It's more than just a name of the man on the ten dollar bill; the life of Alexander Hamilton has gained the most attention from the hit Tony Award winning Broadway musical, "Hamilton," written by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. Now I am a fan of the musical like a lot of other people, but there are more musicals, plays, artists, creative and technical staff working to put on a great show eight times a week on Broadway.
Since the almost record breaking Tony Award winnings by the musical, several shows have recently announced closings of their shows following Broadway's biggest night. Let me give you a list of the performances that have announced a closing date in 2016:
"The Humans" - July 24
"Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and all that Followed" - July 24
"Fully Committed" - July 31
"Motown The Musical" - July 31
"Finding Neverland" - August 21st
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" - September 4
"An Act of God" - September 4
"Les Miserables" - September 4
"Fun Home" - September 10
"Fiddler on the Roof" - December 31
"Matilda" - January 1, 2017
"An American in Paris" - January 1, 2017
And countless others that might be announcing closings within the next few weeks or months.
Shows that have been successful before Hamilton have gone incredibly downhill in interest and box office numbers. Hamilton is the hottest ticket in New York City, the United States and around the world. There is no lie in that.
Theater is all around us and comes in different shapes and sizes with many stories, connections and realization to be felt. We have to look at the countless other shows performing in New York. Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows that people don't know much about are producing theater — producing a form of art.
Theater imitates art, imitating life. Theater is more than just "Hamilton." Go see other shows on Broadway and theater in general in NYC — the less these shows receive support, the decrease in exposure to the public. The smaller chance to get a National Tour and be produced by communities in the various theaters in the United States. If it's not popular in New York City, what makes people think it will be successful in their town?
Support all theater. Enjoy "Hamilton" as much as you want, but think of the other shows out there waiting for you to enjoy, experience and see.
