The next week was intense- it was the week of the Grammy's. Since they were livestreaming their performance, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. But there were still tech rehearsals, and the Grammy's officiators had to come in and give them all directions on what would happen if they won, etc. There was also new choreography, because all of the swings would be performing with the normal ensemble. Kasey was excited- she didn't usually get to perform with all of her friends at once. The swings weren't always there, and if they were, that meant that someone else wasn't.
On top of that, they had to do their shows. It was a lot of pressure to get things right. Everyone was exhausted, especially the ensemblists. They still had to do full shows every night and then do Grammy rehearsals.
But it was worth it. Kasey had never dreamed that she would be part of a Grammy nominated cast. When she was little, she'd wanted to be an actress. She'd only hoped to get to Broadway. She'd never thought she'd be part of a show like Hamilton and be winning awards and getting to perform alongside some of the best people she'd ever met.
The date of the Grammy's drew closer and closer. Kasey could feel the tension in the air. She could tell that everyone wanted to do a good job. It was all for Lin.
Ever since the shooting, Lin seemed to have lost a little bit of his confidence. It must have been hard, Kasey thought, to have a shooting happen during a show that he'd created. It was personal to him.
Everyone in the cast wanted to win to show Lin that he deserved happiness, that Hamilton deserved happiness. That the show was worth it. They didn't want him to give up.
It was a lot of stress, but the adrenaline on the date of the Grammy's helped everyone get through the day. There were last-minute tech runs and there were minor mishaps that happened as everyone tried to get their costume on and be in their place in time for the ceremony to start.
The theatre was filled with their friends and family. It hurt Kasey a little bit. Everyone in the cast had family in the audience- Patricia was there, Ariana's parents, Lin's mother and father, Vanessa...
It felt like Kasey had no one.
And then she remembered that Alaina was there too- a girl who had become like her little sister. That made it hurt a little less.
Still Kasey wished that her parents and her brother were here to see her now. They never did get to see their daughter make it to Broadway. They would never know how far she'd come since middle school.
And that still stung. Looking out into the audience and seeing everyone else's families never got easier. But then Kasey looked onstage and saw everyone she was performing with, and that made it better.
Before she knew it, the managers were counting down until the cast was going live.
Thayne slapped her a high five before they all stepped out into the blinding lights of the Richard Rodgers theatre once more.
~~~~~~~~~
Kasey had been onstage in the Richard Rodgers many times. She'd been there for their first preview, opening night, her debut as Angelica, and for the shooting. She'd been there twice a day, sometimes, and she'd sat on the stage as the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards were announced.
But never before had the theatre been this full of energy. She could feel it- they were on the verge of history.
She would look to the audience during the song and see the families watching them, and then she would see the cameras.
The song ended before Kasey wanted it to. She wanted to perform the whole show, not just 'Alexander Hamilton'.
There was a moment of silence once the song ended, where the audience was almost afraid to clap. Then the signal came on that the livestream had ended, and then the theatre was filled with thunderous applause.
The cast bowed and then hurried offstage to wait for the results.
"And the Grammy Award goes to... the cast of Hamilton! Congratulations!"
The theatre exploded again with cheers. The entire cast rushed onstage and everyone was jumping up and down, screaming and laughing and crying.
Kasey found Carleigh onstage and they hugged quickly before turning to everyone else. Oak swept Kasey up in a huge bear hug.
~~~~~~~~~~~
After the Grammy's were done, there was another after party for the cast and their families. The management had rented a huge room for the cast and there was cake and appetizers.
Kasey had never been in such an energy-filled room before. Everyone was with their families, laughing and talking. People were dancing to the music that was being played, and people were playing games and singing.
It was nice, Kasey decided, to be part of a family this big.