" Hamilton" is the smash Broadway hit about the $10 founding father without a father and his rise to power as the right-hand man of George Washington and eventually the Secretary of the Treasury. Written by lyrical genius and star of "Hamilton," Lin-Manuel Miranda, it initially started out as a mixtape that Miranda rapped (yes, rapped) at the White House in 2009. After the stamp of approval from Obama, aka "Hamilton's" biggest fan, Miranda went on to write the full musical. Hamilton grew into more of a phenomenon, quickly overtaking every other musical on Broadway in terms of popularity. Tickets sell out months in advance for $300 a piece, and celebrities such as Kanye West and Madonna have seen it in its opening year. As the original cast's contracts are up in July, I have put together a list of reasons why you should try and see "Hamilton," or at least listen to the soundtrack.
1. Open Cast!
As Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it, "It's the story of America, played by what America looks like today." The roles in Hamilton are played by non-white actors and actresses. Lin-Manuel, who is of Puerto Rican descent, has expressed the difficulty non-white actors face when trying to find roles. Also, all of the roles in Hamilton are specifically described so that any gender can play them. Female George Washington? Yes please.
2. Historical Accuracy.
You would be surprised by how much you learn from "Hamilton." Dates and names of lesser known but important characters, like Hercules Mulligan (who needs no introduction), a tailor spying on the British government? Check. The disaster that was the Adams administration? Check. The level of historical accuracy is astounding.
3. Integration of pop, hip hop and rap into a classic Broadway show.
Hamilton is
a unique musical for many reasons, but the most obvious reason is the
prevalence of rap throughout. Lin-Manuel Miranda took inspiration from
several decades of rap music, from Tupac to Eminem. When asked why he
chose hip-hop, Miranda says: “We take it as a given that hip-hop is the
music of the revolution. The hip-hop narrative is writing your way out
of your
circumstances. All my favorite hip-hop songs are musical theater 'I
want' songs: 'I want to get somewhere else. I want to get my corner of
the sky.'"
4. Rap god Daveed Diggs.
"Hamilton" clocks in as the musical with the fastest singing ever. Daveed Diggs, who plays Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, shattered the record with a staggering 6.1 words per second. If "Hamilton" were to be sung at the normal Broadway speed, the two-and-a-half hour show would last six hours.
5. Ham4Ham
Ham4Ham is a lottery that "Hamilton" puts on that gives away tickets on the front row for $10 ("Hamilton"
show for a Hamilton – $10). Not only do they have a lottery, but they
also put on special treats for the audience waiting to see the results
of the lottery. This often includes switching roles, bringing in small
children who can sing Hamilton and singing cut pieces from the
off-Broadway version.
6. So. Many. Awards.
It won 31 awards and has been nominated for 17 more. The album got the very first perfect score on Billboard, and was named the second best album of 2015 by Billboard and the eighth best album by Rolling Stone.
7. FEMINISM.
Nothing
makes me more happy than to see strong female leads in a musical. One
of my favorite songs is "The Schuyler Sisters", because it introduces
the strong women in Hamilton's life before they met him. They are not
scared to go out on the town without a chaperone – or their father's
approval. Angelica has always been a strong willed woman, who wants to
strong-arm Thomas Jefferson into including women in the Declaration of
Independence. She easily matches wits with the educated college men,
despite her lack of formal education. She is very aware of her position
in society, and makes sure to place herself strategically in order to
socially climb. Eliza's adventurous and kind spirit leads her to
Hamilton, and she makes sure the Founding Fathers' story is told after
they are all gone. Peggy? Well. She's boring, but tags along with her
rebellious sisters anyways.
8. 2017 Nationwide tour
The cast has blessed us far-away Hamilfans by announcing a tour in 2017.
If you can't wait that long to see it, a production in Chicago has been
announced for later this year (good luck finding tickets though).
9. Cabinet Battles
The Cabinet Battles are the main reason I began to listen to "Hamilton." Founding Fathers talking smack to each other in epic rap battle form? Give me more, please.
10. King George, aka obsessive ex-boyfriend
All of King George III's songs are British pop, which can be a welcome reprieve. His songs sound like something your creepy ex-boyfriend would comment on your Instagram post of the two of you from 152 weeks ago at 3 a.m. (but delivered in a wonderful British accent to a catchy tune).
11. Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Not only is he the concept creator, lyricist, and composer for "Hamilton," but he also plays Hamilton on the stage. He's a veritable genius: In fact, he was named a MacArthur Genius in 2015 and received a grant to continue writing musicals. I can't wait to see what he does next!
12. One listen just isn't enough.
Hamilton
is densely packed with not only history, but also beautiful rhymes, a
dynamic tempo and genre variation. It is impossible to pick up
everything on the first listen. This is what makes the album so
ridiculously addictive: you have to listen to it over and over again or
else you're missing things.
13. Inspirational.
Hamilton wrote 51 Federalist Papers in the span of six months. 51, Hamilton? Seriously? Surely I can write just one more essay.
14. Burr. Just. Burr.
Burr
is one of the most complex characters you'll meet in a musical. I would
argue that he is even more complicated than Javert from "Les Miserables." Burr and Hamilton's feud is well documented in history, but "Hamilton"
does a good job of keeping him from being the stereotypical villain.
Not to mention, Leslie Odom Jr. can sing beautifully. It's no wonder
he gets the best songs in the musical. "Room Where it Happens" and "Wait
for It" are some of the most emotional (for me) songs in the whole
musical.
15. The Hamilsquad
Laurens, Mulligan, Lafayette and Hamilton are ultimate squad goals.
16. Obama=Hamilton's biggest fan.
Hamilton actually gave a private performance at the White House because Obama (and his mother) are "Hamilton"'s biggest fans. He has also shown up twice at the theatre in New York, once to watch and once to make a speech.
17. This musical literally kept Hamilton from being replaced on the $10 bill
Hamilton was set to be replaced on the $10 bill, mainly because Hamilton was widely believed to no longer be important enough to keep on the $10 bill. "Hamilton's" wild success roused public support for Jackson to be removed instead of Hamilton. "Hamilton" literally ended up changing the face of our currency. If that's not impressive, then I don't know what is.
