What happens when you combine Broadway, hip-hop, and American history into a unique experience? Tony-winning creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has turned this uncanny trio into Broadway’s latest sensation. The musical Hamilton tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, “the ten-dollar founding father without a father” who fought for and helped build America in the 1700s. The show brilliantly captures the life of Hamilton by constructing strong characters with elaborate motifs and presenting their stories through song and dance incorporating distinct hip-hop and R&B influences.
Besides the modernized music, its cast diversity is another key to Hamilton’s success. As explained by Miranda, “This is a story about America then, told by America now, and we want to eliminate any distance between a contemporary audience and this story.” The show’s cast is largely black and Hispanic, a powerful act of demonstrating that American history is shared today by all Americans.
Ana Ghiban
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| Lin-Manuel Miranda [in green] as the lead Alexander Hamilton |
The storyline follows Hamilton as he moves from rags to riches, working his way up from an orphan upbringing to becoming George Washington’s right-hand man and eventually America’s first Secretary of the Treasury. The audience becomes acquainted with his bold and bright character, his personal dreams and struggles, and the complex relationships he makes along the way. Among these are his wife, Eliza Schuyler, and his nemesis, Aaron Burr, each with his or her own storyline. All this is delivered with great detail and humor. Based on a biography by Ron Chernow, Miranda has written the musical to be nearly entirely historically accurate, so the show also serves as a highly entertaining history lesson.
Besides the modernized music, its cast diversity is another key to Hamilton’s success. As explained by Miranda, “This is a story about America then, told by America now, and we want to eliminate any distance between a contemporary audience and this story.” The show’s cast is largely black and Hispanic, a powerful act of demonstrating that American history is shared today by all Americans.
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| Daveed Digs [in pink] playing Thomas Jefferson in the musical's second act. |
In addition to recently winning the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the musical has also won this year’s Grammy Award for best musical theater album. The depth of the show’s music is a large part of what makes it so effective. At the core of each song, there are many hip-hop and R&B-inspired elements. These are wound expertly with more typical Broadway-style melodies, creating a contrast that works very well. A prime example is “Guns and Ships,” a song that fades from rapid rapping into a simple piano tune. Each song is heavily layered with references and foreshadowing of other songs, creating cohesion within the whole story. Some of the more humorous examples are King George’s passionate solos conveying his perspective of the American revolution—they all follow the same tune with different lyrics for every situation. A couple of scenes are even revisited from the perspectives of different characters—we hear about Hamilton meeting his future wife from her, then from her sister: “Alexander is penniless, ha! That doesn’t mean I want him any less.” Best of all, cabinet meetings are humorously presented in the form of rap battles between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. To get a feel for the show, watch a collection of some clips shared by Broadway.com below:
While not many full clips of the show are available online, the original cast recording is available for listening. Check out the songs on iTunes or Spotify—some noteworthy tracks include “My Shot,” “The Room Where It Happens,” “Helpless,” and “Satisfied”—although the story is most effective when listened to all the way through.
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| Listen to the full cast recording on iTunes or Spotify. |
Ana Ghiban
