joy that nothing else could during that period of time.

In July of 2016, after I was recovering from surgery and feeling healthier, my mom and I visited New York City. Hamilton had just won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and it was quickly becoming one of the most popular cultural phenomena in the world. I wanted to see it more than anything, but I didn’t think it would happen. As my mom and I were in a shuttle driving into the city, she was secretly looking at Hamilton tickets without me knowing. She then said, “Should I do it?” I then started screaming and crying. She bought us Hamilton tickets. For that night.

Seeing Hamilton on Broadway was the best night of my life. The show, of course, was spectacular. Everything about it—from the actors to the costumes to the lighting—was perfect. It was the most original, revolutionary, life-changing piece of theatre I have ever seen in my life. It made me laugh and cry so hard that I couldn’t breathe. Even more than being a great piece of theatre, it made me feel grateful to be alive. It almost made the year I had endured worth it to be able to relish in the feeling of getting to witness theatre history.

It’s now three years later and this week, Hamilton is arriving at Wharton Center, which is where I intern and get to help market the Broadway shows that come to East Lansing. I love my job because I truly believe in the powers of theatre: that it educates people, connects people, and in my case, heals people.

I will forever be grateful for the impact Hamilton has had on me, on the theatre industry, and on the world. When I arrived at work on Monday and saw the giant window clings Wharton Center had put up for Hamilton, it was the most full-circle feeling. The musical that carried me through my hardest moments is playing in Michigan at the performing arts center where I work. I hope that the audiences in East Lansing are as transformed by it as I am.