For the past six months or so, I have heard a lot of buzz and chatter about Hamilton the musical and seen #Ham4Ham everywhere. Being an avid musical lover, I am surprised it took me this long to listen to a musical that has become such a success in such a short time. Two weeks ago, I put my foot down and finally checked it out. I needed to find out what the big deal was, and boy, did I.
Hamilton is a musical piece about the founding fathers of our country. It follows Alexander Hamilton’s life as he transitions from an orphan, to rebel, to a hero in the war, to husband, to the center of a sex scandal. This musical sheds light on someone who might usually be put on the back burner or passed over when thinking about the men who helped build America up. The story is paired with contemporary and beautiful music, as well as intricate and creative lyrics, which has created a show that has become widely popular. It has won many awards so far, will no doubt be nominated for many Tony Awards, and has had a booked theater night after night.
After listening to the musical, I became very interested in Lin Manuel-Miranda, the talented star that plays Alexander Hamilton. I researched Hamilton and Lin, and I found something very interesting. Not only does he star in the show, he also wrote the book, wrote the lyrics, and composed the music for it. I was amazed by this. This guy is a quadruple threat! After some more poking around on the Internet, I found that he had also written and starred in another rap-musical In The Heights, as well as writing Bring It On: The Musical and translating half of West Side Story into Spanish, which was used in the 2009 revival. He started working on Hamilton after he read a biography about the historical figure while he was on break from In The Heights. He used Ron Chernow, the author of the book, as his historical consultant to make the show as accurate as possible, with some dramatic embellishments. Somehow, Lin Manuel-Miranda was able to create this musical masterpiece that is loved by many people, not just the theatre geeks. If he doesn’t win a Tony this year, I’m going to lose faith in the world.
Alongside Manuel-Miranda in Hamilton’s original Broadway cast are a few notable figures in musical theatre. In the part of King George III is former Spring Awakening star and Glee alum, Jonathan Groff. His character chimes in every now and then throughout the musical to state his opinion on what is happening in America, in “I Know Him,” and to remind the colonists that moved away from his power what will happen if they don’t return, in “You’ll Be Back.”
Another notable actor is Leslie Odom Jr. who portrays Aaron Burr, the assassin of Hamilton. Before Hamilton, Leslie played various roles in the 1998 Broadway production of Rent, Isaiah Sturdevant in Leap of Faith, and also played Sam Strickland on the tv show Smash. Odom Jr.’s character Aaron Burr is the man that Alexander Hamilton seeks to be his mentor. He gives him advice which is expressed in “Aaron Burr, Sir,” and ends up facing off with Hamilton in a duel in, “The World Was Wide Enough,” which ends in Hamilton’s death.
The two leading ladies, the Schuyler sisters, are played by Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo. Goldsberry portrays Angelica, who is in love with Hamilton but pushes her feelings aside when her sister Eliza, played by Soo, marries him. Notable songs by them are “The Schuyler Sisters,” which introduces them, “Satisfied,” in which Angelica states that she will let her sister marry the man she loves, and “Burn,” in which Eliza expresses her hatred for Hamilton after he betrayed her.
In total, there are forty-six musical numbers in this show. Each are interesting, both lyrically and musically. Some songs that stood out to me are:
1. “Alexander Hamilton”
Reason: This amazing opening number explains Hamilton’s past using the entire ensemble as well as Hamilton, Burr, and other key figures. It gives you a glimpse into what is to come in a beautiful song paired with interesting set changes and choreography. Here, see for yourself:
2. “Satisfied”
Reason: This song explains Angelica’s love for Alexander and why she gave him up to Eliza. The interesting music is lyrical and flowing, mixed with rap and hip hop, and will weasel itself into your head and get stuck there for at least a day.
3. “Washington On Your Side”
Reason: This techno tune not only has interesting harmonies, but it also has incredible rap verses. It’ll have you standing up like you’re the real Slim Shady.
4. “Burn”
Reason: Passionate, incredible, and hurt is the voice of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton in this song about Hamilton’s betrayal to her. You will be hurting for her and breathless at the sound of her flawless voice.
You may have been seeing #Ham4Ham basically everywhere possible. I know I sure have. For a while now, I’ve thought that it was just the hashtag for the show. After looking into it, however, I realized it is not for the show, but rather a hashtag for the free performances that Lin Manuel-Miranda and other cast members give on the streets outside of the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Wednesdays and Saturdays. These are given to anyone standing around the theatre, mostly there because they entered the lottery for a ticket and are awaiting the winner’s announcement. Only 21 people win the lottery for every show, so they wanted to give everyone else a little performance. The hashtag came about because to enter the lottery, you only have to pay $10. Which means, you can see Hamilton for a Hamilton. This is such an amazing thing that they do for their fans!
There are many things that make this show unique. The first aspect of the show that is different from others is its mix of Broadway and rap. One would expect a musical about our founding fathers to have music appropriate to that era, but this one defies those expectations. Manuel-Miranda’s use of rap to portray the plot is one of the main things that drew in the massive audience that it did. Another interesting thing about Hamilton is that instead of casting white actors in every part, which would have been historically accurate for the people of that time, most every character is played by a minority actor. This was an interesting choice, but a perfect one. The way that this show shows history in a new way is a novel and brilliant idea. I predict a long run on Broadway for Hamilton, and maybe a Tony Award for Best Musical in its near future.