Lin at the White House, and Making the Decision To Go to New York

For any non initiates, I think the following video, shot at a Spoken Word performance at the White House in 2009, is an excellent place to start. This clip shows an early version of Hamilton, the opening song, an early version of the vision - at this point just planned to be a set of songs making up a "mixtape".

Just like the Obamas and others in the audience watching, you can witness for yourself that there is something incredibly unique and bizarre and compelling going on here. it is evident that Lin-Manuel Miranda is a force to be reckoned with. Like Alexander Hamilton himself apparently was.

Lin-Manuel Miranda performs at the White House 2009.

http://youtu.be/WNFf7nMIGnE

When Miles and I returned home from my niece's birthday party in April, we once again sat side by side at the computer. Miles held his iPhone playing the soundtrack while we looked for articles or videos we hadn't yet seen. 

Suddenly he paused the playing song and said "It makes me really sad to think that next year when Hamilton comes to San Francisco, Lin-Manuel won't be with them. None of them will." His head was bent looking down at the iPhone in his hand, his voice sounded as if he might begin to cry.

"That's right," I said softly. "The original cast does not tour with the show." 

We sat there for a minute, in silence, as Miles got used to this newly realized reality, and I began to create a different one.  It was this cast Miles knew, this cast that was making history on Broadway. It was this cast that drove Miles to choose "singing" as his first choice elective next year ("These guys have so much range. When I sing along I can't reach the same notes.  I want to be a better singer.")

We had to go to New York.

One can rationalize a lot of different things. This was a moment in time, I told myself, a musical captivating my musical son, a moment on the cusp of Miles becoming a surly teenager where he might not want to go on vacation with his mom. Miles was about to graduate from 8th grade so the trip and the show could be a graduation present. It could be a pat on the back for getting into the fine High School he was selected to for the Fall. A neighbor family had just started having Miles babysit so he could earn some of the money to contribute. He and Frank were planning a sidewalk sale where he could sell old toys and games. He might get some money for graduating as well. Could Miles be talked into a crowd funding plea to friends and family?! (The answer there was no. When the question was posed to him he said "why would anyone want to give me money to see Hamilton?") 

I had been trying to get back to New York for six years - this would be a great reason to do it!

Question: If one blows nearly the whole vacation budget on theater tickets, how cheaply can one "do" New York? We'd have to see.

After Miles went to bed I looked again at the date I had considered, Tuesday May 31st, 2016. Miles would graduate on May 24th and we could fly to New York on the 26th. I had an airline credit that had to be used by August - that would help.

I selected the least expensive (ha!) tickets that weren't all the way in the nosebleed section, in the last row in the mezzanine, stage right (equivalent to about row Q, but up a level.) Feeling a moment of panic at this extremely extravagant move, I bought two tickets. 

One can rationalize a lot of different things.