BWW Blog: Alyssa Sileo - Look Around, Look Around: A Theatre Kid's Thanksgiving

This November 24th I celebrate one year since first hearing something from Hamilton. It's not a coincidence that this day also is when 2016's Thanksgiving falls.

A fondly-recalled backstory: It was Sophomore year, and I would bound into Drama class daily, oblivious to the Hamilton references my classmates would shout out. My best friend Sarah had been bugging me for about two months to take a listen to the soundtrack. My excuse was always that I was "saving myself until I saw it for real" which is a strategy I employ for a lot of shows. (One year later, still no tickets. Okay.)

On November 24th, 2015, I had come home from my second on-set rehearsal for the (96th annual!) 2015 6ABC Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia. This is an event I partake in yearly as member of Mainstage's Harmony Show Choir, a South Jersey group that is beloved by many and dear to my heart. The parade performance is the highlight of my year because there is nothing like being on the Philadelphia Art Museum steps at late-night or early-morning rehearsal, standing before a city of love and lights. Fall 2015 was the time I had started to realize the Philly in my blood was calling me to stay-to perhaps participate in this theatre scene during my career.

And I'll always be thankful for the fact that I waited for Hamilton until I was ready to receive Hamilton. My devotion to this masterpiece was sown with the most incredible emotions-gratitude, joy, and avidity for my future. (And I recall last fall as the happiest I've ever been, but this year is looking to top that.)

The text conversation with Sarah had gone somewhat like this:

Sarah: "OK I know this is the fiftieth time I've asked you but can you please listen to this one Ham song? Not many spoilers and it has these kickbutt sisters and you'll like it because it's a jam."

Me: "OK. What the heck. I'm listening. Link me."

Sarah: "EEEEEEEEE"

I was sent a Youtube video of the audio of "The Schuyler Sisters."

What I remember most clearly is my ongoing recovering from the November cold as I shivered and danced in my layers of sweaters. What struck me most about "Schuyler Sisters" was the chorus that seemed to know the time of year: "Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now." And what made me stop dancing and just blink was: "...And we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world."

And I knew the Schuylers were speaking of someplace more northern than the locale on my mind at that moment. But I was to return to my own greatest city those next two days for rehearsals and the parade, and, naturally, many more times after that, for the rest of my forever.

I can't think of a greater gift than a place to call home.

I texted Sarah back (probably saying "SLAY"). Then I changed my lock screen to the Schuyler Sisters. I knew nothing else about the show other than that the harmonizing of those three women made me feel like I can take on the world.

I didn't dive into Hamilton right away. I still kept my policy of restraint until that next March. I tend to fall into a slump every winter; it's a seasonal Alyssa tradition I can't seem to break. On the ride back from a family trip to Washington D.C. (funnily enough, the day before the Ham cast's trip to the White House), I listened to most of Act I.

And what I recall most clearly from that date is hearing "Yorktown" for the first time, and how unbelievable it is that a world once thought unwinnable was turned upside down.

By that Easter, I needed Hamilton daily. I needed to hear Hercules Mulligan bound into a hellfire and declare his imminent victory. I was reaching for that November place, and I'm proud to say I had found gratitude, joy, and an avidity for my future again.

That's why I'm very happy I live in this day and age in which maybe I am not a New York resident, but I am an earphone plug away from the soundtracks including the songs that turns months into safe-places and dates into cherished traditions. I'm grateful that the art of masterminds is accessible on music-streaming platforms and record shops. When I need some pride I have Kinky Boots, when I need some laughs I have Something Rotten, and when I need mindfulness, I have Les Miserables. When I need some perspective, I hear how Alex wrote the other fifty-one, and how Hercules got the heck back up.

On that ride home from D.C., I crafted a musical theatre playlist. It consists of 944 songs from 43 soundtracks, and it runs for 50 hours and 41 minutes. It is called "I Am Not Throwing Away My Shot."

And as of today, I still haven't listened to anything past "Say No To This" (excluding "Cabinet Battle #2" and "Washington on Your Side.") Will my first time hearing these songs be in the Richard Rogers (or perhaps a touring house in the Philadelphia area?) Not sure at all. I didn't plan on Hamilton blessing me last November and reviving me last March, so I'm sure whenever that special time comes, it'll be necessary and memorable.

I am honored to be part of a celebration like Harmony Show Choir-we are a vehicle of light, love, and show-stopping tunes. I also plan to blog about the 2016 parade, as I commemorate my third year with Harmony as a part of this incredible Philadelphia tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving to my theatre buddies at broadwayworld.com! Thanks for keeping the magic alive.

I Am Not Throwing Away My Shot: https://open.spotify.com/user/lyssimarieee/playlist/3CERlWLfUI5BUlaMW6RJUp

Photo Credit: Dave Gruen

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