Hamilton Musical Critique Essay

The second stage production I attended was Hamilton. From the time the original Broadway cast album came out in 2015, I had not listened to any of the musical numbers and knew little of the plot except that it followed Alexander Hamilton. I only heard snippets of people humming along to the songs because everyone in school was obsessed with the show. This past weekend I was fortunate to witness what all the rave was about, and Hamilton has earned the privilege to be named one of the best musicals. Hamilton exudes a dramatic storyline following one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His life is presented in a timeline format and how he became an influential interpreter, promoter, and founder of the early beginnings of the United States government system. Hamilton’s life is depicted in a detailed manner from the lyrics and how his actions are affected by various historical figures that appear as major characters.

Hamilton is an exhilarating spectacle that recalls and pursues the spirit of shows that are edgy and angsty while also following a commandment to be optimistic and uplifting. Although this show has a few tragic elements (Philip, Hamilton’s son dying in a duel he was instructed to part take in and Hamilton repeating his son’s actions while his wife laments and continues his legacy), the ending celebrates a community that coheres and looks to the future for a promising and wistful idea of America. The balance of these two central themes develops a riveting musical that brings together politics and hope into a show that is relatable in today’s society.

Hamilton is a book musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda because of the inspiration for the creation of the musical and its reference to multiple historical documents printed by Hamilton. Each musical number highlights specific quotes taken from historical pamphlets and papers, events that occurred during Hamilton’s life, and how he established and perfected his practices to become influential in the early governmental changes. Songs such as “Non-Stop,” “Cabinet Battle #1,” and “The Schuyler Sisters” have quoted passages from The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. In “Non-Stop,” Thomas Jefferson comments on how Hamilton wrote 51 articles to the Federalist Papers. The lyrics are a big surprise and force listeners to lean forward and listen to the internal rhyme scheme that adds a second dimension to the rap element. The action moves throughout the songs morph into multiple different genres from romantic ballads to charming serenades, and classic polyphonic ensembles. Central themes within Hamilton are reprised within each song, especially in the song “My Shot,” where Hamilton’s assertion that ‘I am not throwing away my shot’ is repeated several times, turning into a vow to make the most of every opportunity to an ironic comment on his final gesture in the duel with Burr.

This musical is exceedingly new age as each musical number is from a different genre. Each variety of style is succinct with a specific character to enhance the personality and emotions of each person. Specifically, the music sung by Thomas Jefferson, “What’d I miss,” is a jazzy number. The actor sings in swing style and holds notes longer than the short accents on the frequent rap and hip-hop beats in the majority of the other songs that Hamilton and

Save your time!
We can take care of your essay

• Proper editing and formatting
• Free revision, title page, and bibliography
• Flexible prices and money-back guarantee

Place Order

Burr sing. A second reoccurring genre that appears is in King George III as his style is similar to that of 1960s British pop sound. His style clashes with contemporary music yet in a good way, as it shows how out of touch he is with current ideas and notions. Finally, the Schuyler sisters, have a similar sound to a contemporary R&B style. Specifically, in the song “The Schuyler Sisters,” there are bluesy, funk, and electric key sounds that characterize their passion and love for those around them and their emotions. Each character in the production has a definable musical style and particular sound. This intent is to bring different backgrounds and kinds of music into America and how the genre has built upon one another to create new styles. Contemporary popular music in Hamilton is a rich source for Broadway as the songbook becomes more diverse and is added upon with new pages.

Similar to the numerous genres of music included in the show, Hamilton embraces the essence of what America looks like now. The casting includes a variety of different ethnic backgrounds that allows audiences to view America as a nation of immigrants, and the intention is to show how irrelevant the Founding Fathers’ whiteness is to their claim on the country. The diversity within the lead roles pulls audience members into the story and allows them to leave cultural differences aside. With this in mind, the story becomes more immediate and more accessible to contemporary audiences and allows an opportunity for some to reclaim a part of history that they do not think is their own. Each actor portrayed the characters tremendously well, and even though it is not the original cast, the directing and casting agents took the time to replicate the second tour as close as possible to the Broadway version. With this in mind, the management imitated the costuming so well that at times I did not even notice that each garment was recreated to match the original. Definitely, the costuming is my favorite part of any show, since I am a fashion design major, it is fascinating to see how the costuming reflects the personality of the characters and emphasizes the themes being conveyed in the musical.

Hamilton is bursting with youthful, revolutionary energy on a rustic, wooden set with a turning table that keeps things flowing. The set is extravagant and adds a second dimension to how the songs are interpreted. This is evident during “Satisfied” when Angelica Schuyler recounts the time she met Hamilton and the turntable reverses and is used to going back in time to recount her developing feelings for him.

I have found that I enjoy most stage shows when I do not know any plot lines or songs. I am able to be surprised and interpret the music during the show rather than listening to the music before. Hamilton is a remarkable musical that is beyond its time and focuses on reversing old musical conventions, that are more contemporary and accessible to audiences. This musical exceeds the golden age and classical musicals by transforming an important part of the country’s history into an elevated theater story while also merging political and social issues in today’s culture.