Our friend Joe once spent a small fortune to buy tickets to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s final performance in Hamilton on July 9, 2016.
The success of his spur-of-the-moment plan, which included surprising his wife Patty, who was out of town, depended on a couple of fickle factors and one not so worrisome one (because he married a gem). Joe needed his wife’s plane to land on time, he needed New York rush hour traffic to be manageable and he needed Patty to be okay with his shenanigans.
Everything worked out perfectly, and Joe and Patty enjoyed an epic evening on Broadway. It’s a story Joe loved to tell, and one of the memories that sustains all of us in the aftermath of his sudden passing last year. Joe was an excellent example of someone who lived by the Hamilton motto “I’m not gonna miss my shot.”
Last week, my husband Vince and I went to Hamilton at the Fox Cities PAC in Appleton. I had seen a performance three years ago in Chicago with my mom and my sisters and I knew we were in for a treat.
Once again, the talent of the actors and the historical figures they represent (particularly Eliza Hamilton) inspired me and, as I periodically do, I found myself thinking about the lyric “and when my time is up have I done enough?”
It’s a thought provoking lyric in a show full of inspiring moments and, while for me the response will never be a resounding yes!, I intend to answer it honestly as often as possible.
Currently, I’d have to say not yet but, thankfully, I have more time.
If you live in the area, you have more time too, to see this amazing show. Hamilton wraps up its 24-performance run in Appleton on October 20. According to my Facebook newsfeed, most of you have already seen it. But, if you haven’t, don’t wait and, if you have, see it again!
The show itself is so clever you can probably see it 20 times and still find moments that make you say, “Huh!” Of course this cast’s singing, dancing and rapping are also stellar.
I found a little extra inspiration in the cast notes when I read that Nyla Sostre, who plays Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, got her start singing on the New York transit platforms. Be kind to buskers, man. They’ll change the world.
Congratulations to the Hamilton cast on an excellent Appleton run and thanks for sharing your talent with our little city.
