Recently, the musical" Hamilton" received 16 Tony nominations, and won a total of 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It has won the Pulitzer prize, and a Grammy Award for the music. This musical has caused an extreme uproar in the Broadway community and music industry. It has become the most talked about musical since "The Book of Mormon" swept the Tony Awards in 2011. Why is this? "Hamilton" has become a theatrical phenomenon in terms of breaking barriers and taking risks. Lin Manuel Miranda created this piece by merely just reading a biography on the founding father and ultimately found the connection that this was a rap and R&B story. Many had laughed at this idea, but he wasn't wrong. Lin was inspired by Hamilton's story because of the hardships he had overcome and the somewhat heroic demeanor he carried. Also, he was extremely human like the rest of us. He was passionate, intense, flawed and wanted to survive.
Every lyric created was historically accurate and made the founding father's story that much more endearing. The use of rap and R&B are genres that usually remain foreign to the musical theater tradition, but Lin's use of the genre redefines how people need to look at musical theater. It helps people better understand the history of Alexander Hamilton. Rap and R&B music are also extremely passionate genres that really get intensity across the table. In addition, they also tell a story and make you want to continuously listen to what people have to say, so Miranda using these genres for "Hamilton" was a smart move in terms of getting people really into the music and then the story. The use of diversity is a huge asset as to why it's become so utterly successful. Miranda quotes in an article “Our cast looks like America looks now, and that’s certainly intentional." “It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door.” America is called the great melting pot, and I believe Lin truly captured the idea of that and put that into "Hamilton." He makes it relatable for people of different races, whether that is white, black, Asian, or Latino.
The cast itself is also another immense reason why the musical has become a hit. Every principal character captures the story of what they were enduring, especially since it's set during the Revolution. Every principal character is also of a different race, except for King George. The production team making the bold move of making the founding fathers of a different race for this musical is appropriate because it's everyone's history, not just Caucasian people's. This musical also provides a true story for the public eye, and that automatically makes people feel emotionally connected to these characters, considering they were real people. In addition, the smash hit is truly revolutionary in terms of expanding musical theater as I mentioned before. Miranda had found much success in 2008 when he won four Tony Awards for the hit musical "In the Heights." "In the Heights" is a fictional musical, but it still carries the accurate daily lives of how people may live in Washington Heights, and it provided the diversity that is much needed in our Broadway communities.
After it closed, Lin carried what he had learned from that experience and put that into "Hamilton," and that's what makes it so astounding. This musical has found much success, and for now is only bound for more. It changed the game for Broadway, and I believe it will continue to inspire others to break those barriers and create phenomena such as this one.
