A record sixteen Tony nominations were given to Hamilton (Hatzitolios). Winning twelve of those nominations, including best musical, it also won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, a Grammy award, seven Olivier awards, was honored by the Kennedy Center, and received raving reviews from seemingly everywhere (Klotz). One wonders why there are still those who haven’t listened to it yet today, almost 4 years after its 2015 debut (McCarthy). The music, lyrics, and book for Hamilton: An American Musical were all written by Lin-Manuel Miranda; an incredible feat in itself (Churchwell). Miranda was inspired by a 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (McCarthy). Originally a concept album, Hamilton has blossomed into 47 unique and inspiring songs that warm the hearts of millions of Americans and people all over the world (McCarthy). What could explain the deep cultural impact and praise for Hamilton: An American Musical?
Hamilton has been referred to as “revolutionary” for a multitude of reasons varying from its music to casting choice. The soundtrack is a blend of rap, R&B, jazz, show tunes, and even a sprinkling of what resembles 60s pop (Hatzitolios). Many doubted that rap would ever have a place on Broadway; however, Hamilton proved them wrong. The rap in Hamilton not only added a new dimension to Broadway but also acted as a gateway to breed unconventional Broadway goers who wouldn’t have listened to Broadway music otherwise.
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The complexity of this music makes it captivating to audiences of all ages. As in real life, the characters in Hamilton are complex. Lin-Manuel Miranda has allowed the characters to be flawed. He avoids deifying them because these were real people who, despite their fame and glory as founding fathers, have made mistakes just like everyone else (Stuff). In particular, it’s the motifs used throughout the musical that tie it all together and what brings out the emotional and mental development (Stuff). There isn’t a part without meaning, because each element of Hamilton affects another, adding to the overall intricacy and appeal (Stuff).
As for the cast, the majority consists entirely of people of color (Hatzitolios). Miranda has explained that the casting of Hamilton is a reflection of what America is today, “This is a story about America then, told by America now, and we want to eliminate any distance—our story should look the way our country looks,” (Weinert-Kendt). Hamilton is breaking down racial barriers and stigma by showing America, and the rest of the world, that the color of skin has no effect on the mind behind it. This was an inspiring message, especially considering what was going on at the time.
In 2015, there was a plethora of mass shootings in the United States, causing fear throughout the nation (Wills). The European migrant crisis was well underway, bringing up the topic of illegal immigration once again (Keneally). Also at this time, police brutality was going viral with people filming incidents, thereby creating a lack of trust and a growing fear of law enforcement (Wills). Trump wiggled his way into the political scene, building on these fears with his campaign to “Make America Great Again” (Keneally). With all these unfortunate events that were going on at the time of release, Hamilton brings us back to the birth of this nation; where optimism spread like wildfire and people were determined to make this a better world for those who came after it. The main character, Alexander Hamilton, shows his dream of a nation united and solidary (Miranda). This musical, in a way, gave people hope.
Hope at a time when law enforcement that was placed to protect us was, and is, killing our brothers and sisters (Wills). Hope at a time when racism was, and is, still prevalent and where immigrants are shunned; even though this nation was founded on immigration (Keneally)! Hope that we will one day be the nation that our founding fathers envisioned. Hamilton showed this nation’s roots while giving a glimpse of what this nation has become. Yes, it has an amazing score, with phenomenal performances by many actors on broadway, but it goes deeper than the music and the cast by starting a conversation about what is going on today. Hamilton is known by many to be greater than the sum of its parts and there is something for everyone to take away and learn.
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