A long wait to see 'Hamilton' for Amherst contest winners

This article has been updated to correct the name of Richard Rodgers Theatre. AMHERST — Two years is a long time to wait for any prize, but Camilla Isaacs, McKenna Pfeiffer and Gabby Smith had no choice. As sophomores at Marion L. Steele High School in those sunny days just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they won the Gilder Lehrman Institute's Hamilton Education Program Online National Competition. They penned an original song based on Abigail Adams' 1776 letter to her husband, John Adams. She wrote to urge him to "remember the ladies" while attending the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The Amherst trio's award-winning song landed them an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to see the Broadway musical "Hamilton" performed at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. They were scheduled to fly out in April 2020 — and of course that never happened, since the entire nation locked down. "We had the countdown," Isaacs said, remembering back to the weeks just before the trip, and the sadness she felt the moment it was canceled by COVID-19. As the pandemic wore on, history teacher Emily Marty said Isaacs, Pfeiffer and Smith lost hope they'd ever get to claim their grand prize. They graduated with the Class of 2022 on May 21, and at long last made the journey to the Big Apple as alumni on May 31 with Marty and sophomore English teacher Janet Grissinger. "It was neat to see them all come back together and reunite," Marty said. "Just seeing the girls be able to see the fruits of their labor — they were so excited when they won two years ago, and obviously a lot of things got put on hold." The Lorain County travelers stayed for three days at the Edison Hotel directly across the street from the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and saw the "Hamilton" cast take the stage June 1. Award-winners from across the country were given some of the best seats in the house, Marty said. They sat just six rows back. Marty described the theater as "intimate," even smaller than some at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, which made for an amazing up-close view. "It was honestly emotional when we got to finally sit in the theater and watch 'Hamilton.' I had kind of lost hope," Isaacs said. The performance was followed by a question-and-answer session with some of the actors. While Isaacs, Pfeiffer and Smith weren't able to perform their song on stage as had been planned back in 2020, they did each get swag bags with items signed by "Hamilton" composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, including a playbill. The rest of the trip was spent exploring Central Park, shopping, visiting the Museum of Modern Art and stopping at 30 Rock to visit with Steele alumna Katie Primm, who now works as a producer at NBC. Pfeiffer also got a change to sing at an open mic on Broadway, where Marty said she "blew the house down." Now the former Amherst students are going their separate ways. Isaacs is headed to Ohio University to study psychology, Pfeiffer will study marine biology at Eckerd College in Florida, and Smith is headed to Chicago to study musical theater. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.