Any one has been close to us for any real length of time knows we are a Hamilton family! I have a very real love for musicals and theatre, and that has passed along to my husband and our family. No. No one is just humouring me. We really, really enjoy it! Brady and I weaselled both my mom and Cher into watching it with us, and while both went in very politely, not expecting to really care for it, both loved it. We listen to the soundtrack almost every day, and the kids sing along with it. They know it very, very well. Its possible we have a little bit of a Hamilton problem over here.
Yes, you read it correctly. I am in the top 0.005% of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s listeners last year. If that doesn’t say #1 fan, I don’t know what does.
A while back, when we just found out Dekker had covid, we said if everyone came down sick, we’d all hole up downstairs and watch Hamilton together. While we are not ALL sick, Dekker will go back to school next week and we’re not sure if the others are going with him or not. Still awaiting some results. But we figured, if there was a time to do it, that time was now!
So today, after breakfast, we surprised them all and everyone snuggled up downstairs for a movie day.
Not only was this special because its a movie we’ve talked SO much about, or that they already know it backwards and forwards, but its also a real treat for our kids who almost never watch tv.
I have to admit, I was actually a little teary as we started watching it. My heart so badly wants them to love theatre the way I do. Even just one of them! Whoever I can get! Hahaha! I want them to love what they love, but I have such an ache for theatre, and I hope they do too.
I can tell you one thing – they were fascinated by the setting! The fact that it is acted in the setting of a broadway play rather than your standard movie was something I figured they’d either really like or really hate. But they were focused.
This won’t make sense unless you’ve seen it, but…
Dekker LOVED the king. LOVED the king. He caught lots of the jokes and belly laughed his way through those songs.
Laela loves the Schuyler sisters. All of them. She actually told me she loved them before they even came on screen, so it wasn’t just about their dresses or dancing. She knew them from the songs. Those sisters are powerhouses, so she is bang on correct for loving them so much.
Rowan was glued to the screen 100% of the time. I could hardly get him to speak to me. He was so swept up in it. My little lefty. My artist. Naturally he’s the one whose gaze I could not break.
Solomon had a stronger attention span for it than I thought he would! He said he really liked the kings “stick” (his sceptre that he carried) but that is VERY Solly. At one point, Solly sang along loudly with the lyrics. He said “What time is it?” And the rest of the kids sang back, with the actors, “SHOWTIME!” I loved that so much.
Wavy was just enamoured. She loved everything. The king – his crown was really cool. The sisters – they had nice dresses. George Washington – he looked sad. She wanted to know why. She was just swept right up in it. At one point, Dekker moved to sit somewhere else, and Wavy moved into his spot so she could be closer.
I tipped the kids off along the way as to what was happening. The entire play is in song, so there isn’t lots of clear dialogue to help the young ones out. But it didn’t matter. They knew the words, and could just watch and enjoy it.
It was an incredible way to spend the morning. We watched the first half of the movie (Its THREE HOURS!) and we plan to watch the rest this afternoon. I’m so looking forward to it. We don’t do much tv here at all, but its incredibly enjoyable to make it into a family event.
Lastly, my plug for Hamilton. Its on Disney+, and it is incredibly enjoyable. If you actually want to understand it, and don’t know the history behind it, give a super quick read to know who Alexander Hamilton was, who was in his life, etc. And then just soak up the musical. Because its genius! Informative, cohesive, hilarious, suspenseful, etc. The list goes on. Cannot get enough of this.
I hope today is restful for you in some way. If not, I suggest you wind down tonight with a movie. Perhaps after…
Some of you get it 😉