"HAMILTON" NOT TO BE MISSED AT THE BUSHNELL

DON’T MISS “HAMILTON” AT THE BUSHNELL Alexander Hamilton was born out of wedlock in the Caribbean and sought his fortunes in a new land, America, achieving great successes as well as attracting powerful enemies. His complicated story will be brilliantly told at Hartford’s Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, as “Hamilton,” an epic musical crafted by Lin-Manuel Miranda, until Sunday, July 10. Beginning life as a poor orphan with Scottish blood, Hamilton comes to the land of opportunity, America, to become an original Founding Father, a financial wizard, an astute stratagist in war, a powerful writer and orator and the right hand man for the first President George Washington. Pierre Jean Gonzalez’s Hamilton manages to rise from poverty with a goal of making a difference, of becoming a man of significance, a scholar, a lawyer, a statesman, a man who defiantly believes “I am not throwing away my shot.” Early on in America, he meets and is befriended by Jared Dixon’s Aaron Burr, a man who soon exhibits signs of jealousy, trapped by a competition he knows he cannot win. As a Founding Father along side Washington (Marcus Choi) Thomas Jefferson (Warren Egypt Franklin) and James Madison (Desmond Sean Ellington), Hamilton is quickly swept up in a revolution against Britain’s King George (Neil Haskell), helping to plan the siege of Yorktown. He finds time to marry Eliza Schuyler (Stephanie Jae Park), often choosing his dedication to his country over his family. As a co-author of the Federalist Papers and his selection as Secretary of the Treasury to the new nation, he engages in an affair that will later be used as ammunition to bring down his star. His ideas incur the wrath of many of his cohorts and ultimately lead to his death in a duel with Aaron Burr. This historical epic will cement Alexander Hamilton’s importance in the story of our heritage, originally taken from a novel penned by Ron Chernow that Miranda read while on vacation in the Caribbean in 2004, on his honeymoon. The show incorporates statesmen, suitors, sisters, sacred trusts, scandal, successes, shots, slaves, subjects, strategy, surprises, service, skirmishes, seduction, scoundrels and a stunning story. Clearly Hamilton is the tale of America’s complicated history. A cast of cultural diversity with constant movement on stage rules the day. Incorporating hip hop, rhythm and blues, Broadway show tunes, jazz and soul, “Hamilton” enjoys a grand set created by David Korins, period costumes designed by Paul Tazewell, illumination by Howell Binkley, sound mastered by Nevin Steinberg, orchestration by Alex Lacamoire, clever choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and superb direction by Thomas Kail. “Hamilton” has won an impressive number of awards: Grammys, Tonys, Drama Desk and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A ticket lottery for $10 is held every day for 40 lucky recipients. Go to http://hamiltonmusical.com/app to register. Also check bushnell.com regularly for late release seats. Try to be one of the 66,000 patrons who will see this production at the Bushnell over its 3 week run. It is not a show to be missed. For tickets ($59 and up), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Masks are required. Come be caught up in the dramatic magic of the cultural and political tale that weaves our country’s history with the fate of one of its original heroes, Alexander Hamilton.