Broadway's Ten-Dollar Founding Father, And Why You Should Care
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Broadway's Ten-Dollar Founding Father, And Why You Should Care

Lin-Manuel Miranda is changing the game of Broadway forever.

13
Broadway's Ten-Dollar Founding Father, And Why You Should Care
news-entertainment

Right now on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater, the musical "Hamilton" is running with 8 shows a week. The musical follows the life story of Alexander Hamilton: his time in the Revolutionary War, his time as Secretary of Treasury, and his infamous relationship with Aaron Burr that led to his untimely death. The show is currently huge hit, being sold out for months and with constant visits from celebrities. All of this success is thanks to one man: Lin-Manuel Miranda. Here, we'll delve into the talent and passion behind this Broadway genius.

He's a writer, composer, and actor. All at once.

Lin-Manuel Miranda began writing the music for Hamilton when on vacation he picked up a biography of Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow. Miranda went on to write the book, all of the music and lyrics, and currently plays the lead role of Alexander Hamilton (he shares the role with Javier Muñoz, who stars as Hamilton on Sunday matinees and also is the understudy for Miranda). If there's one person who can put this altogether successfully, it's Lin-Manuel Miranda.

He's already an award-winning composer.

Before "Hamilton," Miranda wrote the score for the 2008 musical "In the Heights" and starred in the lead role in that production as well. In this musical, Miranda introduced Broadway audiences to a new type of Broadway sound- rap. As something rarely heard on Broadway before that, the results were extremely successful. For "In the Heights," Miranda won 11 awards, including the Tony Award for Best Score and Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.

He's the epitome of a risk taker.

In 2009, Miranda was invited to the White House's Evening of Music, Poetry, and the Spoken Word to perform a song from "In the Heights." When he took the stage, however, he instead surprised his audience by performing one of his songs from the early drafts of "Hamilton." This man took the stage in front of the Obama family and rapped a song about one of the founding fathers. Talk about a huge risk. Unsurprisingly, the whole audience loved it, especially President Obama; he's already been to see the Broadway show twice.

His taking a modern twist on a traditional story.

In order to tell the thrilling and event-filled story of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda went to his rap roots in order to fit in as much story as he could. Yep, you read that right — Miranda has history's most prominent figures on stage rapping. The show has a run time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes with an intermission. In a recent study, it was determined that if "Hamilton" was the same speed as a regular musical, it would have a run time of 4-6 hours. The speed of rapping allows for more words to be put in per bar, thus allowing more story to be told in a shorter amount of time.

He also has a casting representative of American today to tell the story of America then. Nearly every person in the case is a person of color, representative of the diverse population we currently have in America. One of the only white actors in the production is Jonathan Groff, who plays the role of King George the III. The diversity of the cast allows the actors to tell the classic story on a whole other level.

He's a genius. Really.

In 2015, Miranda was the recipient of MacArthur "Genius" Award; we all already thought he was a genius, but this just proves our thoughts are valid.

In all, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a creative genius who's also extremely humble at the same time. On top of all that, he has a great Twitter.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
houses under green sky
Photo by Alev Takil on Unsplash

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Keep Reading...Show less
​a woman sitting at a table having a coffee
nappy.co

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

91943
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

70513
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments