An Unforgettable Night Seeing “Hamilton” — And Two Hillarys

“‘Hamilton’ Is the Hottest Ticket in New York: A hip-hop inspired musical about Alexander Hamilton is sold out before it even opens.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“Rooted in hip-hop, but also encompassing R. & B., jazz, pop, Tin Pan Alley, and the choral strains of contemporary Broadway, [‘Hamilton’] is an achievement of historical and cultural reimagining.”
—The New Yorker

We have Susan Dey and Alexander Hamilton to thank for our unforgettable night with two Hillarys on Sunday.

Months ago, Susan asked if we were free to see a new musical inspired by Hamilton and created by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose still-in-previews “In the Heights” we’d seen and loved years ago thanks to Susan’s recommendation.  We were in.

So two nights ago, we braved the snow and slush to make our way to pre-theater dinner at Vic’s, which is just around the corner from The Public Theater, where Miranda’s since wildly-oversubscribed groundbreaking hit “Hamilton” is playing.

We’d loved Chef Hillary Sterling‘s cooking so much during our lunch visit with friends in December that we were as excited to return to Vic’s as we were to see the musical.  A talented alum of A Voce and Lupa, Hillary’s signature Mediterranean-inspired vegetable-based dishes — including crispy sweet onions with dried tomatoes; heirloom carrots with dill, capers, and roasted shallots; and spicy cabbage with chiles, caraway and basil — lived up to our fond memories.

Left: Hillary Sterling; Right: Hillary Rodham Clinton

After dinner, we all made our way a few blocks along the icy sidewalks to The Public, where we had the surprise of encountering yet another Hillary: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked past our row to seats just three rows ahead of ours, along with President Bill Clinton (who is mentioned on pages 45-46 of THE VEGETARIAN FLAVOR BIBLE for having lost 24 pounds on a vegan diet) and Chelsea Clinton.

Seeing “Hamilton” was an exhilarating and awe-inspiring experience in and of itself.  But to have the unbelievable good fortune of experiencing it in the company of a living President (and perhaps a future President — or two?) was so profound that it inspired this Tweet from “Hamilton”‘s creator Miranda: