Neighbors do their homework before musical
It’s hard to think of a musical that would inspire children and adults alike to head back to school. But on Tuesday night, about 100 theatergoers of all ages gathered at a community clubhouse so their neighbor could educate them. The topic? Alexander Hamilton.
The man on the $10 bill, of course, is the subject of the hottest show on Broadway; a touring company of “Hamilton” arrives in Orlando on Jan. 22. And the neighborhood lecturer just happens to be an expert on American history and poli- tics of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Not to mention a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning musical.
“We put our founding fathers on pedestals,” said John Sacher, a history professor at the University of Central Florida since 2006. “One of the things this musical does is humanize our founding fathers.”
Sacher, who will see the show for the first time next week, fell in love with “Hamilton” from the moment a friend urged him to listen to the cast recording.
“I have to play this in my class,” he thought. “It’s spot on!”
He has been using the musical to teach since – and he still gets excited when he talks about Miranda’s “rap battles” – songs in which Hamilton and rival Thomas Jefferson debate policy in clever wordplay and aggressive rhythms.
“When I talk about the differences between Hamilton and Jefferson in class… it’s amazing how that is covered in those rap battles,” Sacher says. “It’s amazing how well they are put together.”
Sacher and his wife have season subscriptions to the touring Broadway series at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and attend shows there with two other couples. A friend better versed in theater than history suggested Sacher give “a little talk” before “Hamilton” arrived in town.
Sacher said sure. Then the friend asked to invite some others. Word spread. Sacher gauged interest with a Facebook post.
“The response was overwhelming,” he said. “I was stunned. These are people who wanted to hear me talk about 1790s politics. It was mind-boggling.”
Born and raised in Miami, Sacher returned to south Florida over the holidays and mentioned he was planning the talk.
“One of my friends down there said, ‘Well, can you do it for us first?’”
So, on Dec. 28, about 35 people gathered in a backyard to hear Sacher talk duels, love affairs and political rivalries.
Tuesday’s east Orlando event took place in a community center in his Avalon Park neighborhood – “I realized all these people weren’t going to fit in my living room,” he quipped.
The wide appeal of the musical was on full view: A sizable contingent of the audience was still in elementary school.
Brett Clark, 12, first heard the music when “a friend recommended it to me.” He quickly became a fan. “I like how historical and true it is,” he said. His friends, Gabe and Jake Michal, 14 and 12, said the music and its fastmoving lyrics drew them in.
Chris and Mandy Gowder, an adult couple, got interested when they picked up Ron Chernow’s “Hamilton” biography to take on a flight. That’s the same book that inspired Miranda to write the show.
Mandy Gowder said Sacher’s lecture helped refresh her memories on the shifting alliances and enmity between Hamilton, Jefferson, Aaron Burr and assorted historical figures.
“I knew the names but not how they fit together,” she said. “I learned how Hamilton fits in relation to the other people.”
More impressive to her was how the show has inspired an interest of history in children.
“That they would want to come listen to a lecture by a college professor,” she said, gesturing at the youngsters around her. “It’s amazing.”
For his part, Sacher is aware it’s not necessarily his skillful method of instruction that packed the house.
“It’s certainly much more about ‘Hamilton’ than me,” he said. “If I offered another topic, I don’t think the response would be the same.”