Hamilton at the Eccles

It has been 783 days since I last saw Hamilton (in San Francisco) and I really missed it, especially since all of the plans I had to see it in 2020 had to be canceled.  The Broadway touring production is currently making a stop at the Eccles Theater and I was so happy to be back in the room where it happens again last night!  I love this musical so much and I eagerly anticipated every single song as much as I did the first time I saw it!  I was practically hyperventilating by the time I heard the opening notes of "Alexander Hamilton."  I really enjoyed Julius Thomas III as Hamilton.  When I saw a production in Las Vegas a few years ago, I was really looking forward to seeing Joseph Morales in the lead role and was a bit disappointed to learn that the understudy was performing.  However, I immediately changed my mind because the understudy was Thomas and he has a beautiful voice!  Last night I was especially impressed with his versions of "Dear Theodosia" and "Hurricane."  I was also quite moved when he put is head on Eliza's shoulder during "It's Quiet Uptown" and I saw several people sitting near me wipe tears from their eyes at this moment, as well.  Donald Webber, Jr., who played Aaron Burr when I saw it in San Francisco, gave an incredible rendition of "Wait For It" and the transition from the verses to the chorus was so powerful that it received spontaneous applause!  He also sang "The World Was Wide Enough" with a great deal of remorse and that made it even more poignant than other versions I have seen.  When Darnell Abraham, as George Washington, stormed the stage during "Right Hand Man" he gave me goosebumps and this also received spontaneous applause ("We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned.  We've got to make an all out stand").  I had to check to see if the roof was still attached to the Eccles Theater after "One Last Time" because his version just about blew it off.  I saw Paris Nix, as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, in the Chicago production and I laughed out loud once again when he did the running man in "Cabinet Battle #1" last night.  With all of the discourse about understudies, standbys, and swings performing on Broadway lately, I am happy to report that DeAundre Woods, a standby, and Milika Cheree, a swing, were fabulous as Hercules Mulligan/Philip Hamilton and Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, respectively.  I thought that Victoria Ann Scovens was a little bit weak as Eliza and Rick Negron portrayed King George as regal rather than pompous and angry rather than petulant and, as a result, much of the comic relief that the character usually provides was missing.  When I saw the filmed version on Disney+ I saw lots of little things that I had never noticed on stage before so I paid very strict attention last night.  I actually saw it when The Bullet (performed by a member of the ensemble) misses Hamilton at the beginning of "Stay Alive" and when Philip stands in the background at the beginning of the duel in "The World Was Wide Enough" and this, for some reason, thrilled me!  I really loved seeing this last night and I am happy that I had the chance to end a difficult year on a good note (literally).  Hamilton runs at the Eccles Theater through January 23 but there are very few tickets available (go here).