Hamilton was the big ticket of the summer theater season this year in Durham. The show was in town for a couple of weeks, but Sunday saw the final performances. On Friday, knowing what was already happening and going to happen with work as I take the lead on almost all of our active matters for a time, I bought a ticket for the Saturday matinee.

This was my second time seeing Hamilton as I saw it in New York in January of 2025 (check the archives if you want to read my reflections). I was closer to the stage this time, which helped me see more of the facial expressions of King George that helped make that character such a Broadway star. The staging itself was very similar. DPAC’s stage is a little smaller than the stage was in New York, but that was it. There is still the circular rotating floor in the middle of the stage that allows for the sort of movement in place that is so prevalent in musical theater.

The biggest difference was that I understood more of the lyrics, having now watched the show before in addition to having read the book on which it is based while in college. There was a person behind me who knew all the lyrics and sang most of them without the sonorous voice of those on stage, but such things happen. Understanding more of the lyrics allowed me to have a deeper appreciation for their artistry. There are some great quips among the diss tracks that make up much of the show’s musical program.

While seeing Hamilton again lacked the WOW power of seeing the spectacle for the first time, I very much enjoyed it and left with a similarly somber feeling as when I walked out of the theater in New York. The weather, though, was much warmer exiting the theater on Saturday compared to the cold winds that whip across the Manhattan streetscape in winter.