**Observations on having seen Hamilton**

Sorry, kids, I'm not as gaga over this as you are, but I liked it. I wasn't prepared to but I must confess, I really liked it. I still don't like hip hop or rap or whatever you call it today, but the music wasn't bad at all. I liked the mix of styles and I liked the story. The book was genius and I think I would put this in the category of opera, really. If you count rap/hip-hop as a musical form, then it was all music and focused on the story telling with less emphasis on the dialogue. That is the definition of opera. And I'm sure there will be those who disagree with my view -- but it felt like opera to me. I don't care. I liked it. A wonderful cast. Absolutely wonderful and the chemistry between every single actor was amazing. And electric. As much as I liked Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odam Jr, I think that the breakouts and walkaway actors were Christopher Jackson as George Washington and Jonathan Groff as King George. Groff pretty much walked away with it in his back pocket. But Jackson was...wow. "Brilliant" is too tame a word. His "One Last Time" was such a strong moment that it actually had me in tears. Jackson had me in tears. And I will say this -- Lin-Manuel Miranda has changed the face of musical theater. And I say good for him. As much as I love my traditional, I think this was brave and innovative and bold and brash, and a welcome change. There was so much energy, so much emotion in the music and story, that it's quite easy to see why those who love the show, really really LOVE THE SHOW. And get very fanatical about it. I don't join you in that but I see how and why. I might watch it a time or two more. If you have Disney+, you'll want to see this. If you don't, sign up for the free week and watch this. It's worth at least one viewing. You'll end up forgetting about the quibbles of musical styles and the dialogue being somewhat anachronistic and casting not quite historical -- you'll forget all of that and get caught up in the moment. A historical figure for a new age and if the show gets you more interested in how this country began, if it gives you the urge to find out more of how things work and where we came from, then it's done its job. Five out of five stars for Hamilton.