Hamilton the musical that has taken the world by storm. Since its debut in 2016 it has remained very popular. While the story is based in the revolutionary era, playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda has managed to make the show feel as if the war happened yesterday.
The musical stylings make the story feel timeless. Songs such as “History Has Its Eyes On You,” “The Story of Tonight” and “One Last Time,” while being specific to the musical, can also relate to other points in history, including now. These songs highlight the idea that fighting for the freedom of our country is not only a right, but a privilege of being American.
The musical speaks to many activists now as an anthem for their protests and petitions. Organizations such as Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives have been known for using lyrics from these songs to persuade others to look at the other side of history. Alexander Hamilton was known for being ambitious and working towards the change he wanted. These organizations are just following in his footsteps.
A mashup of two broadway songs was actually made by Dear Evan Hansen’s original lead, Ben Platt, and Hamilton’s playwright and lead, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The song was made as a charity benefit for the first annual March For Our Lives in 2018. The songs “The Story of Tonight” and “You Will Be Found” were recorded together in the wake of the Parkland shooting on February 14, 2018. It was written to raise awareness and funds for the fight on gun control.
With lyrics like, “When our children tell our story, they’ll tell the story of tonight,” and, “When you don’t feel strong enough to stand, you can reach, reach out your hand,” it became an anthem for the movement. With millions of streams in the U.S. alone, the song reached the top 100 list on Billboard in the first few weeks of its release.
The Black Lives Matter movement has also received love from Hamilton. Miranda has recently spoken out on the many signs being used with quotes from the show, saying that he is proud and not surprised. He shared that there will always be something to say about the movement on behalf of Hamilton, “because we’re constantly dealing with the past.” He talked about the weight the signs hold by saying, “The show is about legacy and how you can’t control it. You can only make what you make and do what you do, and the rest is really not up to you.”
While Hamilton is still an ongoing phenomenon that many are attempting to dissect, the one truth that is told is that it is a timeless show with many points that speak on issues that we are still fighting today. There is still a long way to go in America. It is an unfinished symphony, but the story of tonight is one that will continue to be told.