Dec. 16, 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
Blueprint 9
‘Hamilton’ the musical: redifining history lessons By Lauren Smith, Copy Editor “Hamilton” certainly lived up to all the hype. Not your typical musical, the show consisted of rap battles, hip hop dance and allusions to modern day, all while telling the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton. While unorthodox, “Hamilton” managed to flawlessly weave together each of these contrasting elements into a hilarious, emotional and enlightening show. The racial diversity of the cast was an interesting but inspiring choice made by director and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. While a black George Washington may not be historically correct, the various ethnicities represented by the actors was meant to symbolize the new face of America and emphasize how the nation has grown and evolved since the 1800’s. The set was unique. It was composed of two revolving circles, an outer ring and a center, which could turn in opposite directions or as one. This allowed for scenes to clearly depict the passage of time or movement through a crowd, among other things. The costumes were also well thought out in that each main character consistently wore a primary color, so as not to be confused for someone else. For example, Hamilton was always is some form of green, while Burr always wore purple.
The dancers were a sight to behold. They served as extras in the background, but did so with constant flawless movement and dance that was a blend of hip hop, jazz, and ballet. They moved fluidly through every scene, often utilizing the balconies or rotating circles. The modern dance played a major role in the transition of scenes and set pieces, but did so in such a way that the audience hardly even noticed. Tables and chairs were brought on stage with leaps and spins, while notes were passed across stage through a chain of dancers. The music, of course, is not to be overlooked. The voices were all broadway material, and the lyrics were clever and ingenious. The audience was often hanging on to every word of a rap battle or rock ballad, as every word cleverly, but accurately, depicted historical truths through relatable, modernized language. Almost no words were spoken throughout the show, as every line was spoken in rap style, the actors playing off each other with rhyming verse instead of simple conversation. The constant beat and rhythm brought fluidity to the musical and made every interaction interesting. The narration of Aaron Burr made the show interesting as well. As a jealous competitor of Hamilton, Burr would often emphasize Hamilton’s mistakes and the negative effects of his aggressive personality, while also
reluctantly admitting to his brilliance. That being said, the show did not sugar-coat the reality of the events nor the true character of the important individuals of the time period. The flaws of Hamilton, Jefferson, Washington, and the rest were pointed out by each other as often as their successes were, given that not all the men agreed with one another, which added a sense of authenticity. Ultimately, Hamilton the musical defied expectations. The unconventional portrayal of the revolutionary war and aftermath in the form of hip hop and rap made for an exciting story and riveting show. Despite my natural disinterest in all things history, I thoroughly enjoyed DGS Senior Lauren Smith was pleased by all the historidcal lesthe musical and even sons and music that the famous play “Hamilton” had to offer. learned a lot about Photo by Lauren Smith our founding fathers that I never would have been interested in otherwise.
Audience is taken to the past Walking in a winter wonderwith ‘Allied’s’ talented actors land at the DGS art show By Jessie Fortin, Online News Editor
By Gillian Thomas, Copy Editor
The search for a movie that includes all factors to achieve the rating of a fantastic film almost seems endless, but the search is over after seeing director Robert Zemeckis’ “Allied”. It put me on the edge of my seat and on the edge of tears, making it truly a great watch. This film takes place in 1942 during World War II, starring Brad Pitt as Max Vatan, a Canadian intelligence officer, and Marion Cotillard as Marianne Beausejour, a French Resistance fighter. The mission for both of them is to assassinate a German ambassador in Casablanca in French Morocco, though their relationship intensifies as they quickly fall in love, marry and move to Hampstead, London, to enjoy their life together with their daughter, Anna. It seems as if nothing could interrupt this wonderful time when Max receives notice that his wife is accused of being a German spy, and he will have to kill her if it is proven to be true. With the plot intensifying, I was
At this year’s annual Winter Art Show, over 500 works of art from DGS students are displayed. Even just a quick walkthrough makes it evident that the curriculum in the art programs allows students to experiment with numerous mediums and styles, and encouraged an individual touch in each art piece. The gallery is not organized by technique or style, but instead all works were hung side by side regardless of technique in a cyclical arrangement. I found this wonderfully refreshing due to the fact that most galleries are organized by style of art or artist. There were several clear photography standouts within the show,
Graphic by Gabrielle Bartkeviciute
trying to figure out for myself whether or not she could have betrayed Max is such a way. If there is a way to pause a movie in the middle of the theater and discuss what is going on and find specific clues with the people around you, it would have been a necessity for this film. The combination of the two actors is perfect for this movie, although Cotillard outweighed Pitt with her beauty being mixed with Marianne’s tough personality to create a mysterious character, making the film more interesting.
DGS hosted another successful art show from Dec. 8th to Dec. 12, 2016 showcasing all student’s work who have participated in an art class this semester. Photos by Claire Pikul
including Sydney Antiporek’s “Mr. Wilson” and “Paint by Numbers;” Sophia Grasso’s “Deep in the City;”
Emma Gannaway’s “Gas 4 Less’” Paige Massey’s “Spillage;” and Esther Crandell’s “Alone.” Both intricate in composition and subject, the pieces engaged the viewer and engulfed them into the imagery. Amongst other art forms there were boundless examples of promise, skill and creativity. A few that immediately caught my attention were Emmanuelle Copeland’s “Play,” Milan Vajovic’s “Friday night lights,” Nina Kovaltchuk’s “Going Around,” Angelica Cudzich’s “Molly,” Evalina Dygdon’s “Thief of Light,” Michelle Hopkins’ “Look on the bright side,” Monika Baba’s “Similarities” and Megan Albers’ “Cascade Falls.” The constant variation in each display made the experience unbelievably unique. This show was one you certainly don’t want to miss.