#MicroblogMondays: Worth the wait :)

Three years ago today!

I had a chuckle this morning. I had a look at my Facebook memories, and saw this screenshot from my email, posted exactly three years ago today, along with the glum caption, "Well, there goes Hamilton." ☹

And I chuckled, because we FINALLY -- 3+ years later! -- made it to "The Room Where it Happens" yesterday! 

The Princess of Wales Theatre in downtown Toronto, specifically (where I've previously seen productions of "Beauty and the Beast," "Chess" and "The Book of Mormon") -- where "Hamilton" is (finally!) back, playing to packed audiences. 

Yesterday was: 

• 1,254 days -- almost three & a half years! -- since I first bought tickets to see "Hamilton" (on October 26, 2019). 
• 1,136 days since the last time I rode the subway to downtown Toronto (for a mammogram)(albeit we drove through the area recently, taking BIL & SIL to an appointment).  
• 1,094 days since all remaining performances of the run that had barely begun in late February 2020 were cancelled (on April 3 2020 -- see the image, left).  
• 1,058 days (almost 3 years) since we were originally supposed to see "Hamilton" (on May 9, 2020). 
• Almost 950 days since Mirvish Productions announced that "Hamilton" would return (late August 2021). 
• About 9 months since "Hamilton"'s return was confirmed (in June 2022). 
• 167 days (more than five months) since I got new tickets (October 17, 2022). 

The pandemic might have thrown a wet blanket over my excitement about getting tickets and the prospect of going-- it wasn't the thrill it was, the second time around -- but, happily, it didn't diminish our enjoyment of the performance.  :)  The show itself was definitely worth the wait.  The "And Peggy" touring company cast (one of three out there right now) put on a fabulous show. It was a Sunday afternoon matinee, and the title character was played by an understudy. He was good -- but to be honest, I found the character of Aaron Burr far more interesting -- and the actor/singer who played him frankly blew poor Hamilton out of the water. (George Washington was pretty fabulous too... and King George III provided comic relief, lol.)  

I knew Hamilton's son died in a duel -- and yes, I cried then -- but I wasn't prepared for "Dear Theodosia" -- or all the talk about "legacy" (I knew the line "who lives, who dies, who tells your story" -- but I didn't know it was Washington who sang it). As we left the theatre and came outside into the bright sunshine, I had to take off my mask to blow my nose (having wiped my eyes inside, lol).  

(I have a few friends here who have already seen it and didn't think it lived up to the hype. They complained that it was hard to follow the lyrics, and the story. I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of rap/hiphop, but in this case, I thought it worked well. I'll also admit I might be more well versed in American history than some Canadians -- albeit I think many of us are probably better acquainted with American history than our own country's, (no) thanks to the overwhelming influence of U.S. culture here.)  

I was slightly nervous about the subway ride downtown, given a recent increase in violent incidents on the transit system (not to mention the risks posed by the ongoing pandemic...), but both trips (going there and coming home) were uneventful. We wore our masks for almost 6 hours straight, taking them off only for the short walk from the subway station to the theatre (and vice-versa), and to pop a mint in my mouth during intermission.  

I've missed going to the theatre. It's something we both enjoy doing (dh thoroughly enjoyed this one too) -- and I thought we'd be doing more of it in retirement than we have -- albeit we did see a few shows, pre-covid. Here's to many more to come!  

Local press reviews:  

• Toronto Star: "‘Hamilton’ is back in Toronto and it really is that good" 
• The Globe & Mail:  "Hamilton’s return to Toronto proves well worth the wait"

"Hamilton," at last!!  

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.