Are you a ‘Hamilton’ fan? You can be in … the room where it happens

Whether or not you’re catching show’s tour at Fox, Hamiltunes ATL is your opportunity to sing it.

“Best Hamiltunes ever!” After several hours of invigorating “Hamilton” songs in two back-to-back events, Donald Milton III, whose bright blue T-shirt says “Raise a Glass to Freedom,” jumps onstage at the Vista Room. That’s what he shouts into the microphone.

“Hamilton” fans and fanatics respond with whoops and hollers, a “Hallelujah!” and a couple of “Yeah, babys!”

Wait — didn’t Milton declare it “best Hamiltunes ever!” last time? And the time before that?

That’s because they do keep getting better — from the level of energy and excitement in “the room where it happens” (to steal the title of one of the show’s catchy, upbeat numbers), to the overall caliber of the talent.

Milton launched Hamiltunes ATL more than two years ago at a former church in the Chosewood Park vicinity. The Vista Room is his third location for the event, essentially a chance for anyone bitten by the “Hamilton” bug to sing through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 rap-heavy show about Alexander Hamilton, our first secretary to the Treasury. It won 11 Tonys in 2016, as well as the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A national tour is bringing the show to the Fox Theatre May 22-June 10.

Hamiltunes ATL is billed as “a safe, supportive place to sing your heart out.” It’s karaoke, but Milton prefers calling it a “singalong”; he uses the original cast recording with vocal tracks lowered. Most of the often 100-150 attendees sing right along from their seats and seem to know

every line of Miranda’s poetic, tongue-tripping lyrics.

Organizers try to play fair and not allow one Hamil-Maniac to hog the spotlight.

Do you want to do Aaron Burr in the opening number?

Or you might be more drawn to Burr’s softer “Dear Theodosia”?

Do you want to be the spicy Angelica Schuyler introducing herself in “The Schuyler Sisters”? Or perhaps choose a powerhouse number done by her sister, Eliza, wife of Alexander Hamilton?

The sing-through unfolds from

top to bottom and it all goes bam-bam-bam. (The next Ha mil tunes is June 10 at the Vista Room.)

The recent Sunday night event was the ninth “adults only” Hamiltunes ATL. Claudia Strange, who by day is the public relations and marketing man a ger for the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, is among regulars who have been to every one so far.

“Hamiltunes has been a real life-saver for me,” Strange says. “As a busy working mom, I haven’t had alotofop portunities to do something just for myself. I couldn’t be more thank- ful for this crazy bunch of Revolutionaries.”

More than a year ago, Milton added an “all-ages” Hamiltunes that’s been dominated by kids ages 7-13, although some adults get up to sing alongside kids ages 2 (no kidding) to about 16.

“It was my friend Amelia who told me about ‘Hamilton,’ ” says A.J. Marshall, 8, who’s home-schooled in the

Tucker area. “That’s how I began my whole craze. And thenIt old Lily about it, and that’s how Lily began her whole craze. ” Her friend,

Lily Smith, 11, a fifth-grader at DeKalb County’s Oakcliff Elementary, was among the most animated — making wild hand and arm motions while singing. The very height of “Ham” fashion in a Revolutionary War costume, A.J. took the stage as much as possible at the kids’ event. (She impressed the crowd doing one of Burr’s best lines, “I’m atrustf und baby, you can trust me.”) For the Morrises of Lake Claire, “Hamilton” is a family affair — ever since daughter Lily learned to sing “My Shot” two years ago with the Inman Middle School chorus. The family regularly sings “Hamilton” via their home karaoke system. They’ll finally see the show onMay27attheFox. Jack Morris, 9, nailed King George’s big number, “You’ll Be Back,” complete with the signature move of shoulders alternating up and down. A few hours later at the adults’ sing-through, his dad, Brad, also put on the crown and did the shoulders bit. Everyone ate it up. Not to be left out, mom Lisa also was King George in a“You’ ll Be Back” reprise. “It’s your moment to shine,” says Jack, considered a King George “specialist” among friends and family. That’s what it’s about for Milton, who started Hamil- tunes ATL as a passion project. (He’s also the 10-year director of music for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta and the interim mus icdirectorofthe Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus.)

Milton believes that “everyone can sing, every- one should sing, and that people were meant to sing together, both good singers and bad.”

Marshall Mabry, 16, is so serious about “Hamilton” t hat he got ahold of some of the show’s audition materials — thanks to a friend who has had several casting callbacks for it. (Besides the Broadway show in New York, there’s currently a Chicago production plus two touring productions.)

“I started listening to the cast album while mowing t he lawn,, and it hasn’t stopped since,” says Mabry, who’s home-schooled in Fairburn.

“Being in ‘Hamilton’ is my No.1g oal,” he says.

While Scott and Grace Shickler of east Cobb just attended their first Hamiltunes, they’re hardly new to “Hamilton.” They’re super fans who caught on early, seeing the show in early 2015 before it moved to Broadway. They’ll see it for an eighth time in Atlanta.

“When you’re watch- ing the show,” says Grace, “you’re really not supposed to sing a long—and I’m dying to. … This event really delivered for me, and some of the talent was phenomenal.”

Through redbubble.com, Grace custom-made herself a “Probably Singing Hamilton” bumper sticker.

Chances are very good that she’s singing “Hamilton” this very minute. She’s young, scrappy and hungry, and she’s not giving up her shot anytime soon.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS BY STEVE SCHAEFER Two-year-old Emet Lewine strums his ukulele on stage during a recent all-ages sing-through at Hamiltunes ATL.

Jack Morris sings King George’s song “You’ll Be Back” during Hamiltunes ATL at the Vista Room in Decatur on April 22, and he wasn’t the only one in his family to tackle the tune that day.