By now, you've heard the whole country rave about Lin-Manuel Miranda's revolutionary musical, "Hamilton." Having been lucky enough to see "Hamilton" and witness this jaw-dropping and marvelously brilliant musical, I can say that it is still influencing musical theater and society, one year later.
"Hamilton" began previews on Broadway in July 2015 and since then it has changed the future of theater. The seemingly two unrelated themes of founding fathers and rap and hip-hop music were woven together by genius Lin-Manuel Miranda, who originated the role, music, lyrics, and script after reading Ron Chernow's biography on Alexander Hamilton.
Winning an almost record-breaking 11 Tony awards, "Hamilton" is a smash hit with audiences and critics. One of the reasons this musical is such a success is because it presents a diverse, extremely talented cast. Take Leslie Odom Jr, who won Lead Actor in a Musical, Daveed Diggs, who won Featured Actor in a Musical and Renée Elise Goldsberry, who won Featured Actress in a Musical. That's not mentioning the other 8 Tony awards won for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Choreography — just to name a few.
One of the most recent progressions in the "Hamilton" world is that many of the main cast have left the musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr, Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs and Jonathan Groff, have all sung "Happy Trails" and are off seeking new opportunities. However, these main stars won't stop people from rushing to the box office, or the opportunity to win a $10 lottery ticket to see the show at weekly #Ham4Hams.
The replacement for Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role is Javier Muñoz, who was the alternate for Miranda before. Miranda's other Tony-winning musical, "In the Heights" was taken over by Muñoz before the show closed. Even though Miranda has gone, Muñoz's spin on the founding father is getting rave reviews: "Alexander Hamilton is sexy on Sundays. It takes a little longer to warm to Mr. Muñoz’s more aggressive and angular Hamilton, who wields his ambition like a sword. But this interpretation does not upset the balance of a revolutionary show about a revolutionary era that seems better every time I see it." says The New York Times.
Not only is Muñoz a fantastic actor, but he spoke to The New York Times about being openly gay, being HIV positive and a cancer survivor. Some "Hamilton" fans will remember that Muñoz missed weeks of performances to undergo radiation treatment in October 2015. There is no doubt that another role model is taking the stage as Alexander Hamilton.
One year later, "Hamilton" is still proving as a conversation topic for diversity, history and the foundation of musical theater. With exciting new shows opening in Chicago and London, there is no stopping this show. (One could even say it's Non-Stop.) I just can't wait to see what comes next.
