The Article below was published in Vol. 135, Issue 2 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on October 18, 2019
By Lauren Gantt ’21
Staff Writer
I’ve been lucky enough to have spent this semester studying abroad in London. It’s been a blast so far, and I’ve seen so many theater productions already, with more on the way. Most recently, I had the amazing chance to see Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre in West End. I first got into Hamilton in my junior year of high school, so it’s been four years of me waiting to be able to finally see this musical. I was so excited to book my ticket and I even splurged a bit on pricier tickets so that I could have a better seat.
I arrived super early (oops) and since I was seeing it alone, I just sat there in awe staring at the stage while waiting for it to start. I had amazing seats, and I felt so connected to the story and musical the entire time. Though the American accents in the London productions weren’t always the best, seeing Hamilton live after listening to the soundtrack religiously over the years was such an amazing experience. I’ve already booked tickets to see it again before I leave, and I can’t wait to see it again.
If you’re at all on the fence about whether or not to see Hamilton live in Chicago (or other cities), here are five reasons why you should:
The Hamilton Lottery: If you spend two minutes entering the lottery every day, you might end up winning front row seats for cheap. My best friend got the chance to see Hamilton front row for $20 last May and was close enough she made eye contact with one of the actors. Talk about great seats.
Acting and choreography add an extra layer to the story you might think you know from the soundtrack. Not only is there additional dialogue between songs, but the facial expressions, actions, and dance scenes add so much more depth to what’s going on. Everything will hit so much harder [I’m looking at you Stay Alive (Reprise)].
King George. That’s it. That’s reason number 3.
The humor. I didn’t expect to go into this musical and find it funny. I thought I knew what it would be like, but I was dying of laughter half the time.
The final Chicago showing is January 5. The next closest showing after that date will have you either traveling to New York or San Francisco, or trying to snag tickets to one of the tour stops out of state.
Basically what I’m trying to say is…go see Hamilton before it’s too late.
Lauren Gantt can be reached at ganttl@mx.lakeforest.edu
