Eroding Pit In Their Stomachs - Hamilton Review by Sofie Olhoft

 Sofie Olhoft - Eroding Pit In Their Stomachs

Hamilton serves as a reminder to all those enjoying it that heart-warming passion will always thrive on stage. It reignites the love for theater that so many of us are fortunate to preserve and pass on. On the 11th of April, 2023, I attended Hamilton at the Orpheum. What I saw was nothing short of beautiful. With every note, every step, every head turn, you could feel that all those on stage were doing what they loved, and this same feeling seeped into the crowd of amazed onlookers.

One heartfelt performance that set the tone for the show was that of Angelica Schuyler (played by Reanne Acasio). During “Satisfied” you could just feel the heartache and regret of the character in her powerful vibrato. Acasio managed to fit every bit of that pain into the fast words and belts of the song until everyone in the audience had that same eroding pit in their stomach that she did. There were breaks in the singing where away from the powerful belts, there were emotional cracks in her voice. It set the mood of the rest of the show.

We can also see love for theater in Lafayette's performance during “Gun and Ships” (played by Jorrel Javier). There’s an excitement on stage as Javier throws these words out with impeccable annunciation. It’s a fun song, and made even better when Javier brings his love for the song into the performance by smiling and jumping around.

The harmonies, though, brought the energy to this show. When listening to these songs at home or on a phone or computer, you can hear the harmonies, but you can’t feel them. In the theater, you could feel the harmonies until you had chills run all the way down to your pinkies. They made me feel closer to the stage, as if I was standing there with the characters.

The lighting wasn’t lost on me either. There was an abundant use of dappled lights to paint the picture of Hamilton. They were used for things like stone paths to windows to just plain old lighting. It was a new and unique way to frame a performance without using just a plain spotlight shining on the actors, and it was a choice I admire.

Hamilton isn’t just a show about the Founding Fathers or the creation of the United States of America, it's about passion. Just like we see the passion of Hamilton or Burr wanting to create a legacy. In this show we see a passion for theater. The audience experiences this with the cast, the smiling and laughing and the pits in our stomach. It’s a reminder that theater is made to be fun and to be enjoyed, not just by the audience but by the cast members too. It’s a reminder to follow what makes you happy. It’s a reminder that the heart-warming passion thrives not only on stage, but in the audience as well.