Perhaps I should preface this post by saying that I understand that not everyone appreciates musicals, whether on the Broadway and off-Broadway stages or on the big screen. I am not none of these people. Since my early teens, I have been fully and completely enamored with stage musicals after my mother took me to see a touring version of Les Mis. From the way the stage rotated and the set depicting the barricade came together like a three-dimensional puzzle and with all of this wonder being overlaid with music that captured the complex story of the tome of a novel, I was hooked. That appreciation soon evolved to include movie musicals, in large part because I love the way music adds to a story and evokes the emotions of a story. I love the intricacies and layers of a musical-based story.
Because we live too far from New York City, my opportunities to attend Broadway shows are limited to the touring versions, and, while I also appreciate those, I have been spoiled by living in Boston where plays and musicals debuted even if with less frequency than on New York’s bigger stages. Of course because New York City was only a couple of hours by train, I enjoyed as many shows in New York as in Boston. So, when the buzz of Hamilton’s debut and subsequent popularity started growing, I experienced a great deal of FOMO around longing to find a way to see the show with all of the original actors in each of the major roles.
When I learned that they had created a movie version of the show by filming during three different time periods and that the film would be released on Disney+ on July 3, 2020, I knew exactly where I would be on that day. I couldn’t wait. Since that July 3 movie debut, my girls and I have watched Hamilton many, many times. I also took the opportunity of the 10th anniversary to watch it in the movie theater and enjoy the characters being larger than life and singing in surround sound even though the girls and I had just watched it together a few days previously.
Maybe it’s because the music and song lyrics were so fresh in my mind that when my 17 year old told me I should write an autobiography, I immediately heard Christopher Jackson’s voice as President George Washington singing the words:
Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory
You have no control
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?
(and a little later, another similar refrain)
And when you’re gone, who remembers your name?
Who keeps your flame?
Who tells your story?
Who tells your story?
Who tells your story?
Throughout the musical, we are witness to this idea of legacy and being remembered for who we are, or at least who we are in our own minds, in other words, how we see ourselves. But we are reminded in the wake of Hamilton’s death that we have no control over who will tell our story or how. And, so, I found it quite sweet that my oldest suggested I tell my story and that her sister wholeheartedly agreed. I love that they had a whole idea for how I should go about creating an autobiography that captures my life and my story and that they believe me worthy of such a project.
This idea is obviously tied to how often I tell stories from my teenage life to help my girls see I understand at least a little bit what they are going through. I also use some of my anecdotes to illustrate some of the ways our choices influence our circumstances and therefore our life. It’s always fun for me to see their reactions to my life stories. Sometimes it’s laughter, sometimes it’s incredulity, sometimes it’s shock or surprise. There are times there is a mixture of all of these.
Whatever their response, I am curious how these stories, these moments from my life, play out in their minds and how those moments eventually will influence how they remember me. I do believe they will be like Eliza for Alexander Hamilton, being the ones who can more closely tell my stories based on their connection to me and the days we have shared. Still, it is an intriguing idea my girls have planted, writing my story and sharing it outside our family. However intriguing, I’m not quite sure I’m ready to say I’m not throwing away my shot. But, with the support and encouragement of these two remarkable young women, I may at least consider taking that shot.