The Story of Tonight

There are some moments in life that mean so much to you that even as you are experiencing them, you recognise that they will stay with you for some time to come.

Despite knowing that I would be setting myself up for disappointment, I had let my expectations for Hamilton become dangerously high. Imagine then the absolute buzz that comes from having those expectations completely blown away.

My sister and I had already completed a raid on the merchandise stand and as we and her husband took our seats in the packed theatre our excitement was palpable as we took in the set that we were already so familiar with from the original version. A little later than planned, the lights finally dipped, the cheers went up and the next three hours proceeded to vanish in what seemed like five minutes before finally coming to a halt with a deserved rapturous standing ovation.

The production was absolutely phenomenal and whilst there was a different cast to get used to and slightly different takes on songs and characterisation; the heart, the story, the energy and the unwavering brilliance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece remained intact.

We rapped along, we laughed and yes, some of us cried (Wait For It continuing to elicit unashamed pavlovian tears from my eyes - and just on that song, seeing it live, I now realise that whilst it is lead by Burr, the magic comes from the support by the ensemble).

A day that had started so brilliantly with a walk along the South Bank to the Tate Modern, followed by lunch prior to the performance, wound down with a glass of wine outside a busy pub as we all decompressed and digested what we had just seen. Before long it was time to go our separate ways and after parting, my mind was still buzzing, so I took a stroll around Parliament Square and as the light began to fade, I made my back to the teeming Covent Garden. I also discovered that walking through a bustling London as night falls with the soothing tones of Miles Davis playing in your ears feels pretty bloody amazing.

Contentedly I sat there, drinking a nice, cold, massively overpriced beer as I looked over my photos from the day and generally feeling very fortunate and happy with my place in the world.