Go Fug Yourself dot com Search posts, tags and authors

Michelle O#bam4hama

I feel like the subtext of this is, "Ladies and gentlemen, AAAAAAAH!" FLOTUS was SO EXCITED for this, and she was bopping along in the front row like mad -- clearly trying to compose herself, but clearly unable to pretend she didn't want to jam along to the music. Also, she looks wonderful. I love that dress.

If you missed the Hamilton juggernaut, Bam4Ham is a play on "Ham4Ham," the hashtag used for the performances that used to take place outside the theater on Wednesdays and... Sundays, I think? Lin Manuel would use the cast, the crew, the doormen, or people from other shows to do cool performances before the ticket lottery. (My friend won the lottery in June 2015, on the day they did something from "Newsies," which is her favorite, so it was basically the best day of her life.) They now do the videos online because of weather, and if you've missed them, I recommend: Leslie Odom's mash-up of "Wait For It" and "Stars" from Les Mis, which is SO GOOD (they call it JaBurr); Chris Jackson (Washington) singing with Elmo; and Lin Manuel singing "Say No To This" with Audra McDonald AS Billie Holiday, which is UNREAL (she won a Tony for playing Billie last year). Oh, and the three men who've played King George lip-synching to "The Schuyler Sisters," which is a classic.

Hell, just go listen to them all. Here is the list.

Phillipa Soo

She looks so good. Phillipa plays Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, Alex's wife and kind of the heart of the show. She's engaged to Steven Pasquale, who Fug Nation may know as Marh Fuhrman in TPvsOJ, or Elfman in "The Good Wife." He's a big Notre Dame fan so I APPROVE. Also, watch Lin-Manuel gape at her as she sings a Copland aria for Ham4Ham.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

I like to think he's going, "God help and forgive me, I wanna make something that's gonna outlive me!" Mission accomplished, sir.

Thomas Kail

Thomas Kail is the director (he also staged "Grease Live"). He's done a genius job with the staging. And weirdly, his face looks sort of Young Sorkin to me here.

Flotus

I want her to put this on her piano. EVERYONE should want Chris Jackson hanging out over their shoulder to be in a frame on their piano. (When he sings "One Last Time," especially at the end... ohhhh, goosebumps. I love him a whole lot).

Daveed Diggs

I have no idea what's happening here with Daveed, but let's assume it's something about being the motherf*cking Democratic-Republicans.

The White House

Scenics, and an only mildly informative caption: "Members of the Broadway cast of HAMILTON, including (L-R) creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson and Phillipa Soo, conduct a question-and-answer session with students in the East Room of the White House. Members of the cast participated in a student workshop, student question-and-answer session and a performance of selections from the award winning musical."

The Live Stream

This is from "Alexander Hamilton." They all look so dapper. Okieriete Onaodowan nearly knocked over the mic stand when he came in for his solo, which feels like a very Hercules Mulligan thing to do. (Everything was fine. I love him. We saw it in February and had his understudy and were genuinely like, "I DON'T KNOW ABOUT HAVING A NEW HERCULES MULLIGAN," though full marks: the understudy was terrific.)

"My Shot"

And here they are, not throwing away their shot, beatboxing in the East Room. AS YOU DO. What a thing, to know you've created something that's not only a sensation, but which is actually making people smarter, and giving kids a yen to learn. It reminds you that history is the greatest wormhole to fall down when you're itching to read. It's teaching the older generation new things about music, and teaching the new generation about history. It's great.

Well Played: The Cast of Hamilton Visits the White House
* Edited to add Lin-Manuel freestyling with prompts from Obama in the Rose Garden! As you may have heard, the cast of Hamilton visited D.C. to discuss the show's educational initiatives with the Obamas, and performed a mixtape of the show for a select White House audience. A livestream covered the first two songs ("Alexander Hamilton," which they sang YEARS ago in its infancy for Obama -- and you should watch it because LMM sings the whole thing as Aaron Burr and it's different, and he's SO YOUNG -- and "My Shot," which means Hercules Mulligan got to croon about sex and corsets) and though I hoped it'd come back an hour later with Daveed Diggs going, "What'd I miss," it did not. I guess not everyone can be in the room where it happens, huh, Mr. Burr, sir? After the jump are a selection of Instagrams of the event, including a look at Angelica, who SHOULD have gotten to sing "The Schuyler Sisters" with Peggy before the feed cut out because nobody ever lets them get that far and they deserve it -- especially after Obama called them out for being awesome. At least they got to do this: What are @reneeelisegolds, @JasCephasJones and @Phillipasoo gonna do? A show for the Obamas! #Bam4Ham pic.twitter.com/wpyQlayyDU — The First Lady (@FLOTUS) March 14, 2016 The dress on Renee Elise Goldsberry (Angelica) is Suno, and I'll update this if I get a credit on the others, but don't they look gorgeous? Yes, even Peggy. [UPDATE: An eagle-eyed commenter ID'd Jasmine Cephas-Jones -- Peggy -- as being in Ted Baker.] Parenthetically, I've thought long and hard about what they should sing at the Tonys, and I hope it's NOT "Alexander Hamilton," because they already did it at the Grammys and WE KNOW he is a bastard orphan son of a whore and a Scotsman dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean. What I'd like is portions of "My Shot" into "The Schuyler Sisters" so that, as I said, the entire cast gets its spotlight. But since the Tonys are in New York and "The Schuyler Sisters" features the line, "History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world," that would make for a pithy choice. However, while Lin-Manuel is a giver, I don't think he'll have them do a number in which he does not feature -- in part because the audience at large flat-out wants to see him. Can they just do the first four or five songs in toto? THANKS. Or, do a "My Shot" riff with James Corden for the opener about how he's not throwing away his to be the host, and then "Schuyler" for the cast performance. Although I'd also bet decent money on Corden walking out from backstage at some point dressed as King George. Okay, the 'grams: First, you need to know that these two -- Anthony Ramos (Laurens/Philip) and Jasmine Cephas-Jones (Peggy/Maria Reynolds) are dating. Which I LOVE. Madison y Madison. #bam4ham #Presidents #whiteHouse #KatyPerry A photo posted by TheIncredibleOak (@oaksmash) on Mar 14, 2016 at 12:25pm PDT Feeling all the feelings right now at the White House!! #Bam4Ham A photo posted by Jasmine Cephas Jones (@jazzy_joness) on Mar 14, 2016 at 8:46am PDT Watch live: @POTUS speaks before a special @HamiltonMusical performance at the White House. https://t.co/qoijfA70kZ pic.twitter.com/AUBXbmBRV0 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 14, 2016 Three Treasury Secretaries (2 IRL and 1 on stage) meet in the #roomwhereithappens. pic.twitter.com/DmHDtkUtR1 — Treasury Department (@USTreasury) March 14, 2016 Madison y Madison. #bam4ham #Presidents #whiteHouse #KatyPerry A photo posted by TheIncredibleOak (@oaksmash) on Mar 14, 2016 at 12:25pm PDT At the White House today with some of my favorite people on Earth. #bam4ham Having a ball. Thank you @dsquared2 @officialdsquared2 and @samspector for the 3 piece. Feeling good! Sound check!!! White House Gig!!! #bam4ham @hamiltonmusical A photo posted by Renee Elise Goldsberry (@reneeelisegoldsberry) on Mar 14, 2016 at 2:12pm PDT We just wrapped an inspiring afternoon working with the students attending #Bam4Ham. Our nation is in good hands. pic.twitter.com/1kFPj9B1vB — Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) March 14, 2016 The resemblance is striking. #ThomasJefferson #Bam4Ham #whitehouse @hamiltonmusical A photo posted by Daveed Diggs (@daveeddiggs) on Mar 14, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT The Schuyler Sisters! #Work #Bam4Ham #SoundCheck A photo posted by Hamilton (@hamiltonmusical) on Mar 14, 2016 at 8:10am PDT At Treasury Hamilton @Lin_Manuel @HamiltonMusical pic.twitter.com/RV9szucKe7 — Luis A. Miranda, Jr. (@Vegalteno) March 14, 2016 Hard work.. sometimes you gotta take a second #Bam4ham #Whitehouse #Warroom #getchyofeetoffthatsofa #butletmegetaphotoafteryournapbrotha A photo posted by Anthony Ramos (@anthony_ramos_nyc) on Mar 14, 2016 at 10:40am PDT And in case you missed it, here's today's stream: It begins at about the 40 minute mark, with Obama's speech, so drag the slider there.

1 / 1

Open image in new tab