As we all know, the musical, "Hamilton" is taking over the world, and the writer, director and star of the production is making waves. Lin-Manuel Miranda is using his fame to move people's focus to the important problems we’re facing.
This week, the cast of "Hamilton" performed at the White House for the President. During this short visit, the cast had a workshop with underprivileged students, expressed the importance of inclusion through their diverse cast, and put into action discounted tickets for low-income students.
Not only will underprivileged students get to see "Hamilton," they'll only have to spend $10 to get their butts in a Richard Rodgers Theatre seat.
This performance was also a shining example of how important it is to get educated in the arts (because I didn't care about Alexander Hamilton until he started rapping and brought Lin-Manuel into my life).
Later in the week, Miranda had a chat with UN Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Emma Watson, and did a freestyle rap about gender equality while Emma adorably attempted beatboxing. While discussing the many themes of "Hamilton," they touched upon the relevance it has with our issues in America today and the presence of great, strong female characters.
(You can find the full interview on YouTube)
As if all of that wasn't enough, Miranda asks Congress to help Puerto Rico in their financial crisis. As a first-generation American, he remembers visiting a small town in Puerto Rico, Vega Alta, and how he came to know his people through these trips. He then expresses the urgency in which this island needs help--that the citizens can't afford to live there anymore, and some can't even afford to leave.
All the promotion that is happening for "Hamilton" is basically a political and social discussion; the tickets for the production are sold out until next year. Not only is he bringing light to important topics, but is once again bringing Rap and R&B, minority dominated genres of music, and pushing them to the forefront of a white-dominated genre of entertainment.
If this hasn't made you fall in love with Lin-Manuel Miranda, I don't think there is any hope for you, but I’ll give it one last shot:
That's all.