‘History has its eyes on you’

Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now.”

Hamilton—the critically acclaimed musical that tells the story of one of America’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton—is making its Asian premiere this September. And The Theatre in Solaire will be the room where it happens!

Filipino Hamilfans are surely in for a treat. Around the globe, we call ourselves “Hamiltrash”—tongue-in-cheek geekspeak for the well-nigh cultish following the musical has built over the years. But despite the negative connotation of the portmanteau’s second half, the term is one of self-deprecating endearment. Hamiltrashers far and wide use the term affectionately to express their love for the musical, often engaging in fan art, fan fiction, and other forms of creative expression.

I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Hamilton twice, and on two of the world’s largest stages no less. The first time was in 2018 during my graduate studies at Oxford. At the peak of Hamilton-hype, after failing to luck out in the Hamilton Lottery (i.e., a ticket lottery system that allows Hamilfans to enter for a chance to buy tickets for cheap), Isabel—my then girlfriend, now wife—scored us two orchestra seats to the show in Victoria Palace Theatre at West End.

Isabel claims it was her birthday treat to me, but considering we share the same birth date, I half jokingly tease that it was a self-gift, and I was simply a rider. A lucky beneficiary of fate who was in the right place at the right time. But kidding aside: It was the perfect gift from one Hamiltrash to another—somewhat to my chagrin. A bit competitive when it comes to our birthday exchange gifts, I remember thinking to myself: “There is no way I can top this!” To this day, I have yet to. But to the very end, I will try to.

The second time we saw Hamilton was in 2022, this time in the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Unlike our West End watch that we had meticulously planned (and paid an arm and a leg) for, our Hamilton at Broadway experience was much more spontaneous and pocket-friendly. Isabel and I were based in Cambridge, master’s at the time, and we had randomly hopped on the FlixBus for a quick New York getaway during Harvard’s spring break. We arrived midday, just in time for the matinee. Still ticketless at the time, we decided to try our luck for “Standing Room Only” (SRO) tickets. The SRO line forms right outside the theater for fans who are hoping to purchase last minute tickets to see the show—and for just $40 a pop.

We checked in at our hotel, sped-walked to Richard Rodgers Theatre, and found ourselves at the very front of the line! Now, SROs are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is no guarantee how many—of any, at all—would be offered per show. But still, ticket or no ticket, “We were in it for the experience!”—or so we told ourselves as we braved the cold for two hours. Notably, throughout that period of time, the line was only getting longer.

Lo and behold, the risk paid off. After the last of the ticketed line had entered, we and a family of three other SRO hopefuls were escorted into the theater. Unfortunately, this meant for the rest in line that their Hamilton aspirations were left to live another day. But suffice it to say: It was worth it. Whether at Orchestra in West End, the SRO of Broadway, and, soon, at Solaire in Manila—Hamilton the musical is worth the wait.

Now perhaps the lot of you might be scratching your heads asking: What could be so special about a musical? There are several reasons. The unique storytelling in the style of hip-hop and R&B departs from the showtunes we often find in musical theater, and in that way caters to younger generations. The historical relevance of Hamilton—albeit not at all always precise—lends to its popularity by presenting history in melody and thus showing that learning can also be catchy and cool.

But for the Filipino fanbase, Hamilton’s enduring popularity resonates in a much more profound way. Beneath the head bobbing and toe-tapping tunes, Hamilton sings a message with which we relate. Of a country young, scrappy, and hungry. And of people who will not throw away their shot, if only they were to get one.

But the Asian premiere of Hamilton is also unique in an ironic twist too. What makes the Asian premiere in the Philippines particularly unique, however, is how—for the first time—this musical on US independence will be performed in a country that was and surreptitiously continues to be the subject of US imperial rule. Here, America is not the colonized, but the colonizer. How the Hamilton cast will confront this reality and incorporate it into their performance is a rare opportunity for Lin-Manuel Miranda (LMM) to elevate his melodic masterpiece beyond Philippine playbills and unto Filipino history books.

The Philippines is a country of historical moments desperately in need of a movement. Musicals may sing about history. But in this case, LMM can make it too. The question that remains is: Will he throw away his shot?

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