With politics dominating the headlines and debates raging about the checks and balances that the founding fathers put in place, the smash Broadway musical "Hamilton" seems more relevant than ever.
On Super Bowl Sunday, "Hamilton" grabbed headlines yet again when Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones performed "America the Beautiful" during the game's pre-show. The women, who originated the roles of the Schuyler sisters in "Hamilton," added lyrics to make the song more inclusive, according to Slate Magazine. When they sang "crown thy good with brotherhood," they added "and sisterhood," which elicited cheers from the crowd.
With its uncanny ability to speak to these ever-changing times, "Hamilton" is the hottest ticket in town ‒ not only in its perpetually sold-out Broadway run, but in every city the musical visits on its national tour. So when I heard that the "Hamilton" tour was coming to my neck of the woods, I vowed to land a ticket. I can't wait to see "Hamilton" in Cleveland during Playhouse Square's 2017-18 season.
The occasion will have a special significance, since Playhouse Square is the venue where I presented the play I wrote and directed, "The Springtime of Our Lives," in June 2014.
There's just one problem: neither the website for Playhouse Square nor "Hamilton" lists the dates or for the Cleveland engagement or allows you to buy tickets. Since "Hamilton" tickets are bound to sell out instantly, it seems like the only thing to do is to monitor the websites every day to check for when tickets go on sale.
Unless you do this:
Buy a season ticket for Playhouse Square's current 2016-17 season. In the coming months, you'll be given the option to renew your season ticket for the 2017-18 season, which, of course, includes "Hamilton."
The fact that I ended up buying a season ticket for Playhouse Square was one of those "happy accidents" that life hands you. I live in Columbus, which is more than two hours south of Cleveland. But buying a ticket for Playhouse Square's entire season comes with the added benefit of seeing shows I wouldn't ordinarily see. I look forward to driving to Cleveland to "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," "Something Rotten!" and "An American in Paris."
In fact, since I'm a writer and director who plans to eventually revive my play "The Springtime of Our Lives" and bring other theatrical productions to the stage, attending shows at Playhouse Square will be educational ‒ an informal "drama school."
Rather than purchasing tickets for a theater's entire season, I'm sure most "Hamilton" fans would prefer to see only that show ‒ and maybe see it multiple times since it's become such a cultural phenomenon.
But buying a season ticket is a relatively inexpensive way to support other deserving shows and to broaden your cultural horizons.
(Chris Bournea is the writer and director of the forthcoming documentary "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." Bournea is also the co-author, with Raymond Lambert, of the book "All Jokes Aside: Standup Comedy Is a Phunny Business.")
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