Our Hamilton Manila Experience
I was never a Hamilton fan, and I still do not consider myself as one. Sy, however, is a huge Hamilton fan. Humongous. He actually sat me down and forced me to watch it on Disney+ before (100% against my will lol). So, when I heard that the musical was coming to Manila, I made sure to book tickets for him right away.
To be honest, though, I actually tried to get out of it - all the way to the day of. I asked Sy if he could maybe watch with my mom instead, but he wasn't having it.
And so, with a heavy heart (wow drama), we headed to The Theatre at Solaire to watch the show. The upside in my head was that I'd get to watch David Park as Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson. Spoiler: as my luck goes, he ended up not being there on the night we watched. Lol.
Fast forward to us sitting in the Grab. As we were on the way to Solaire, Sy mentioned how excited he was to watch Lin Manuel Miranda... and I panicked. I don't know why I assumed Sy knew that musicals don't work that way; but well, he didn't know. I had to explain that we weren't, in fact, on the way to watch Lin Manuel Miranda; and in true single-mom fashion, I felt like a failure.
When we got to Solaire, however, I knew that I had worried for nothing. Sy started taking photos of literally everything (something he never does): the signs, the merch, heck, even the escalators.
And when we got to the merch store, he was like a kid in a candy store. Let's be honest: musical merch is never cheap, so I was set on buying him the cheapest thing there.
But then he mentioned that his friend was flaunting a Hamilton keychain at school; so obviously, I felt the need to one-up that kid's parents (even though I have no idea who they are lol) and got him a hoodie. Money well spent, though, because Sy wouldn't shut up about how comfy it was (he wore it right away during the show).And the minute we entered the theater? My goodness. His face lit up like no other!
Now, it has to be said that, as a self-proclaimed non-fan, I warned Sy that I might fall asleep coz I was hella tired and even asked him not to wake me up in the event that I do... but by the end of Act I, I. Was. In. Tears. Like, bawling-my-ass-out type of tears.
And that's when I remembered why I'm not a fan of Hamilton. While it's true that I don't listen to rap, the main reason why I can't love Hamilton is because of how close it hits home. I hate how I see myself in Eliza (and sometimes even in Alexander Hamilton). I hate how the lyrics of Eliza's songs hit me in a way I can't even describe. And mygahd, do I hate Alexander Hamilton!
By the end of the show, my eyes were so red and puffy, we had to go to the restroom so I could freshen up and get myself together.
The thing is: I had been having trouble crying lately. In fact, the last time I cried was when I was in Europe, so even Sy was a bit surprised. I know I cry a lot when I watch musicals, but Hamilton is different. Hamilton fills my heart with anger and hate, which I guess you could say is the mark of a great musical, but I could never watch it or listen to it of my own accord.
Anyway, after the show, I pretended our Grab was waiting so that Sy would run with me to the parking lot. Naturally, I had to give him the full musical experience; and there, he got to get autographs and take pictures with the cast members. He wasn't expecting it, so the experience was extra special for him. I had honestly never seen him so happy and it made me wish I could go back to a time where I felt the same way when meeting celebs.
In the end, I was more than happy that I went. I got to witness pure bliss on my kid's face. I got to release tears that had been pent-up for months. And the show ignited a fire in Sy that I wish had been ignited before. For the first time ever, he has asked me to take him to more musicals. And as a girl who grew up with an aunt in West End, you can only imagine how esctatic I am to be sharing this beautiful world with him. Here's to more musical experiences with you, my not-so-mini me. I love you!
