Video: Alexander Hamilton welcomes fellow immigrants to Morristown

Whether it’s LARPing at the Hyatt, trick-or-treating on South Street or re-enacting the Hard Winter at Jockey Hollow, people around Morristown enjoy trying new personas on for size.

This willingness to suspend disbelief is particularly powerful during Revolutionary Times Weekend.

Last year an actor portraying George Washington was so good you wanted to follow him into battle. Any battle–a bar fight, parking ticket, even an argument with Martha would do.

And so it was this year with Alexander Hamilton. Actor Ian Rose was so convincing that you could almost hear Jefferson, Adams and Madison hissing as their faux rival dissed them, just like the real guy did in the 18th century

Which brings me to my favorite story from the weekend.

General Hamilton (yes, he too became a general) had just welcomed 35 new citizens during a naturalization ceremony at Washington’s Headquarters.

Now he was staring down the barrel of my video camera. I zoomed tight. At last, I was going to fire off questions that have stymied historians for two centuries:

What the heck did you say about Aaron Burr that ticked him off to the point of dueling?

And did you intentionally shoot too high on that tragic morning in Weehawken?

Our nation’s first Treasury Secretary listened intently. And then he began laying it all out in lawyerly fashion.

And then…and then… there was no sound.

The batteries in my microphone receiver had died!

Guess we’ll just have to wait another 200 years.

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Postcript: When asked how he liked Ian Rose’s performance, author John Cunningham, the dean of New Jersey historians at age 95, said it was pretty close to the real thing.

“I knew him,” said John, a twinkle in his eye.

Meaning the original Alexander Hamilton.

In that case, how was the Hard Winter of 1780?

“Cold,” John said.

READ MORE ABOUT THE REVOLUTIONARY TIMES WEEKEND

WATCH OUR WEBCAST WITH ALEXANDER HAMILTON