Hamilton. It was one of those things I avoided at all costs. Yeah, yeah. It’s a broadway musical about a founding father. That’s great. Don’t get me wrong. I love classic broadway musicals; I’ve seen plenty of them in my life and could sing you a song from an even larger selection. Into the Woods, Wicked, The Lion King, Hairspray, Oliver, The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast. I love them all, but for some reason when it came to Hamilton, I just wasn’t interested.

To me, it seemed daunting. A grand part of my love for musicals lies in the fact that I can sing along to words of love through beautiful harmonies and melodies. So why would I care about a so-called Broadway Musical score inscribed with rap battles and hip hop? Is that even singing? How did Lin-Manuel Miranda even write two hours worth of that, especially about a founding father? And not even the most memorable at that? He died at such a young age.

But then one day, I was out with a friend, and I was forced to listen to it.

The. Whole. Musical.

And I fell in love. I have never really cared about a particular moment in history, but now in my mind, Hamilton’s lifetime is the most important.

The characters in the musical are all historically accurate to an extent; however, Miranda has written each character with a certain style. Without even having the absolute gift of seeing the ever-so-expensive and completely booked musical in person, it is extremely easy to identify with each character simply by the style of the music they are singing (or rapping).

The carefully crafted relationships between individual characters are what ended up locking me in. Being the romantic that I am, I have the tendency to pay more attention to that aspect above all else. Hamilton’s love life, his countless disagreements with Jefferson, his reluctance to defy his friends, his pride for his mother, the love he has for his son; each is different, yet they all tie together in a single knot that is Hamilton.

The musical is tear-jerking, emotional, and lovely all at the same time. Hamilton is exactly what it means to be a broadway musical fit with strong ballots and heartbreak. The two hours and twenty minutes or so are worth it. They are worth every minute.