Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story

Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story by Mike Anthony 296 pages

 

I am probably the only person in the United States who loves American history and musical theater but hasn’t seen Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway sensation, Hamilton. I just don’t think I’d like all that rapping. Of the few scenes I’ve seen on television, I can’t understand a word they are saying/singing. But maybe it’s just me. That, and I don’t want to pay $500 for a ticket just to be frustrated. That’s why I picked up this memoir from the bartender at the theater where Hamilton was/is playing. I thought it was a backstage look at the hottest ticket in town. And in ways it is.

 

The author, Mike Anthony, set out to be a Broadway actor. But like many wannabes, he had to pay his dues. So, he took a job as a bartender at Hamilton’s home, the Richard Rogers Theater until he could get a Broadway gig. I was never sure if Anthony kept a journal during his time at RRT, or if he set out to write a book about the people who stopped by or those he met.

 

The book was interesting, but I didn’t care about Anthony’s memories and anecdotes. I didn’t care about the famous people who came to see the show (Opray, twenty-five times; Rosie O’Donnell more than forty) and his interaction with them. I was rather fascinated about how the Secret Service got then-President Obama and then-Vice President Pence in and out without that night’s audience even knowing they were there.

 

From what I understand, Anthony gave up his dream behind the footlights and settled into a swell job. I’m happy for him. He found satisfaction and joy in what he did, and really, that’s all we can hope for in a job.

 

Life at Hamilton: Sometimes You Throw Away Your Shot, Only to Find Your Story receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Metropolitan Stories

Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson    208 pages

I’m not a huge television watcher, but I do enjoy watching the behind-the-scenes shows at zoos. Watchers get to take a peek behind the curtain at what it takes to care for the thousands of animals in their care. Fascinating stuff.

I feel the same way about Christine Coulson’s new novel, “Metropolitian Stories.” From a writer who worked at that renown institution for more than 25 years, reads are taken through to the offices, the storage rooms, the cafeteria and what seems to a million-mile labyrinth of hallways that connect the myriad of buildings, galleries and studios. On the down side, I had no real idea of where the vignettes were actually happening, and that confused me a bit. But it didn’t stop me from reading.

 I loved all the stories, but my favorite is “Meats and Cheeses.” It involves a 4,000-year-old leg of lamb. The narrator, Kate, is on a mission of a different kind, but winds up in a room full of hats---all types from pith helmets to straw boaters. Hebe and Helen, who work in the room, are a

riot. It seems that Kate’s, who has only been with the Met about a year, main job is to deliver the yellow interoffice envelopes known as “cheeses.” She is following a hand-drawn map and trying to get a sign off for a China exhibition’s title wall.  I won’t write anymore as I may give it away, but Kate’s adventures through the maze of hallways looking for a blue door is the perfect story for readers to understand the complexity of working at the Met.

Light-hearted, full of whimsy and just plain fun, I give “Metropolitan Stories” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.