" Hamilton", the Broadway musical about founding father Alexander Hamilton, was nominated for a total of 16 Tony Awards at the Tony Award Show which happened June 12th. This is the most Tony Awards ever that a show has been nominated for. I am here to tell you why "Hamilton"� deserves such praise.
Lin Manuel-Miranda, writer and star of "Hamilton", is no new face on the Broadway stage. Not only does he star in his own musical, he wrote and starred in "In the Heights", another musical that has won the exclusive Best Musical Tony Award in 2008. Miranda is considered a genius in the musical community because he not only creates every part of the musicals he writes, but he also delivers clear, progressive messages that influence the community, nation and world around him.
"Hamilton: An American Musical" has become a phenomenon due to its popularity with current music listeners, classic Broadway fans and history buffs alike. The musical tells the real story of Alexander Hamilton (with some exaggeration of course), which involves murder, love, scandals, cabinet battles and the footprints Alexander Hamilton left on this country. To some, this history lesson would be boring delivered by conventional means, but this show creates a story that could not be boring to any kind of person. This musical creates a melding of new and old, of then and now, that attracts audiences from across the country to stand in line to try their hand at the "Hamilton" lottery.
Though I have not seen the musical myself, I own the entire soundtrack. It holds 46 songs of both varying and similar sounds. One moment you may be listening to a rap cabinet battle between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson (played by Daveed Diggs, rap artist), and the next song might be a jazz combo sung by Aaron Burr (played by Leslie Odom Jr.). The show even contains British pop ballads sung by King George III (played originally by Jonathan Groff) that were written to America! As an avid musical theatre fan, I was enchanted by this musical the first time I heard it. I spent a long trip to Potsdam binge-listening the entire soundtrack; by the time I made it to Canton, NY, I was already crying. This show has heart-wrenching moments that make you feel the pain of losing your son or feel the stress of warfare.
Never have I ever heard such an eloquent musical, and now seeing the actual show can cost an unbelievable amount of money. Currently, Lin Manuel-Miranda who stars as Alexander Hamilton, intends to leave the musical after his last show on July 9th, and tickets in the nosebleed section for his final show cost about $2,200. If you want an orchestra seat, you have to pay upwards of $7,000 per seat. If you want the second row, be ready to pay $10,000. Most "Hamilton" fans who have seen the musical say that the price is worth the quality of the show.
Besides the quality of the show, "Hamilton" attracts an audience due to its message. The casting of the show is meant to represent “America then played by America now”, meaning the cast only contains non-white ethnicities. Lin Manuel-Miranda believes that the opportunities in theatre for minority ethnicities are few and far between, so he decided it would be fair to play the opposite game; only non-white ethnicities can audition for the show, including the off-Broadway tour that is starting September 27th, 2016. Similarly, Miranda feels as though Alexander Hamilton has not been given enough credit for the amazing feats he accomplished as a lawyer, a politician and as Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. “This is a guy, on the strength of his writing, pulls himself from poverty into the revolution that created our nation and caught beef with every other founding father," Miranda says. Ron Chernow’s biography on Alexander Hamilton’s life was a big inspiration for the creation of the musical. Chernow is even a historical advisor on the musical staff, and Miranda constantly consults him for advice to continue bettering the musical historically.
On Sunday, June 12�th, "Hamilton" won the Best Musical Tony Award as well as ten other awards, only one short of the all-time record of 12 Tony Awards won by the Producers. The show will go down in the history books as the first real 21st century musical, and a musical that shook the thespian community by changing the definition of “musical theatre”.
Lin Manuel-Miranda will also continue to be an inspiration to all theatre fans and youth around the world for his dedication to both excellence and the theatre community. Thank you, Lin Manuel-Miranda, for changing my world and the world of countless people throughout the world.
