My Shot!
On the day of the Hamilton lottery last January, I tried my luck. As luck would have it, history had its eyes on me: I secured a ticket, and five months later to the day, I saw the show from the seventh row. I felt so lucky to watch history in the making. Hamilton was amazing!
What Comes Next?
As much as I love Hamilton, I actually reached my peak obsession with the show more than a year ago. If you've been obsessing for a while now, or if Hamilton is the first musical theater you have been into, then maybe you're ready for suggestions for further listening. All items below can be borrowed from our streaming service hoopla digital. Register for free with any library card beginning with 29041!
Not ready to move on? Then see Kajah's excellent post from January for a thorough overview of all things Hamilton: An American Musical.
Light My Candle
As much fun as I have had with Hamilton, my first love will always be Rent, opens a new window - making it the obvious choice for a musical theater follow-up to Hamilton. Rent takes place in New York City, two hundred years after all the action in Hamilton is over. It follows a group of artists, rebels and drug addicts as they negotiate the AIDS crisis of the late 1980s. The show opened in 1996, ran for twelve years, and won a Pultizer Prize because it is just that good! I can still remember the first time I heard Light My Candle. It was a revelation. Since then I have listened to the original cast soundtrack countless times. I hope you will too!
Wig In A Box
Next up is the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, opens a new window. The original motion picture soundtrack tells the story of an East German singer living in Kansas. Hedwig wears amazing clothes, fronts a rock band, and sings funny, sad and true songs of love and heartbreak. Hedwig won't be repressed. I hope you love her as much as I do.
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
This one may not be for everyone, and maybe I just love that song, but I recommend you give Evita, opens a new window a try. For something more familiar, go for the motion picture soundtrack with Madonna as Evita, opens a new window and Antonio Banderas as Che. Yes, Che Guevara narrates the mad existence of Evita Perón, from her early years in the country's backwaters to first lady of Argentina.
One Day More
One musical more. You probably saw Les Misérables, opens a new window on the big screen, but the music alone is more than worth your time (as is the book, opens a new window!). The theme is social injustice in post-revolutionary France, told through the plights of orphans, workers, revolutionaries and thieves. One such character is the abandoned Fantine. Her despairing lament, "I Dreamed a Dream" will make you weep every time. Poor Fantine!
What are your favorite musicals? Let us know in the comments below.
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