His name is Alexander Hamilton and there’s a million things he hasn’t done, but going to Miami can be checked off the list. From Feb. 18 through March 15, the hit musical, “Hamilton,” will be showing at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. The show features the “Angelica cast,” one of the two casts touring the country. The original musical, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, premiered in 2015. It has remained popular ever since, even reaching outside the musical community and capturing hearts nationwide.
Zoe Jensen, who portrays Eliza Hamilton in the cast performing in Miami, is excited to perform for a whole new group of people. “What inspires me to do [this show] is knowing the country has fallen in love with the show! I love knowing that it’s probably someone’s birthday gift or Christmas gift, so people really love this show and that makes me want to do it more, for them,” Jensen said.
Jensen’s character, Eliza Hamilton, is the wife of Alexander Hamilton and one of the three Schuyler sisters. She remains an inspiration not only to girls across the country, but also to the ones who get to portray her. “I see a lot of myself in her. When things start to get harder, she finds the positives in it all and sees a silver lining. She doesn’t crumble. I’m not necessarily the same person but she is very inspiring to me. She shows forgiveness in moments that you would think no one ever would and I think that shows so much strength.” Jensen’s performance as Eliza was absolutely breathtaking, as was everyone’s. Each song during the performance garnered applause after it finished.
The whole show is a source of inspiration and hope for people, reminding us all of how far we’ve come as a nation. Jensen explained that even though the musical takes place through the late 1700’s, the meaning of the show is still applicable today.
“It’s quite an honor [to portray Eliza Hamilton] because I really think this show is so impactful. I think the whole thing about this show is it’s not even just about history; it’s about how a story like this can really relate to any time period, not just 1776, so it’s exciting to get to portray someone in history that I think is pretty inspiring,” Jensen said.
While it is one thing to listen to the soundtrack, the live performance at the Arsht Center will give you goosebumps. Many have pinpointed the exact scene they could watch over and over again, but Jensen said that her favorite part of the show is, well… the whole thing!
“I love the first act because it is so fun. My character is still kind of younger and bubblier. It’s hard to pinpoint a certain [favorite] part because it just keeps going. It’s so precise and I think that’s really my favorite part of the whole show. It just keeps going, it flows altogether, so it’s not just a song then a pause and then a song and a pause. It’s one big beautiful thing that works like clockwork; it’s so precise, but there are things every day that aren’t quite the same, so it is really quite special. I really enjoy doing my part and every day I find new things about the show that I love,” she said.
Whether you know the history of the early beginnings of our nation’s government or not, this musical is a fresh, fun and educational way to gain insight into the past. It brings to light struggles the country was facing in 1776, but also some struggles the country is still facing today. Do not throw away your shot to go see this amazing group of performers put on this iconic show.
