Thanks to Santa, Maddy and I recently got another theater day together. We didn’t immediately fall in love with Hamilton the way the rest of the world seemed to after it debuted. I thought the concept was interesting, but didn’t really start listening to the soundtrack until Maddy did. I don’t know why it took me so long to fall in love with it – probably because we were too busy with Dear Evan Hansen! But, it’s definitely one of our favorites now.

When Hamilton debuted on Disney+ we held a family viewing party. The original Broadway cast of Hamilton may be one of the most talented ever. When Lin Manuel Miranda is the least talented of the bunch, you know you’ve got a phenomenal cast.

Maddy has been dying to see Hamilton ever since, but they’re often hard tickets to come by. Luckily, Santa made it happen and Maddy let me tag along.

The last show we saw was Hadestown, and well, that may be my favorite thing I’ve ever seen. We weren’t sure how the touring cast of Hamilton would compare to the original. While there is nothing like that cast ( I mean, really, it’s just not fair to anyone ever again for the rest of time that all those people got to perform together and create such a masterpiece), we were happy that this cast could keep up with the original.

While there is nothing like Phillipa Soo or Daveed Diggs, this touring cast definitely does the show justice. When we got to the theater, we noticed that one of the understudies was going to be Aaron Burr. My favorite song of the show is Wait for It, so I was curious how this performer would do. But you guys, Neptune was the best part of the show! He was by far my favorite vocalist. I have no idea how he does it – as a swing, he has to know several lead roles and be ready to go on for any of them. That is mindblowing to me – he could be Thomas Jefferson one day and Aaron Burr the next. These are some of the most difficult roles to play, and if what we saw is any indication, Neptune deserves a long and successful career. Maddy still claims I bruised her arm from gripping too tightly during Wait for It.

Having seen the Disney+ recorded version of the original show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, as usual, live theater just gets you in the feels in a way that watching on TV can’t. The tears you guys – I did NOT expect to cry as much as I did. I didn’t think I’d make it through Dear Theodosia. Sitting next to my girl, listening to two parents sing about their love for their children…ugh, so many tears. And then Quiet Uptown – so quietly powerful and moving. It definitely solidifies that Eliza is the heroine of this story.

And can we talk about Alexander – I mean, he was kind of just a conceited jerk, right? Maddy and I had an interesting discussion at dinner. What is more unforgivable – cheating on your wife, or knowing your son is going off to a dual to probably die and not trying to stop him? Being in love with your sister-in-law? Being so focused on your reputation that you put your marriage at risk (over and over again)? And eventually, being so focused on yourself and your place in history that it leads to your death?

As with any good theater piece, Hamilton makes you feel and question and cry. To do that with a subject we’re all relatively familiar with is an exceptional thing.

Hamilton should definitely be added to the list of shows you need to see once in your lifetime. I was once again happy to have another theater day with my best biggest girl.