Hamilton: Songs 21-23

There are 46 songs on Hamilton’s cast recording.  46, you’ll notice, doesn’t divide evenly by 5.  So, instead of squeezing a sixth song into one of my write-ups or giving the finale its own separate mini-post, I thought I’d make a break between the first and second act.  It works out nicely, since there are 23 songs in each.  This way, I’ll just have two write-ups that are a few songs short.  Here’s the rest of Act I.

“What Comes Next?” – The next appearance by King George.  Continuing in the tradition of the pissy ex-boyfriend, he concedes defeat but charges that the colonies won’t know what to do without himm.  At first, I was a little torn on the fact that all of his songs use the exact same melody from “You’ll Be Back,” but I’ve decided I like it.  There’s enough fun stuff in the lyrics to keep it fresh, and really, you can’t argue with the insane catchiness of that melody.

Best lyric:  “What comes next? / You’ve been freed. / Do you know how hard it is to lead?”

“Dear Theodosia” – A really lovely “breather” number, as Burr and Hamilton both take a moment at the end of the war to look at their newborn children and imagine what the future holds for them.  It’s a fairly simple song, but the emotions are so pure, and the harmonizing between Hamilton and Burr is just magic.

Best lyric:  “Look at my son. / Pride is not the word I’m looking for. / There is so much more inside me now.”

“Non-Stop” – Oh my goodness gracious, this Act I finale.  It’s just incredible, covering a lot of Hamilton’s early post-war activities:  practicing law, participating in the Constitutional Convention, writing most of the Federalist Papers, and ultimately become Secretary of the Treasury.  It’s a fantastic number for demonstrating Hamilton’s drive and passion, his need to always be working and striving and doing more for his new country.  It introduces the wonderful “Why do you write like you’re running out of time?” theme, and the final moments incorporate numerous musical themes from the first half of the show, layer upon layer and creating a veritable wall of sound.  Sooooo cool!

Best lyric:  How do you write like tomorrow won’t arrive? / How do you write like you need it to survive? / How do you write ev’ry second you’re alive?”