Alexander Hamilton died over 200 years ago.
So can someone please tell me why I'm crying about him?
If you're a fan of musical theatre or not, there's a pretty good chance you've heard of Broadway's newest smash hit; "Hamilton." The show, which is currently sold out until at least the start 2017, has reached massive success since its opening last summer. At first, most people have the same reaction; why is a musical about dead white dudes so popular?
Let's explore that.
The Cast Album
Broadway is a very specific and relatively inaccessible geographic location. Travel is expensive. New York City is expensive. Hotels are expensive. Shows are expensive. So how does a show about a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman grow to be such a phenomenon?
Simple answer? The cast album.
The original cast recording is made up of a whopping 46 songs from the show. Perhaps what works best about the album is that "Hamilton" is more of an opera than anything else. Thanks to the fact that so much of the show is singing or rapping, there are very few gaps where dialogue would be. The show on Broadway is two hours and 55 minutes. The album? Two hours and 22 minutes. Give or take a few seconds. While nothing compares to seeing a show in person, "Hamilton" does a pretty good job of letting everyone in on the fun, not just those lucky enough to score that impossible-to-score ticket.
Moreover, the album streams for free on Spotify and runs you about $20 on iTunes. That gives a whole lot of people the ability to be in the room where it happens, without having to travel to the greatest city in the world.
The Musical Style
How many Broadway musicals have you heard of that tell their stories primarily through rap, hip hop and R&B?
The answer is one. And the answer is "Hamilton."
"Hamilton" is a truly the first of its kind. There have been no other Broadway productions like it when it comes to musical style. The music isn't just good in the context of Broadway. It's just good music. Period.
The show utilizes a wide variety of musical styles, from rapid raps to crooning ballads and even a few British Invasion-style love songs sung by King George III to America itself. It's catchy. It's fun. And it's almost impossible to sing along to without getting tongue-tied.
The uniqueness of the show's style holds the attention of the audience like no other. A lot of the subject matter in the show sounds like it wouldn't make good subject matter for musical theatre, but Lin-Manuel Miranda, the genius who both took six years to write the show and plays the title role, managed to do it. For example, he took something as dry as a cabinet meeting about the national debt and made it into a rap battle. The weirdest part? It totally works.
Perhaps the most important thing to mention about this style is how fitting it is to the characters and story. Rap and hip-hop is the music of the people, according to Miranda, and this is very much so a story of the people. Additionally, Alexander Hamilton was a prolific writer and lawyer who, to quote the show, really did write like he was running out of time. "Hamilton" has the most words-per-minute of any musical on Broadway. That's pretty fitting for the likes of Alexander Hamilton.
Feminism!
Who would have thought that a musical about privileged white military men would give so much power and, in turn empowerment, to women!
As to be expected when it comes to the history of the Revolutionary War and early government of the United States, there are more named male characters than female. What is important to note is that there are women highlighted in the show. Actually, they're presented as, perhaps, the most important characters in this story.
The Schuyler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy! are the three daughters of a wealthy politician and war hero. Peggy dies young so I mean we can't really fault her for not being in the story so much. Maria Reynolds, aka Hamilton's mistress, however, plays a powerful and important role in the show and is not objectified or demonized. These women are given fleshed out stories; they have full personalities, song to sing and, most importantly, power. None of them are objectified and all have agency in their actions. Their existence itself in the narrative matters as much as anything. Too often it is said that women were not involved in history simply because there were limited channels for them to access power. They were there, changing history. People often just didn't write them down in the history books.
I could go on and on about all of these characters for days but I'm going to talk about Eliza, Hamilton's wife. She is without a doubt the most important person in the entire production. Beyond the fact that she was his wife, who loves him and bears all of his children, kept herself and her family together in the face of tragedy and established the first private orphanage in New York City, she is literally the reason this musical exists. In the 50 years she lives after her husband's death in a duel with Aaron Burr, she was committed to preserving his memory, collecting all of his writing and interviewing those who knew him, to preserve his memory.
At the very end of the stage production, where it is revealed that Eliza is the one "telling" Hamilton's story, she breaks the fourth wall and gasps as she sees the audience in attendance remembering her husband's story. If that is not quality Broadway I don't know what is.
Celebration of Diversity
The only white lead character in the entire show is King George III. That means that every other major role in a production about white people in American history is played by a person of color. That is a huge deal in Broadway or otherwise.
Lin-Manuel Miranda said that he wanted the show to reflect the world as it is today, i.e. not exclusively white people. White actors are far too often put into roles written for people of color and whitewashing is a terrible form of oppression in media. Representation is important and it does not take a very big stretch of the imagination to understand that all people, including people of color, deserve to see themselves represented in productions. "Hamilton" is doing that.
Moreover, Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant. He was born in the Caribbean to unwed parents and was orphaned in childhood. He is the perfect American immigrant narrative; came to America, studied and rose through the ranks quickly and then established a national financial system. Okay, the last part is a stretch, but you get me.
But it is important, especially in this political climate, to understand the importance of immigration in US history. A lot of the Republican candidates seems to forgetting how not terrible immigration is. The positive representation of immigration in a historical narrative that functions as an allegory for the current political climate makes "Hamilton" a truly important piece of media.
And last, but definitely not least:
The Enthusiastic Fan Base
If you're reading this article, you're probably part of the reason why the show is doing so well. You're an important part of this narrative and your continued enthusiasm and support is telling Alexander Hamilton's story. That's a pretty beautiful thing.
What do you think is the driving reason behind the smashing success of "Hamilton?"
Leave it in the comments below!
