Hamilton (musical)

Hamilton: An American Musical is a rapped and sung musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Tony Award-winning hip-hop/R&B opera is about American founding father Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury Department and an important figure in the effort to ratify the US Constitution. The musical is renowned for its innovative use of rap and multiracial casting. It inspired many people who normally have no interest in Broadway musicals—such as young people—to sing and rap the numbers.

Background

Actor, writer, and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda was born in New York City on January 16, 1980. His Puerto Rican parents were a political consultant father and clinical psychologist mother. Luis Miranda Jr. and Luz Towns-Miranda were fans of Broadway musicals and instilled in their children a love of music. In addition to the cast recordings their parents enjoyed, the younger family members appreciated rap and hip-hop music.

Miranda was involved in student theater during his elementary and high school years. He majored in theater studies at Wesleyan University and briefly taught high school English after graduation. However, he was also working on a musical that he had begun developing while at Wesleyan.

The Latin-flavored In the Heights debuted on Broadway in 2008, with Miranda starring. It became a hit and ran for nearly two years. The show took four Tony Awards, including the best musical trophy. Miranda remained busy as an actor in television programs, including a brief appearance in The Sopranos, and also worked on Broadway shows.

Miranda read the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow while he was on vacation in 2008. He was curious about Hamilton and came up with the idea to create a show about him.

Miranda was invited to the Evening of Poetry & Spoken Word at the Barack Obama White House in 2009. He performed a song about Hamilton and received positive feedback. He later performed other Hamilton songs before debuting the musical on Broadway in August 2015. The sneak peek performances generated tremendous interest in the hip-hop/R&B musical, as well as massive advance sales. The show was sold out for months.

Hamilton was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in April 2016. The following month, it was nominated for a record sixteen Tony Awards. One short of the record held by The Producers, the musical won eleven Tonys: best musical; best performance by a leading actor in a musical for Leslie Odom Jr.; best performance by a featured actor and actress in a musical for Daveed Diggs and Renée Elise Goldsberry; best book of a musical for Miranda; best original score written for the theater for Miranda; best costume design of a musical for Paul Tazewell; best lighting design of a musical for Howell Binkley; best direction of a musical for Thomas Kail; best choreography for Andy Blankenbuehler; and best orchestrations for Alex Lacamoire. The cast album won the Grammy Award for best musical theater album in February 2016. The cast performed live via satellite during the awards show.

Miranda starred in the role of Hamilton for the first season but left the show in July 2016. He had floated the idea of taking the show to Puerto Rico, which rarely saw Broadway shows on tour because of the expense of shipping sets from the mainland United States. Hurricane Maria changed his focus when it devastated the island in 2017. He reworked his plans, supporting a number of fundraising projects. He finally reprised the role in January 2019 in Puerto Rico for a benefit run.

A filmed version of Hamilton featuring the original cast was released on the Disney Plus streaming service on July 3, 2020. Disney had planned to release the film in theaters in 2021 but moved up the premier and shifted it to its new streaming platform due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The film was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards, winning the award for Outstanding Variety Special. With producers arguing that it contained universal themes, by the early 2020s, the musical was also being staged at international venues, including in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. Between 2022 and 2023, a German translation version ran at a theater in Hamburg.

Overview

The show consists of two acts. The first act introduces Alexander Hamilton and his companions and follows as they call for and then fight the American Revolution. Hamilton seeks out Aaron Burr in 1776 for advice on how to graduate early from school. Hamilton is perplexed by Burr’s advice to smile often but reveals very little. Hamilton meets like-minded revolutionaries Marquis de Lafayette, John Laurens, and Hercules Mulligan.

Once the American Revolution has begun, the men want to fight for their country in the Continental Army. Hamilton wants a command and battle experience, but General George Washington wants his help on a pressing matter. He needs someone skilled in writing to get Congress to send the promised supplies. Hamilton is disappointed that he does not get to fight for his country but does as Washington asks.

In 1780, Hamilton and his friends attend a ball given by the wealthy and influential Philip Schuyler. Hamilton recognizes the value of marrying a woman of society and is captivated by both Angelica and Eliza Schuyler. The sisters are smitten by Hamilton, but Angelica dutifully steps back. She understands her role is to marry well and wants Eliza to be happy.

Washington finally calls on Hamilton to lead at the Battle of Yorktown. The Continental Army wins, and the British Army surrenders, resulting in the United States earning its independence. Returning to civilian life, Hamilton celebrates the birth of his first child, Philip, while Burr has a daughter, Theodosia, with his lover. Burr and Hamilton both finish their studies in New York and become lawyers. Hamilton asks Burr to write anonymous essays supporting the strong federal government, but when he refuses, Hamilton turns to James Madison and John Jay. Anjelica moves to London with her new husband, and President Washington makes Hamilton his Treasury secretary.

Act Two focuses on the building of the US government and leadership roles that the victors will assume. It also expands upon the rivalry and animosity between Hamilton and Burr. Both men seek power and influence in the new government. Their feud is fueled by Burr’s run for Senate, in which he unseats Philip Schuyler. Hamilton’s affair with a married woman is revealed and his son, Philip, is killed in a duel. Both events drive wedges between Hamilton and Eliza, but they reconcile.

After Burr kills Hamilton in a duel, Eliza Hamilton carries on. She raises funds for the Washington Monument and opens an orphanage. She gathers information for the next fifty years and tries to cement her husband’s legacy. The theme of who will tell one’s story, which has recurred throughout the musical, arises again.

Finally, at the age of ninety-seven, Eliza prepares to die and be reunited with those she has lost. She breaks the fourth wall to gaze at the audience. She gasps audibly and the lights dim.

Bibliography

Goldman, A. J. "In Germany, 'Hamilton' Hangs Up Its Musket." The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/theater/hamilton-hamburg-closing.html. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.

“Hamilton, by Lin-Manuel Miranda.” Pulitzer Prizes, 2016, www.pulitzer.org/winners/lin-manuel-miranda. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.

Keller, Kate. “The Issue on the Table: Is ‘Hamilton’ Good for History?” Smithsonian, 30 May 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/issue-table-hamilton-good-history-180969192/. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

Lee, Ashley. “Thomas Kail Explains How Eliza’s Gasp at the End of ‘Hamilton’ Came to Be.” Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2020, www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ent-hamilton-eliza-gasp-explained-20200713-pzp4nzczwjeuvk2ngiosikquau-story.html. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

Paulson, Michael. "Lin-Manuel Miranda, Creator and Star of 'Hamilton,' Grew Up on Hip-Hop and Show Tunes." The New York Times, 12 Aug. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/theater/lin-manuel-miranda-creator-and-star-of-hamilton-grew-up-on-hip-hop-and-show-tunes.html. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.

Pollack-Pelzner, Daniel. “The Mixed Reception of the Hamilton Premiere in Puerto Rico.” The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/01/hamilton-premiere-puerto-rico-stirs-controversy/580657/. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

Sales, Leigh. "In the Room with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Generous Genius behind the Runaway Success, Hamilton." ABC News, www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-18/leigh-sales-lin-manuel-miranda-generous-man-success-hamilton/102098870. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.

Spangler, Todd. “ ‘Hamilton’ Drives Up Disney Plus App Downloads 74% Over the Weekend in U.S.” Variety, 6 July 2020, variety.com/2020/digital/news/hamilton-disney-plus-premiere-app-downloads-72-percent-1234698795/. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

Talass, Rawaa. "'Hamilton' Cast, Crew Talk Historic Musical as It Arrives in Abu Dhabi." Arab News, 22 Jan. 2024, www.arabnews.com/node/2445566/lifestyle. Accessed 9 Sept. 2024.

Young, William H. “Hamilton: An American Musical—Its National Influence as Art.” National Association of Scholars, 17 Oct. 2018, www.nas.org/blogs/article/hamilton‗an‗american‗musical‗its‗national‗influence‗as‗art. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.