HAMILTON: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE MUSICAL
How The Story of the First Secretary of Treasury became a Musical Phenomenon
1776. The year that Alexander Hamilton stepped foot in New York City, and the year that history had its eyes on him.
2012. The year that Lin-Manuel Miranda, while rapping his lines as Alexander Hamilton, stepped across the Broadway stage as people watched in awe.
The musical that impressed so many theatre goers is called Hamilton, and it is a current running Broadway musical that reels an average of 3 million dollars a week (Broadway Grosses – HAMILTON, n.d.). Tickets sometimes even go as high as 800 dollars. Hamilton has been praised for its diverse cast and historical plotline about a young man named Alexander Hamilton, who became the first secretary of treasury of the United States of America. It’s been the most talked about musical since “The Book of Mormon” (Piepenburg, 2016).
So, it goes without asking: Why is Hamilton so popular?
Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the Caribbean, the son of a Scotsman and a prostitute, rose in status during the American Revolution where he became the right-hand man of George Washington. He later became the first secretary of treasury which took the role of financial affairs and created the first bank of the United States.
Production of the show began in 2004 when Lin Manuel Miranda read a biography by Ron Chernow. Miranda sang a number of the musical at the White House in May 2009, and the show opened in 2012 at the Public Theatre (Piepenburg, 2016). After that, the show began to rise in popularity.
Professor Despoina Giapoudzi, a visiting professor of Drama and Theatre at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has been looking into the Hamilton Hype since watching the show in July 2017. She says that Hamilton is a realistic and accurate representation of people. Giapoudzi compares Miranda to Shakespeare and accredits him for breaking the mold in Broadway shows.
Hamilton conveys the message that immigrants are a vital part of America. With the original cast comprised of mainly non-whites portraying historically white characters, Hamilton shows that minorities are just as important in the founding of this country. In terms of Broadway, it has opened the gates for actors of color to be more than the usual typecast. In an interview with Professor Giapoudzi, she mentions how the non-white cast evokes a sense that America was founded by the arrivals of diverse groups of people. “It reminds us of how America came to be… by immigrants,” she said.
Hamilton has gained popularity especially with teens, which has one way or another led to more of the younger generations learning more history. Hip hop, rap, pop, blues, and other unconventional music forms make up the majority of the soundtrack which brings a modern aesthetic to the theatre. The modernistic touch to Hamilton’s biography has enabled teens to fully engage with history.
Dave Ludt, a local theatre director in Boylston, MA, mentioned how impactful Hamilton has on views of American history. “It brings history alive,” he said during an interview.
It isn't just the music and message that makes Hamilton popular. It is also the sense of duty as an American citizen to learn their own history. With so much of the musical being based on real historical events, schools have begun to use the Hamilton soundtrack as a substitute for history textbooks. For example, there is the Hamilton Education Initiative under the clever hashtag #EduHam, that has introduced students online to Alexander Hamilton’s history (Frost, 2018). Giapoudzi enthusiastically mentioned colleges recently starting courses revolving around Hamilton, as it ties political science, sociology, history, and the performing arts together.
“It makes history more enjoyable to students, it makes politics more enjoyable to students.”
“He makes history very accessible, and makes the audience see the good in the world and the good in diversity,” Giapoudzi said about Miranda.
“It was a cult musical, a representation of the modern consciousness that made it so successful and popular,” said Ludt. Sure enough, Hamilton has won 11 out of 16 possible Tonys as well as various other awards such as Olivier awards and Grammy’s (Piepenburg, 2016).
Despite popularity for exposing younger generations to history, historical purists see the musical as somewhat inaccurate. For example, “The Story of Tonight,” features two men that Hamilton met, Hercules Mulligan and Marquis de Lafayette, who Hamilton will not meet until after 1776, the year it takes place (Miranda, 2016).
While there is a drawback in false details, Hamilton still opens the door to allow people to look into history. “One way to resolve that is to encourage people to examine both artforms: the musical and historical documents,” said Ludt on the topic of historical inaccuracies.
Giapoudzi, defending the stylistic choices of Miranda says that such sacrifices are necessary for storytelling. “You have to go to extremes if you want the audience to grasp the message,” she said.
The future of Hamilton will hopefully be a legacy of a long running, mold breaking musical on Broadway. Giapoudzi hopes that it will inspire more students to be engaged in history and bring attention to minority representation in media. She also hopes that Hamilton will become more affordable in the far future.
“Up until now, people didn’t want to become an actor because I’m going to be typecast because I am black, or Latino…This is opening doors … and we all belong on the stage,” she said.
With events such as Hamiltunes, an event revolving around a sing-along of the musical’s soundtrack, and Hamilton Mixtapes produced by Miranda himself, Hamilton is far from leaving the mainstream conscious (Giapoudzi, 2018).
Hamilton’s realistic, modern style and approach to the biography of a crucial figure in American politics and history has invoked a sense relatability for audience members and has enabled them to be proud of their country and celebrate its history. With a show like this, it’s no wonder why Hamilton is so popular. As stated by co-producer of Hamilton Tommy Kail, “This is a story about America then, told by America now” (Miranda, 2016).
References:
Broadway Grosses - HAMILTON. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses/HAMILTON
Frost, M. (2018, November 08). Broadway's 'Hamilton' inspires, motivates NYC high school students. Retrieved from https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2018/11/08/broadways-hamilton-inspires-motivates-nyc-high-school-students/
Giapoudzi, D. (2018). In person Interview.
Ludt, D. (2018). In person Interview.
Miranda, L., & McCarter, J. (2016). Hamilton: The revolution. New York: Grand Central Publishing.
Piepenburg, E. (2016, June 12). Why ‘Hamilton’ Has Heat. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/06/theater/20150806-hamilton-broadway.html