If you are not already obsessed with Hamilton The Musical, you certainly are missing out on one of the most amazing American experiences Broadway has to offer. This new musical is truly taking the stage by storm!
Writer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda's introduction of the United States of America's first Secretary of the Treasury in such a revolutionary way has really received a lot of attention in the Broadway world. After receiving their Grammy for "Best Musical Theatre Album", they became very popular among mainstream media as well. The concept, a musical about our founding fathers, does not sound very entertaining, but Miranda's uses of hip-hop and a diverse cast has made this a box office staple.
The diverse cast has really drawn a lot of attention in the news. Miranda used a technique known as "blind-casting", where actors are cast purely on talents and abilities and not how well they resemble the character. This led to Hamilton's diverse array of actors all portraying white characters of our founding fathers. The cast consists of black, white, latino, and asian actors, all with mesmerizing abilities.
This act of blind-casting has done amazing things to minority actors or aspiring minority actors. As a performer in high school, when I had aspirations of possibly going on in musical theatre, there were limited roles that I could potentially audition for because of my noticeably tan skin. I always jokingly said I would go out for Aladdin, but in reality, that was really the only lead role that I could have actually obtained. That is not to say that minorities were not in Broadway, but they were rarely main roles. Occasionally, some people of color could be seen dancing among the ensembles of Newsies or Wicked, but generally people of color are lacking from the main stage.
Hamilton The Musical's blind-casting has given minorities new roles to strive for, and the success will hopefully encourage other musical companies to do the same. Soon there could be black Glindas, Indian Ariels, Asian Christines, Native American Tevyes, and the possibilities go on. Even if you are not a performer, you can really respect seeing such a colorful cast performing on a stage together.
Miranda has also managed to bring immigrants into a positive light. The musical praises immigrants for their involvement in the Revolutionary War and the founding of this great nation, adding a validity to the immigrant voices living in America today. In a time when America has seen great discrimination against immigrants, the musical is doing a great job being the light among the darkness. Combine this the minority casts, Lin-Manuel Miranda has written a musical about America's past, using the best parts of America's present.
Lin-Manuel Miranda has given new hope to the Broadway scene as more and more minority actors emerge, ready to take on the theatre world. No longer will people feel limited in the roles they can audition for because of the color of their skin. Miranda is demonstrating that it should be the ability that comes before your physical appearance. If you are a stellar actor, possessing amazing vocal ability, and you fit the role perfectly, there should be nothing holding you back from having that role, least of all skin color or appearance. I would like to give a personal thank you to Lin-Manuel Miranda, on behalf of minority performers everywhere, thank you so much for making our dreams come true. Keep up the good work.
