I know I said I was going to do a writeup about YA Twitter drama next, but then I remembered that this is a thing that happened and I just had to post it here. I swear to god, I am not making any of this up.
This is one of those incidents that’s difficult to summarize because I honestly don’t even know where to begin. There’s so much to talk about that it’s almost overwhelming—sockpuppeting, medical fraud, false identities, and god-knows-what else all played a part in making this drama one of the biggest scandals in Tumblr history (or, at least, the biggest scandal that doesn’t involve illegally mailing body parts to people via the United States Postal Service. Don’t even ask.) Now, you may be thinking that the title probably makes more sense in context, but I can assure you that it absolutely does not. It’s just as insane as it sounds at first glance. To make it abundantly clear how nuts this whole debacle was, I should probably start by detailing Hamilton and its obsessive fandom.
Hamilton is a Broadway musical that came out a few years ago, and unless you live under a rock, you’ve probably heard someone at least mention it in passing. It’s one of the most successful shows in recent history, and it’s beloved by tumblr.com for a variety of reasons. The main, though not sole, reason is that it’s actually really good (and I say this as someone who isn’t a crazy theatre kid.) It focuses on the life of Alexander Hamilton from his arrival in the Thirteen Colonies to his death during a duel with Aaron Burr, and it’s all done surprisingly well for a musical that attempts to tell a story about the American Revolutionary War via rap battles. It’s one of the few shows in the world that can get away with including stage directions like “ELIZA BEATBOXES MATERNALLY” and still be taken completely seriously by both fans and critics.
Reason number two why Tumblr loves Hamilton is the same reason Tumblr loves the MCU and Superwholock and all the other franchises it obsesses over. There are lots of male characters and thus lots of potential slash ships (ships meaning relationships.) If you’re wondering why on Earth anyone would want to ship the Founding Fathers with one another… well, join the club. I have no idea. But some fans really liked the idea of Alexander Hamilton and [insert literally any other character] hooking up, so Hamilton the musical spawned an abundance of fan fiction and fan art featuring the signatories of the US Constitution. Keep in mind, tho
... keep reading on reddit ➡
So, I’ve been thinking on this after seeing another post about Hamilton as a jr. play and honestly, I just don’t think it’s feasible. You’d have to cut a lot ranging from characters to lyrics to entire songs and entire major plot points. “My Shot”, “Aaron Burr, sir”, “Say No to This”, “We Know”, “Reynold’s Pamphlet” all gone. Mulligan as a character gone as “My Shot” is a song he has a part in and a kid’s play would never let someone talk about sex or fricking horses. Mariah also gone as is everything in the play about the affair. “That Would Be Enough” and “Burn” would also be potentially gone. You’re left with no story whatsoever if you go this route.
Now as to why it’s better and more beneficial to have this as a high school or college play other than they really want to do it badly. Firstly, they can get away with a lot more so you don’t lose huge chunks of history snd songs integral to the story and play as a whole. You can also keep Mulligan as a character as well as curse words. You can also add and tweek more and use tech to your advantage especially in war scenes and in Hurricane. Also for high school and college, you can do the wiring and staging needed for insane feats such as those needed for Lafayette’s high jump during the line “America’s favorite fighting freshman”. Of course, more characters would need to be shown such as the Theodosias, the other Hamilton children, among others. You get the idea. Cut songs or Ham4Ham special songs could even potentially be added back in such as the full “Adams Administration Rap”, “Congratulations”, and “Cabinet Battle 3”. It also doesn’t hurt that high schools and colleges are vying to put it on as is evident if you look at the popularity of the Ham4Vandy’s Hamilton Flash Mob Video. You could also use extended songs from the Ham4Hams as well thru-out such as the extended Take a Break featuring all the other Hamilton children. You are up to lose less gain more by doing this route basically. Doing Jr is just “happifying” history and leaving the play an empty shell and not doing it as the genius masterpiece it is and has every right to be. It deserves to be taken all the way if possible and the high school/college route does that.
You see, I’ve always been attached to and under and of the opinion snd impression that jr. plays only work for certain things and it turns out, not trying to be mean, rude, or disrespectful or anything, but it turns out that is very much true. Hamilton is a perfect case study a
... keep reading on reddit ➡Lost it in the soccer field, this is a real long shot but I realized I lost it only an hour after I left. I went right back to the areas where I thought I lost it but couldn't find anything... it seems pretty heavily trafficked so I feel like there's a good chance someone picked it up so hopefully they are looking for the owner :(
Update: u/Kolder22 FOUND IT!!
My kids are currently in Catholic elementary school for one more year. We would like to know about the intangibles of the local schools (preferably on the mountain). Even though they are in French Immersion we are ruling out Cathedral due to the unexplainable cancer issues. Looking for thoughts on overcrowding, bad programs, great/horrible experiences, potential closures/expansions etc. Thx in advance!
