There is no doubt that that hottest ticket in town is “Hamilton: An American Musical.” This show has redefined the standards of what the current generation thinks of musicals and of the theatre world, and it has ushered in a new legion of people, ready to dip their toes into the vast array of show tunes. However, there are a few people who dislike this show; I’m not talking about the ones who have legitimate reasons for not being a fan (such as not liking rap or hip-hop, not enjoying long shows, or thinking the book needs work), but the ones who dislike it simply because people of color are playing originally white founding fathers.
The show’s creator and leading man, Lin-Manuel Miranda, was born in the burrow of Washington Heights, surrounded by Dominican-American culture and influences. Growing up, he would travel to his grandparent’s home in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, once a year to spend a month with the rest of his family. These experiences, and his love for theatre, are what helped create Miranda’s first Tony award winning musical, “In The Heights.” The show won a Tony for Best Musical (a highly coveted award) for it’s portrayal of Dominican-American members of society and their struggles in the very neighborhood that Miranda grew up in.
With “In The Heights,” we also saw a change in the type of musical that could grace the stage of Broadway; no longer did we have to face the cliches of patter songs, soprano-ingenues, and struck-with-love tenors. Now, there was a musical all about the latino way of life: their struggles, their celebrations! For once, there was another musical that could cast a large array of Latino actors and actresses that wasn’t “West Side Story.”
Unfortunately, on January 29, 2011, “In The Heights” closed on Broadway. However, they had a successful U.S tour that lasted three years and has played countless countries from the Philippines to Peru. And now we found ourselves waiting, watching, and wondering what the next big thing was going to be.
In January of 2015, we found our answer. A new musical was being premiered at The Public Theater (an off-Broadway company) about Alexander Hamilton; one of the nations founding father, whom you might know best from seeing on the ten dollar bill. Initially, people didn’t know what to expect from such a show. And upon seeing Aaron Burr, the anti-hero of the story, step out onto the stage and start rapping surely shocked quite a few patrons. But they received rave reviews from people, and the show became sold out. Months later, they announced a Broadway transfer and now, it’s perhaps one of the most famous shows in history.
Recently, the PR team and casting directors have come under fire for posting a casting call that said: “HAMILTON is holding OPEN AUDITIONS for SINGERS who RAP! Seeking NON-WHITE men and women, ages 20s to 30s, for Broadway and upcoming tours.” The internet exploded with rage, yelling about how racist this show is, calling for non-white actors. But the thing is, right around the same time this casting notice was posted, another show called “Bright Star” posted theirs as well: “Seeking Equity actors who sing for various principal roles. All characters are Caucasian.”
Where is the rage for this? Where are the people calling Hamilton racist, when this is asking for white actors only?
The answer lies in the fact that a majority of the older theatre generation is in fact, racist. This is not something I can reference or use scholar like sources for; it’s just something i have seen on various chat boards and groups on Facebook. These are also the same people who will tell you that Eponine can’t be black because their were no black people in France back then. Fun fact: there were. In the original source of Les Miserables (the book, so called the brick) by Victor Hugo, Lesgles of the Les Amis de L’ABC was black.
The most often thrown around excuse is the fact that our nation’s founding fathers were not white. And it’s true they (mostly) weren’t, and it’s true they owned slaves. However, one key thing most people miss is that Alexander Hamilton is, by blood definition, not white. His mother was of mixed race, thus making him what was known as an Octoroon (or 1/8 African descent). By this very definition, in colonial times, Hamilton would have been treated as a black man, because in those days, one drop of “black” blood meant you were classified as such. There is also the fact that Hamilton is an immigrant to the U.S, having come from Nevis, located in the Caribbean.
So in reality, Hamilton being played by a man of color is not far of a stretch at all.
Besides, Miranda said himself that “This is a story about America then, told by America now.” In colonial times, America was predominantly white. Now, it’s a beautiful melting pot of races, cultures, and identities. It’s also very fitting that rap and hip-hop is the music style for this show, because we have this music thanks to the cultures of these people who star in this show.
Of course, people will continue to be angry about this show. They will boycott it, and tell all their friends about how racist and ignorant it is because it’s eliminating white history. The sad truth of the matter, is that they’re angry about a show on the “great white way” that isn’t, well… white.
