"I was like, oh we've been fighting about the same things forever, it's no accident we're still fighting about how much the government is involved in our lives...it's no accident we still fight about how involved we get in the other countries' affairs...and it's also no accident that everyone who dies in our play dies as a result of gun violence, that's the other thing that is in the founding of our Constitution." -Lin Manuel Miranda
On August 6, 2015, Richard Rodgers Theater in New York City became a permanent home to "Hamilton: An American Musical". Based on the life story of Alexander Hamilton, the show quickly became the most talked-about show and most expensive being that tickets were in such high demand. Now, almost 5 years later, "Hamilton" is officially coming to Disney+ this Friday, July 3, 2020. While the show is known for its history, it is also known for its diverse cast and in today's society, opening up "Hamilton" to more people may spark conversations that need to happen and about many other very real topics.
Racially Diverse Casting
It is no secret about what is going on in the country and in the world today. With racial injustice at the forefront of most conversations, "Hamilton" easily wipes out any injustice through their casts worldwide.
When Lin Manuel-Miranda was writing and scoring the show, he wasn't writing it as a biography. In an interview with Emma Watson, he said, "I was casting hip hop R&B artists in my head, I was never picturing the literal founding fathers. We know what they look like...the fun for me was in alright well which R&B artist, hip hop artist, music artist has the feel of the temperament...just allows us to eliminate the distance even more". Especially with what is going on in the world, being able to see people of color such powerful figures in the making of America sparks any conversation.
Daveed Diggs, who plays Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, said in an interview with Stephen Colbert, "we the performers are sort of asked to eliminate all of the distance between us and the audience, right so that's culturally and as well as everything else".
By having actors who aren't white and trying to match the cast perfectly to the literal founding fathers, just wasn't a realistic match for this specific play. Not only has it lessened the distance and made them like real people, but it also shows how far we have come as a country altogether. Back when Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were alive, people of color were slaves, and now in 2020, they are portraying the founders of a country.
The Government/Country Affairs
Another issue that is always talked about today is the government's involvement in our lives as citizens. Whether we need more of a government presence or less, it was something that was fought about in the 1700s when America was first created. In the second act of the show in "Cabinet Battle #1" Hamilton and Jefferson fight over this topic. Saying things like "his plan would have the government assume state debt...if New York's in debt why should Virginia bear it?" and "if we assume the debts, the union gets a new line of credit, a financial diuretic". Also, in "My Shot" Hamilton says the line "are we a nation or state?", meaning when is it okay for government interference. Even today, people argue about the same topic as the founding fathers who were over 200 years ago.
Over the years, America has gotten the nickname of "the world's police" meaning that America tries to keep the peace between countries and gets involved in other countries' issues. In "Cabinet Battle #2" Jefferson and Hamilton fight yet again but on the topic of getting involved in the French Revolution. Lines such as "we needed money and guns and half a chance who provided those funds, France...only a promise that we'd lend a hand and stand with them as they fought against oppressors" and "if you think the President is gonna bring the nation to the brink of meddling in the middle of a military mess". Once again, even though it isn't the French Revolution, this is still a topic of discussion in America.
Gun Violence
Even if someone has never seen "Hamilton" it is not hidden that he died in a duel against Vice President Aaron Burr. One of Alexander Hamilton's closest friends, John Laurens, was killed in a gunfight against the British after the war had ended. Then, Philip Hamilton, his own son, was killed in a duel.
The show depicts these tragedies with "The World Was Wide Enough", "Blow Them All Away"/ "Stay Alive (reprise)", and an interlude for John Laurens that isn't on the soundtrack. In "10 Duel Commandments" and "Stay Alive", John Laurens and Hamilton go against Burr and General Charles Lee in a duel, shooting General Lee. "Hamilton" is plagued with unnecessary gun violence and so is our world.
Throughout the 21st Century, gun violence has been such a popular and controversial topic, and for good reason. School shootings such as Sandy Hook Elementary and Parkland School totals 45 people dead, 20 of those not being over the age of seven. In Las Vegas in 2017, 59 people were shot at a concert, 58 of those being innocent. In 1999, 15 people died at Columbine High School.
The 2 Amendment, the right to bear arms, is a political topic that isn't always easy to discuss because just above only 4 incidents were mentioned yet, 119 people died. Clearly this isn't a new topic either, even though duels were not meant to kill the other person, they still used gun violence to settle debates.
Though "Hamilton" is a show that takes play in the 1700 and 1800s, it still talks about very real issues that been embedded in our country. With the release on Disney+ coming this Friday, it will allow so many more people to have access to this amazing show. Meaning it will get the conversation rolling again of what it represents and showing that there are so many different sides to history.
