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 Theater 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
portmanteux’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
birthdate, 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 I 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, MA at
the time, and we had randomly hopped on the Flix-bus for a quick New York
getaway during Harvard’s Spring break. We arrived mid-day, just in time for the
matinee. Still ticketless at the time, we decided to try our luck for “Standing Room
Only” tickets. The SRO-line forms right outside the theatre 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 hat 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 would worth it. Whether at
Orchestra in Westend, 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-fan base, 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 a much more profound sense
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 for
the first time 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 face this reality and incorporate it into their
performance is a rare opportunity for Lin-Manuel Miranda to elevate his melodic
masterpiece beyond Philippine playbills and into Filipino history books.

The Philippines is a country of historical moments desperately in need of a

movement. And musicals on history can make it too. The question that remains is
whether LMM will take a shot.