"Legacy? What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see."
There is a reason this musical is so popular. It isn't just another amazing soundtrack written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but a way for America to get re-interested in American History. It is an amazing soundtrack, don't get me wrong – I've personally annoyed my friends with it for the past several months.
Without further adieu, here are the five reasons you should go listen to "Hamilton" right now!
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It took years to craft.
Before it's debut Off-Broadway in 2015, "Hamilton: An American Musical" was just a tiny thought on Miranda's mind. He went on a vacation in 2008 and brought with him Ron Chernow's biography: Alexander Hamilton.
It took Miranda a year to write the first song, but even then it wasn't completely finished before he was invited to perform at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and Written Word. Everyone was under the impression he would be doing a song from his other musical In The Heights.
Instead, he announced his song choice and was laughed at. President Obama laughed at him because he was about to perform a song about a Founding Father who embodies hip hop. It was bizarre.
After the standing ovation, he wrote another early song in the play, "My Shot". Like the previous song, this one took another year to form. Finally, in February of 2015, "Hamilton" made it's Off-Broadway debut and within months was transferred to Broadway.
It's mostly historically accurate.
As a history buff, I love any sort of American history. My heart belongs to the Revolutionary War period, so it seems fitting that this is one of my top 5 favorite musicals. Being so in love with history, I tend to find little things here and there wrong with "historically accurate" things.
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, the man who shot him, did not likely meet until their war careers crossed path in the late 1770's. Miranda took dramatic liberty with this to create a "love" for Burr. It was not likely that Burr and Hamilton were the best of friends, as depicted.
Act two is really where the majority of the inaccuracies start. In the show, Philip Hamilton's duel with George Eacker seems to happen before the Election of 1800. You're lead to believe that during this election, Hamilton was very upset and inconsolable during the election. When in fact, Philip Hamilton's duel actually occurred in 1801, just a small 3 years before Hamilton's duel with Burr.
Even with its few inaccuracies, it still holds its ground. Miranda had a historical advisor on staff while writing and directing it: Ron Chernow. It seems only fitting that his inspiration help with the accuracy of the production.
It's a different breed of musical.
Most musical's that you see are either slow or semi-fast paced. "Hamilton" is a mixture of both, but it is all done in a hip-hop way. In a sense, it embodies Les Miserables, but instead of the opera-type feel, it has the upbeat feel.
If it was a usual musical, it would take 12 hours for the 20,000 words sang. Instead it is about 2.5 hours long with 144 per minute. It currently holds the title for the fastest-paced musical on Broadway. It's fastest song, Guns and Ships, features Daveed Diggs and goes to about 6.3 words per second.
It's inclusive.
"Hamilton" features a mixed cast; that's no surprise. They even hold open casting calls calling for "non-white" actors. This is done on purpose. It has been said in multiple interviews that this musical seeks to break down the barriers of "I can't do this because I'm not white".
"Hamilton" provides hope to the hopeless. It provides a sense of future for those who think they didn't have one in the first place. It provides a foundation for a new generation to rise up.
It's complex.
If you haven't listened to the soundtrack, I urge you to take a couple hours out of your day to listen to it. Miranda used to be an English teacher and it shows in his writings. One day, this man will find a word that rhymes with orange. He's just that good.
In "My Shot" he raps: "A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists?/ Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is!".
In "Washington On Your Side": "I’m in the cabinet. I am complicit in/Watching him grabbin’ at power and kiss it/ If Washington isn’t gon’ listen/ To disciplined dissidents, this is the difference:/ This kid is out!"
"Hamilton" takes words that you don't see everyday and turns them into pure rhyming magic.
