soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2016-09-08 08:41 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2016-09-08 08:41 pm
Hamilton: The Revolution, by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
learntocheat bought the Hamiltome! So obviously I read it asap. A thoroughly enjoyable book, a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Hamilton along with lyrics annotations by the author himself. And lots of photos.
The thing that struck me most while reading the book was that while yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius who did a hell of a lot of work to bring this musical to life, it would never have happened without a whole team of people who all contributed in a whole bunch of different important ways. It really is a team effort to create something like Hamilton.
The other thing is how from the beginning there were so many people excited about this show and eager to somehow be a part of it, even when there wasn't even a show yet! This whole book is basically a love letter to musical theatre nerds who care deeply and passionately about good theatre and put a lot of effort into making it happen and supporting each other through the process. So great.
Also I really enjoyed Miranda's lyrics annotations! There's some really charming notes in there, and some interesting thoughts.
And the pictures throughout that illustrate the whole thing are just stunning. There's a lot of beautiful shots of individual cast members in some extraordinary pose in the middle of dancing their way through the show and I loved it.
The book is also just really pretty as a book. Large and well-constructed and with a proper binding. And I am just too delighted by the title page inside the book, which is done in the style of period books with a 31-word-long title in at least five different font sizes.
In all, it's the kind of book that would be of no interest to people who don't care about the musical, but for fans of the musical it is GREAT.
But ultimately, you know, what I care about is the musical, so although the story behind it is interesting, I can't imagine myself ever feeling motivated to reread this book. Whereas I have listened to that musical an uncountable number of times since I decided to give it a try.
The thing that struck me most while reading the book was that while yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius who did a hell of a lot of work to bring this musical to life, it would never have happened without a whole team of people who all contributed in a whole bunch of different important ways. It really is a team effort to create something like Hamilton.
The other thing is how from the beginning there were so many people excited about this show and eager to somehow be a part of it, even when there wasn't even a show yet! This whole book is basically a love letter to musical theatre nerds who care deeply and passionately about good theatre and put a lot of effort into making it happen and supporting each other through the process. So great.
Also I really enjoyed Miranda's lyrics annotations! There's some really charming notes in there, and some interesting thoughts.
And the pictures throughout that illustrate the whole thing are just stunning. There's a lot of beautiful shots of individual cast members in some extraordinary pose in the middle of dancing their way through the show and I loved it.
The book is also just really pretty as a book. Large and well-constructed and with a proper binding. And I am just too delighted by the title page inside the book, which is done in the style of period books with a 31-word-long title in at least five different font sizes.
In all, it's the kind of book that would be of no interest to people who don't care about the musical, but for fans of the musical it is GREAT.
But ultimately, you know, what I care about is the musical, so although the story behind it is interesting, I can't imagine myself ever feeling motivated to reread this book. Whereas I have listened to that musical an uncountable number of times since I decided to give it a try.