Hamilton (Broadway, July 7)

• "Alexander Hamilton": you saw this at the Grammys, but today instead of Laurens sending Alexander off to New York with just a hand-clasp and eye-fucking, Laurens gave him a shoulder bag. (I need an analysis of who gives Alexander coats etc. throughout the play; some of it is logistics but not all of it.)
  
  
• "Aaron Burr, Sir": Burr is holding an open book when Alexander approaches. A little less pointed on "I'm not stupid."
  
  
• "My Shot": I thought there was a video of this online somewhere in the staged version, but it's not coming up on a quick search. When Burr comes into the song, he hands out shots of booze to the other four. Also, I could've sworn the cast recording was "You want Britain to keep shitting on on us endlessly," but apparently it's "Meanwhile, Britain keeps," which I heard more clearly today. And when Laurens starts the "rise up" bit, he mimes convincing an ensemble member.
  
  
• "The Story of Tonight": after "My Shot" crashes to an end, the lights (I think) come back up on the four singing a bit of the whoa-whoa refrain as a transition.
  
  
• "The Schuyler Sisters": oh my gosh Peggy is so cute here in her reluctance.
  
  
• "Farmer Refuted": Alexander is heading up to Farmer when Burr says "let him be," and then Lafayette, especially, eggs him on. By the end they are fighting for space on the literal soapbox.
  
  
• "You'll Be Back": everyone leaves and King George sings most of this standing stock-still (and pulling a hilarious face after "why so sad?"). He does a very little bit of dancing toward the end.
  
  
• "Right Hand Man": non-verbal transition: there's one ensemble member left on stage (I think when King George is still on); for some reason I formed the impression that she was a spy. At any rate, a redcoat kills her, which does a lot to move the tone between the two songs. Washington holds a quill out to Alexander as he waits for his answer; later, when Alexander comes back, he hands Alexander a sword; and he holds out a quill again during "One Last Time." And watching Burr have to walk out really drives that rejection home in a way that the implicit exit on the cast recording doesn't.
  
  
• "A Winter's Ball": Alexander actually meets Angelica and kisses her hand during Burr's verse referencing the sisters.
  
  
• "Helpless": no growly bit at the end of Alexander's part. Washington gives Alexander the wedding ring (and dances with Angelica earlier in the song).
  
  
• "Satisfied": I haven't been mentioning much about the choreography because I lack vocabulary, but the rewind/parallel movement here is mind-blowing.
  
  
• "The Story of Tonight (Reprise)": it's nice to see the warmth on Alexander's face, because honestly to me their friendship, or Alexander's feelings of friendship toward Burr at least, don't really come across that clearly on the cast recording.
  
  
• "Wait for It": this also starts out with Burr very still and alone, if I'm not mistaken. Ends on blackout?
  
  
• "Stay Alive": During the Battle of Monmouth, Washington is on the second story and Lee is on the first; Lee retreats upstairs to deliver his condemnation of Washington.
  
  
• "Ten Duel Commandments": you've seen this one, too (it's really remarkably close given that the ground wasn't turning).
  
  
• "Meet Me Inside": after Alexander blurts "Call me son one more time," he kind of shrinks and puts his hands together in supplication. Washington gets in his space when ordering him home.
  
  
• "That Would Be Enough": nice subtle job on the pregnancy belly. Staged just the two of them on a stone-looking bench.
  
  
• "Guns and Ships": attempts slight misdirection on the "immigrant you know and love" by having a bunch of people around Lafayette, who's bent over a desk; Stewart is bald so this probably works a little better when it's two people with dark hair in those roles.
  
  
• "History Has Its Eyes on You": (the division between these two songs is really pretty arbitrary, isn't it?) There's the sword.
  
  
• "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)": you've seen this, too.
  
  
• "What Comes Next?": King George wanders on while they're still clearing the stage from the last song and has to dodge people. On "I'm so blue," he stomps his foot and the lighting changes.
  
  
• "Dear Theodosia": sung sitting in two chairs facing directly into the audience; Hamilton brings his chair out partway into Burr's first verse. Burr crosses himself when he comes back into the song.
  
  
• "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us": you've read this one. Transitions directly out of the chairs of last song; Burr may still be on stage when it starts.
  
  
• "Non-Stop": pretty sure Burr gives Alexander his fancy lawyer coat to start this. Angelica's verse is delivered with her on Alexander's arm as he walks her to the ship and they look longingly at each other. Washington asks Alexander to join his administration from the second story, with Eliza on the other side; she rushes downstairs after he agrees.
  
  
• "What'd I Miss": The staircase is moved to the center to start the second act, and Burr goes backwards up it during his verse; Odom nearly tripped near the top, but caught himself. When Alexander introduces himself, he shoves in front of Washington, who is holding out his hand, and is given a "WTF?" look by Jefferson.
  
  
• "Cabinet Battle #1": hand-held mics come out; an ensemble member has them in a wooden box and presents them to the debaters. I think this is the one where Jefferson drops the mic (into Madison's hand).
  
  
• "Take a Break": no, really, you were being offered an emotional threesome, Alex. Also, Philip is just as cute as you think.
  
  
• "Say No to This": the ensemble as Greek chorus is really apparent here.
  
  
• "The Room Where It Happens": during the dinner Alexander is frantically pouring wine for Jefferson & Madison, before they agree and toast.
  
  
• "Schuyler Defeated": Philip and Eliza are on the second story; Burr and Alexander on the first.
  
  
• "Cabinet Battle #2": Burr being with Alexander in the last song gives him a reason, sort of, to be at this Cabinet Battle, even though he's a Senator . . .
  
  
• "Washington On Your Side": . . . which is why he gets to stare off-stage and wist about how it would be nice to have Washington etc. And then Jefferson comes in and stares in the same direction. The staging on this shows how Burr is kind of an interloper / late addition to the Jefferson + Madison dynamic.
  
  
• "One Last Time": the quill, again. The overlapping verse doesn't really work for me on the cast recording; it works a little better live as they aren't mixed equally loud.
  
  
• "I Know Him": Washington walks off as King George walks on. The ensemble member who whispers the news about Adams mugs hilariously and then wipes it off her face when George disapproves. At the end of the song she brings out a stool and he makes her reposition it right behind him so he can stay and watch for a bit.
  
  
• "The Adams Administration": Alexander drops his published response from the second story.
  
  
• "We Know": I don't actually think I have anything to say about this?
  
  
• "Hurricane": the lighting on this is particularly striking.
  
  
• "The Reynolds Pamphlet": I don't think any pamphlets made it into the audience, despite King George and Jefferson strewing them everywhere.
  
  
• "Burn": it looks like actual fire when she puts the letter into the lantern and then drops it burning into the bucket; the flames then flare up briefly but it goes out very quickly; I imagine the inside of the bucket is treated to cause that for safety reasons. Also Phillipa Soo delivers most of the last verse on her knees and still kills it.
  
  
• "Blow Us All Away": Eacker's up on the second story.
  
  
• "Stay Alive (reprise)": be glad the cast recording omits Eliza's scream at the end. (It's a little bit of a cheat to have them in black when they first arrive.)
  
  
• "It's Quiet Uptown": I was too busy wiping my face to applaud properly.
  
  
• "The Election of 1800": Odom Jr.'s face while campaigning is a wonder. It really looks like it could freeze like that. Hamilton announces his endorsement from the second story, with Burr and Jefferson at opposite corners of the stage at the front.
  
  
• "Your Obedient Servant": ensemble members waft the letters back and forth; Hamilton's itemized list of thirty years of disagreements gets handed over sheet by sheet by sheet.
  
  
• "Best of Wives and Best of Women": I got nothing.
  
  
• "The World Was Wide Enough": Philip appears on the "same spot my son died" line. During Hamilton's monologue, I believe I remember seeing compressed visual references to "My Shot" and maybe some other things I can't remember what else now; I don't remember where Laurens is, upstairs or down; his mother is probably down because she's always signified by two ensemble members holding her up stiffly on her side; Washington may come shake his hand? Eliza definitely comes out and they spin around each other. This part doesn't quite work for me on the recording, and also works better live, though I still don't love it.
  
  
• "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story": I really regret that in the cast recording, it's hard to hear that it goes from "your story" to "Will they tell our story?" to "Will they tell my story?" At least because I was close I could see the difference. Also, full-out wibbly-mouth sobbing.

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