They live streamed the Grammys to the Richard Rodgers for the cast to watch. Oh dear. When I was growing up I lived a very sheltered life, my parents didn't let me listen to anything but Christian music and Broadway cast albums. I was never a big Hip Hop Head, I never listened to pop music, well, until I moved in here. Lin often says, "I listen to all of it, from the pop-iest hits, to the most underground stuff." I never had that, I listen to show tunes.
I consider myself the highest bar a celebrity must pass, if I know your name, you're famous. If I know your name and can connect a face and/or a song or role to it, congratulations you're extremely famous. So, whilst they were streaming in the Grammys, the whole cast was ecstatic, they all loved this kind of music and I didn't.
Kendrick Lamar was the last person to perform before Hamilton was slated to. You can see some cast members getting into places or getting into character, and then you look into a secluded corner and see Lin and Daveed jamming out dressed as 18th century founding fathers. I was never really into rap, until Lin basically held me captive and made me listen to Kendrick Lamar, who is in all actuality, quite fantastic.
I didn't have a seat in the Rodgers that night. It was packed full of the people the cast had invited and I was perfectly content to stand and watch from stage right. You could hear the murmur of the crowd before Leslie went on to deliver his opening line. You could feel the energy in the room. You knew that there wasn't a person in the crowd that doubted that Hamilton would win the Grammy, the only people that had any doubt were the people standing right offstage, some in character, some not. They all had the same through running through their head. It wasn't, "We're so gonna win." It was, "I can't believe I'm here."
Before I knew it, Leslie had walked past me onstage and was delivering the opening lines of the show, he finished his line and Anthony came in from the other side, beginning to tell the story.
"The 10 dollar, founding father without a father got a lot farther by working a lot harder by being a lot smarter by being a self starter. The song was sliding into motion when I looked at some of their faces, some were serious, as if they were founders, as if they were living in the 1700's, and then some, when they weren't facing the audience had a huge grin on their face, amazed at what this show had become.
"Alexander Hamilton." The crowd erupted, and I mean erupted, everyone was cheering and applauding. I looked, from my little perch backstage, to see what Lin did after this insane response. He didn't break character at all. He just stood there, he stood there as Alexander Hamilton. He continued his line through the thunderous applause, they only died down for you to to hear, "and there's a million things I haven't done, but just you wait just you wait." Poppa walked forward for her part.
"When he was 10 his father split, full of it, debt ridden 2 years later see Alex and his mother bedridden half dead, sitting in their own sick, the scent thick." The ensemble joined in behind her whispering, "and Alex got better but his mother went quick."
"Moved in with a cousin." Chris's voice boomed through the auditorium. Pippy had a nice, soft gorgeous soprano voice that she seamlessly slipped into the whispers of the ensemble, the sound decresendoed slowly and effectively, when suddenly Chris's strong baritone comes in bringing you back to the song, back to the story.
Leslie came in rapping Alexander Hamilton's immigration from Saint Croix to New York, whist Lin walked around on stage, fully in character, you could see the determination in his eyes, saying, I need to get somewhere else, I need to get out. I need to. With his eyes full of determination he did go.
The song progressed seamlessly and everyone nailed their parts. At the end of the song Leslie yelled out, "What's your name man?!" And not just Hamilton responded can the ensemble responded behind him, Leslie stepped aside and let Lin come to the front and the entire company of Hamilton ended, in four part harmony.
"Alexander Hamilton."
Thanks for reading
- Abi