Take a Break

ELIZA
Un deux trois quatre PHILIP HAMILTON
Cinq six sept huit
neuf.
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf.
Good!
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit
neuf.
Un deux trois quatre
Cinq six sept huit neuf.
ELIZA
Sept huit neuf– PHILIP
Sept huit neuf–
Sept huit neuf–
Sept huit neuf–
ELIZA AND PHILIP
One two three four five six seven eight nine!
HAMILTON
My dearest, Angelica,
“tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day”
I trust you’ll understand the reference to
another Scottish tragedy without my having
to name the play.
They think me Macbeth, and ambition is
my folly,
I’m a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive
pain,
Madison is Banquo, Jefferson’s Macduff
And Birnam Wood is Congress on its way to
Dunsinane.
HAMILTON/ANGELICA
And there you are, an ocean away.
Do you have to live an
ocean away?
Thoughts of you subside,
then I get another letter,
I cannot put the notion away…
ELIZA
Take a break.
HAMILTON
I am on my way.
ELIZA
There’s a little surprise before supper
and it cannot wait.
HAMILTON
I’ll be there in just a minute, save my plate.
ELIZA
Alexander—
HAMILTON
Okay, okay—
ELIZA
Your son is nine years old today.
He has something he’d like to say.
He’s been practicing all day.
Philip, take it away—
PHILIP
Daddy, daddy, look—
My name is Philip.
I am a poet.
I wrote this poem just
to show it.
And I just turned nine.
You can write rhymes,
but you can’t write
mine. HAMILTON
What!
I practice French
and play
piano with my
mother.
Uh huh!
I have a sister but I
want a little brother.
Okay!
My daddy’s trying to
start America’s bank.
Un deux trois quatre
cinq!
Bravo!
ELIZA
Take a break.
HAMILTON
Hey, our kid is pretty great.
ELIZA
Run away with us for the summer.
Let’s go upstate.
HAMILTON
Eliza, I’ve got so much on my plate.
ELIZA
We can all go stay with my father.
There’s a lake I know…
HAMILTON
I know.
ELIZA
In a nearby park.
HAMILTON
I’d love to go.
ELIZA
You and I can go when the night gets dark…
HAMILTON
I will try to get away.
ANGELICA
My dearest Alexander,
You must get through to Jefferson.
Sit down with him and compromise,
don’t stop ‘til you agree
your fav’rite older sister,
Angelica, reminds you
there’s someone in your corner all the way
across the sea.
In a letter I received from you two weeks ago
I noticed a comma in the middle of a phrase.
It changed the meaning. Did you intend this?
One stroke and you’ve consumed my waking
days.
It says:
HAMILTON/ANGELICA
“My dearest Angelica”
ANGELICA
With a comma after “dearest.” you’ve written
HAMILTON AND ANGELICA
“My dearest, Angelica.”
ANGELICA
Anyway, all this to say
I’m coming home this summer
at my sister’s invitation,
I’ll be there with your fam’ly
if you make your way upstate.
I know you’re very busy,
I know your work’s important,
but I’m crossing the ocean and I just can’t
wait.
HAMILTON AND ANGELICA
You won’t be an ocean away.
You will only be a moment away…
ELIZA
Alexander, come downstairs. Angelica’s
arriving today!
ELIZA
Angelica!
ANGELICA
Eliza!
HAMILTON
The Schuyler sisters!
ANGELICA
Alexander.
HAMILTON
Hi.
ANGELICA
It’s good to see your face.
ELIZA
Angelica, tell this man John Adams spends the
summer with his family.
HAMILTON
Angelica, tell my wife John Adams doesn’t
have a real job anyway.
ANGELICA
…you’re not joining us? Wait.
HAMILTON
I’m afraid I cannot join you upstate.
ANGELICA
Alexander, I came all this way.
ELIZA
She came all this way–
ANGELICA
All this way–
ELIZA AND ANGELICA
Take a break.
HAMILTON
You know I have to get my plan through
Congress.
ELIZA AND ANGELICA
Run away with us for the summer.
Let’s go upstate.
HAMILTON
I lose my job if I don’t get my plan through
Congress.
ELIZA AND ANGELICA
We can all go stay with our father.
ELIZA ANGELICA
There’s a lake I know I know I’ll miss your
face–
In a nearby park Screw your courage
to the sticking place–
You and I can go
Eliza’s right–
Take a break Take a break.
and get away–
Run away with us
for the summer–
Let’s go upstate Let’s go upstate.
where we can stay.
We can all go stay with
our father,
if you take your time–
Look around, look
around
you will make your
mark.
at how lucky we are
to be alive right now– Close your eyes and
dream–
We can go– when the night gets
dark.
When the night gets
dark.
Take a break.
Take a break.
HAMILTON
I have to get my plan through Congress.
I can’t stop until I get this plan through
Congress.