For anyone who’s seen, listened to or fangirled over Hamilton, it’s insane how easy it is to go from a simple fan to absolutely obsessed. When first hearing about Hamilton, I found myself confounded that 2 things I’m not really a fan of-rap and history-were suddenly major aspects of the biggest musical on Broadway. I disregarded it, silently refused to listen to the music out of pure stubbornness until one day I was on the train to the city with my boyfriend and he said “Oh yeah, we’re seeing Hamilton.” Surprised, astonished, flabbergasted- no words could do my emotions justice- both before and after the show! So my advice to anyone as stubborn as me- do it. Let yourself be obsessed, indulge in the music; it’s totally worth it.
So if you’re like me, you know there are several reasons you can’t help being obsessed with such a phenomenal show. One of my favorite reasons is the god who walks among men, the creator himself: Lin-Manuel Miranda. Words cannot begin to describe this amazing human that we are blessed to live in the same century with. The eloquence in his writing can only be compared to Shakespearian poetry- except much better because we can all understand it! How can a person rhyme “President” with “jettison” or “eventually” and “ascendancy” and still make the production incredibly colloquial and down to earth? Miranda made Broadway’s biggest hit musical, all about our guy on the ten dollar bill, winning countless awards including 11 Tony’s. For those who might not get it, I feel the need to let you know that is a lot!
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But what makes this story such a huge craze? Why is everyone loving it so much? And the answer to that is rap, yo. I must admit, I was never a fan of rap music until Hamilton. It's taking an outdated lesson and making it modern and relatable for kids! Suddenly the lyrics have so much meaning embedded in them, and so much content- it’s overwhelming yet amazing! Miranda takes a history lesson transforms it into an epic backstory! In 2 hours at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, you learn more than that history class you slept through in 7th grade. Especially for those who most definitely aren’t history buffs, suddenly you’ll know about anything and everything historic that ever touched Hamilton’s life. Not only was Miranda able to produce something thoroughly entertaining and successful, but it’s educational too! It’s like he’s become the Bill Nye the Science Guy of musical theatre- now we just need him to do more! Imagine Lin-Manuel Miranda doing a series of historical raps like an updated School House Rock?
Another thing I seriously love about Hamilton is the serious amount of girl power- despite the fact that women had to wait to be included in the sequel. Angelica and Eliza’s amazing sisterly bond and their badass, go-getter attitudes inspire me to be just as driven as they are, despite the fact that they live in America when women had no rights. One of my favorite speculations about Hamilton is the question of whether the title of the show is referring to more than one of the people under the Hamilton name. Yup, you’ve guessed it- Eliza Hamilton. In some ways, she’s the reason Hamilton’s story lives on. When he passed, after a lifetime of mistakes, success, laughter, sorrow and confusion, Eliza frantically pursued every effort to make sure what he’d done in his life meant something. She honored his legacy, made sure he wasn’t forgotten and started the first orphanage, so young boys wouldn’t be abandoned like he was. Who’s the real hero in the Hamilton legacy?
So if you’re ready to finally take the plunge and allow Hamilton to control your life click the link below this article to get ready to jam! And if you’re a fan, I’m sure you can already rap all the words to one of my favorite songs on the album-My Shot- so click the link and show off your stuff! (Fun fact: Hamilton is the best workout jam you could ask for!) If you’re just someone who’s dying to understand a daughter’s, son’s or friend’s freaky obsession with some rap about our dead founding fathers, I hope I’ve shed some light on the situation!
