Hamilton: Songs 24-28

On to Act II now – the Revolution’s over, and it’s time to start the business of building America.  Here we go!

“What’d I Miss” – Our fabulous introduction to Thomas Jefferson.  Wonderfully catchy, and it does an excellent job of establishing the conflict that will drive Act II, the clash between Hamilton/the Federalists and Jefferson/the Democratic-Republicans.  Daveed Diggs is terrific as Lafayette, but he’s equally great as Jefferson.

Best lyric:  “Not so fast.  Someone came along to resist him. / Pissed him off until we had a two-party system.”

“Cabinet Battle #1” – I love that cabinet debates are posed as rap battles.  The fantastically clever, intricate rhymes, combined with the high stakes of deciding economic policy and heaps of hip hop swagger, make this a standout number in a show packed with amazing music.  Hamilton absolutely shines here.

Best lyric:  “A civics lesson from a slaver.  Hey, neighbor, / Your debts are paid cuz you don’t pay for labor. / ‘We plant seeds in the South.  We create.’ / Yeah, keep ranting, / We know who’s really doing the planting.”

“Take a Break” – A plotty song, but a really good one.  I love the letters exchanged between Hamilton and Angelica, and the echo of the “Schuyler Sisters” theme is lovely; Angelica and Eliza harmonize like nobody’s business.  Here, we start to see some of the fallout of Hamilton’s dedication to his work above all else.

Best lyric:  “‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.’ / I trust you’ll understand the reference to / Another Scottish tragedy without my having / To name the play.”

“Say No to This” – An interesting look at one Hamilton’s least flattering moments.  With his family away for the summer, Hamilton finds himself tempted, sucked in, and finally extorted by a working-class woman with an enterprising, unscrupulous husband.

Best lyric:  “Uh-oh!  You made the wrong sucker a cuckold, / So time to pay the piper for the pants you unbuckled.”

“The Room Where It Happens” – An excellent number, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s answer to Sondheim’s “Someone in a Tree.”  Here, we have a historical event in which we know the outcome – Hamilton’s compromise with Jefferson and Madison, trading the location of the nation’s capital for Senate approval of his new financial plan – but none of the particulars of how it went down because “no else was in the room where it happened.”  Burr leads this fine song about the unknown nature of the political beast.

Best lyric:  “God help and forgive me, / I wanna build something that’s gonna outlive me.”