currently all for lin-manuel miranda trying not to laugh or cry or whatever it was at the end of the grammy performance while his audience all jumped up and cheered.
Throughout, Burr is easily the most relatable character. Who among us has not watched as a favored colleague rose through the ranks, drawing lucky ticket after lucky ticket, as you also toiled away, but to no reward? In “Right Hand Man,” Burr comes to then-general George Washington to propose a strategy for the war. At this point in history, Burr is a war hero: he fought his way through enemy forces in 1775 to rescue the body of his commander, Richard Montgomery, for which he received a citation for bravery.
Yet in this scene, Washington ignores Burr’s ideas and opinions in favor of young upstart Hamilton, asking him to “close the door on [his] way out.” Burr’s frustration at this deeply unfair dismissal is palpable. Burr is a genius, credentialed beyond belief. But at every point, Hamilton, either consciously or unconsciously, keeps Burr from “the room where it happens,” the place where the decisions are being made. Their eventual last encounter becomes more understandable by the second.
[…]
Burr really has two roles in the show: the omniscient narrator, and himself in the present moment. In the affecting finale, as he recounts the moments that led up to his and Hamilton’s fateful, fatal conflict, Odom’s voice takes on a note of barely disguised panic. As the keeper of the narrative, he knows what is coming yet is powerless to stop it.
Odom has said in interviews that he lets himself be shocked by the ending every night, lets himself believe it can be avoided until it can’t. He is a miraculous actor, one whom you can watch thinking, a rare and impressive skill. As he takes his position in the final duel, his eyes wide with fear, you can feel every inevitable step that led to this. Burr’s last “present-moment” word, as he’s shooting Hamilton, is “Wait!” in a terrifyingly sad recollection of his earlier catchphrase, which was the watchword of his ambitions—now to be dashed.
This leads to his all-too-knowing coda to the duel: “History obliterates—in every picture it paints, it paints me in all my mistakes…Now I’m the villain in your history. I was too young and blind to see—I should have known the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.” (That last is something the real Burr actually said before his own death at 80.) Odom weeps as he sings this, both out of regret and out of catharsis for all the pent-up frustration he’s been holding in the entire show.
The Real Hero Of ‘Hamilton’ Is Aaron Burr (The Federalist)
- What he says: Talk less, smile more.
- What he means: So so so so this is what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level, what the hell is the catch? It's the feeling of freedom of seeing the light. It's Ben Franklin with a key and a kite- you see it, right?
I’ve been gone! This is where! From now until March I’m trying to complete one story sequence a week. Some are mine, others (like this) are stories I love and want a shot at re-imagining.
Thoughts!
1. The frosty setting is more symbolic than historically accurate–Hamilton and Burr dueled in July.
2. My goal was to finish the boards in a week. It took five days! My speed is improving.
3. When there is a Hamilton movie, it shouldn’t look anything like this. Just wanted to stretch my imagination a little.The best presentation for this monologue is one actor under a spotlight in a dark theater. @linmanuel @leslieodomjr hope you don’t mind the creative liberties. Your performances on the soundtrack are outstanding!
GILMORE GIRLS PREDICTED HAMILTON A GODDAMN DECADE AGO THIS IS SO FUCKIN NEXT LEVEL
THE REYNOLDS PAMPHLET
I am #Hamilton trash. Thank you so much, @all_wright_then! It’s purr-fect. #AaronPurrSir
Yuletide 2015 roundup
My assignment:
Without Losers , Where Would the Winners Be?, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for fujiidom, Charlie/Dee, PG, 4600 words
High school flashbacks, which were fun to write, especially the part where Dennis slimes his weirdness everywhere. I restarted this fic four times, so obviously this fandom came super easy to me. Anyway, I might finish one of my abandoned false starts, where Dee writes terrible Kindle porn and Charlie does her social media promotion.
My main collection treats:
Rolling Destiny’s Dice, Calvin & Hobbes: Gritty Reboot Trailer for jedi_penguin, Gen, PG, 1100 words.
Yeah, I don’t even know. Sometimes you have two hours free at work and write a trippy universe folding in on itself fic about Calvin & Hobbes from the tiger’s point of view. What.
The Thin Line Between Lonely and Alone, Turn for Devilc, Benjamin Tallmadge/Caleb Brewster, PG, 1700 words
This was just an excuse to write Ben/Caleb kissing. Caleb was fun to write. :D
My madness collection treats, both of which I wrote in under an hour on Christmas Day:
Talk Less; Drink More, Hamilton for Citagazze, Hamilton/Burr, PG, 285 words
Burr gets Hamilton to shut up for a minute and is probably too pleased with himself over it.
Genius, Limitless for htbthomas, Brian/Rebecca (ish), G, 250 words
Rebecca is the best! Brian and I both know this.
Gifts for me:
No Restraint, Hamilton, Hamilton/Burr, 6250 words, NC-17 by cartographies
Charlie is Bad Under Pressure (Or: Most of the Gang Finds Out), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Charlie/Dee, 550 words, R by Missy
I already linked the first one, which I adored, but I also got a Madness treat and it’s ADORABLE. Exactly how I like Charlie and Dee together.
antique-romantic
