The story of our nation is one wrought with unjust bloodshed and tyranny— from violent upheaval of those native to the land to the gross mistreatment of people ripped from their own land and brought here unwillingly, America is a nation whose founding was steeped in savage brutality. Some 200 odd years later, we find ourselves today in a nation with some startling, and upsetting, similarities. Yes, as we approach the end of the second term with America's first black president, it is impossible to not acknowledge our progress; still violence and prejudice persist. For those whose roots do not lie with the privileged few who America's founders would have smiled upon, the nation's history is a complex subject to navigate. Now, through theatre, that history is being re-imagined.
Lin Manuel-Miranda, son of two Puerto Rican immigrants and Broadway mega-hit Hamilton's "founding father," has turned American history into something accessible, relatable, and powerful for the people our nation has many times mistreated. The narrative of a tenacious, impassioned immigrant striving for success despite the odds is one which has struck a cord with many Americans and has made Hamilton one of the greatest triumphs ever to emerge from musical theatre. More than a play, it has become a cultural phenomenon. It speaks for those who would have been voiceless in America's founding. It provides agency to a myriad of demographics and rewrites history to include diversity.
Even in this culturally varied re-imagining, though, Lin Manuel-Miranda flawlessly and poignantly holds America accountable to its history with striking nods to issues of racism, sexism, and anti-immigration throughout the show. ("We know who's really doing the planting" Hamilton rebuttals Jefferson in the second act during the track "Cabinet Battle 1") This kind of acknowledgement, even in a production designed with the intent of re-casting history, is so important— as it ensures that subjects like slavery are not glossed over or taken lightly.
Aside from its message and the inspiration it has instilled in countless people, Hamilton has also helped to diversify Broadway, providing roles for dozens of actors and actresses of color; including some for whom the show was their first Broadway role, such as Anthony Ramos who plays Phillip Hamilton as well many already successful Broadway stars such as Leslie Odom Jr., who plays Aaron Burr.
Overall— the impact Hamilton has made both artistically and culturally is hard to summate. It has something for everyone, so it is best to experience for yourself. But one message that can be taken away universally is that contrary to one of the musical's final lyrics, Lin Manuel-Miranda and his masterpiece Hamilton have proven that with tenacity, one really can have control of "who tells your story."
