Cambridge and Hamilton

My Day at Cambridge and Hamilton

We started our Tuesday with a trip to Cambridge. As a group, we took a special kind of flat bottomed boat called a punt down The River Cam on a tour. Our tour guide, Cameron, explained our surroundings which included some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Trinity College, St. John's rival, is the largest, wealthiest, and most academically successful college in Cambridge. Founded by King Henry VIII, a man known for having high expectations, Trinity College is the biggest and best of all of the universities. Academic standards are high, as 34 noble lawyers including Earnest Rutherford had received their education at Trinity College.

Another interesting fact that Cameron shared is about the Wren Library. The Wren Library holds 300,000 books in its protected archive. The windows in the library are placed higher than the books to prevent distracting students from looking at the river while studying. This library contains the first edition annotated copy of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. It also houses the first ever sketch of Winnie the Pooh, as well as two early Shakespeare editions. 

Following our Cambridge river tour, I attended Hamilton with two of my peers at the Victoria Palace West End Theater. One of the most unique elements of Hamilton is the experimentation with musicality and tempo. This comes in both the music and dance. There are raps sprinkled throughout the soundtrack, which are unique for a musical. Hamilton (the musical) was revolutionary in many ways beyond the Revolutionary War. Daveed Diggs, the original actor for Thomas Jefferson, won a world record for the fastest rap performance on Broadway in which he rapped 19 words in just 3 seconds. The discography includes a variety of ballads, raps, classic jazz, and historical instrumentation. The choreography, aside from mixing a plethora of genres, has moments of quick and rapid movement like a petite allegro and moments of suspension and stillness as a symbolic element. The slow movement mirrors that of the classic "matrix" backbend move. The mixture of choreographic styles including modern, hip hop (krumping), tap (times step), ballet, ballroom, swing, and jazz showcased the diverse ability of the entire ensemble.

The whole cast was phenomenal, but I'd like to offer a special kudos to two performers that exhibited pure mastery. Shan Ako, the actress in the role of Eliza, has a soft and articulate voice and delivers her lines with passion, emotion, and expertise. She surely knows how to move an audience. Reuben Joseph, the actor in the role of Alexander, found a way to emulate the skill, dialect, and mannerisms of Lin Manuel Miranda (the original actor in the role of Alexander Hamilton as well as the writer and producer of the musical) whilst establishing his individuality as a performer. 

The costume design was historically accurate with a modern twist, mostly consisting of sepia-toned hues sprinkled with some pastels on the women and jewel tones on the men. The corseting and wiring of the skirts along with the structuring of the war uniforms allowed for the perfect balance of beautiful and timeless, emphasizing historical fashion. The set itself is unmatched by any show I've seen before. The revolving stage is a core aspect of the show, allowing the audience to note when characters are having a flashback/ "rewind," feeling overwhelmed, or showcasing how the world continues to move around a character despite them feeling stuck.

To say the least, it was the best £50 I ever spent. There seems to be a lot of irony in the fact that we saw Hamilton, a musical about America's founding fathers and history of the Revolutionary War, in England rather than our "homeland;" Call us traitors! Nevertheless it was fantastic. A must see to all travels that make it to the West End.