by Meagan McKinstry
In early 2015, a new show opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater: a hip-hop musical about American founding father Alexander Hamilton. The idea sounds somewhat absurd – indeed, an audience laughed at Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda when he introduced the concept at the White House in 2009 – yet, somehow it has been wildly successful. Playbill reported (via ShowBiz411.com) that the show made $30 million dollars before it even opened on Broadway on August 6, 2015, and the numbers have only gone up from there. The musical even broke the Broadway box office record for most money grossed in a single week, taking in an astonishing $3.3 million from just eight performances in late November 2016. Given that only about 1 in 4 Broadway shows make a profit at all, it’s clear that Hamilton is a smash hit. Apart from sales, the show also received rave reviews and earned a record-setting 16 nominations at the 70th Tony Awards.
How was this possible? Lin-Manuel Miranda had found previous success with his first Broadway musical In the Heights, which ran for three years and made its money back after only 10 months, but the response to Hamilton reached an entirely new level, catapulting Miranda to stardom.
As unlikely as the show’s premise might sound, Miranda knew almost immediately when he picked up Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton that Hamilton’s story was one meant to be told through hip-hop music. As a young boy, Hamilton found himself essentially an orphan, trapped in bleak circumstances that only seemed to worsen when a hurricane devastated the Caribbean island of Nevis, where he grew up. When Hamilton penned an essay about the hurricane, however, his community took note of his prowess as a writer, raising funds to help him travel to North America for a formal education. Lin-Manuel Miranda immediately saw a parallel between Hamilton’s story and the journeys of hip-hop artists who have used their writing abilities to transcend difficult circumstances, and he began working on a concept album that would later form the basis for Hamilton: An American Musical.
Perhaps the most significant reason that Hamilton “works” is its creator’s skill at storytelling through songwriting. Miranda’s use of language in music is practically unparalleled, utilizing not only a colorful and varied vocabulary, but also a rhyme scheme that is nothing short of genius. Miranda does not content himself merely with rhyming the final words in a pair of consecutive lines. Instead, He carries individual rhymes across multiple lyrics, rhyming multiple words in the same sentence, and strategically aligning each rhyme with the beat to generate a sort of rhythmic fluency that, combined with the melody, creates a tune that is not only aurally pleasing, but intellectually stimulating.
A couple examples: in “Alexander Hamilton,” Aaron Burr says of young Hamilton’s hardships, “There would have been nothin’ left to do for someone less astute / He woulda been dead or destitute, without a cent of restitution.” “Less astute,” “destitute,” and “restitut(ion)” rhyme perfectly, down to every syllable in each word or phrase. It doesn’t sound forced or cheesy; Miranda found exactly the right words to communicate what he wanted to say while simultaneously preserving a multi-layer rhyme. Similarly, in the song “We Know,” Miranda rhymes eight words or phrases in a row, across three sentences of lyrics: “courted me,” “escorted me,” “corner,” “extorted me,” “sordid fee,” “quarterly,” “mortally,” and “orderly.” Again, every single syllable of each word or phrase continues the rhyme scheme. Patterns like these occur all across the musical’s soundtrack. Not many people in this world can craft language so skillfully!
It’s also incredible how Miranda was able to condense over 800 pages of Chernow’s book into a two-and-a-half-hour musical. For instance, the show’s opening song alone spans Hamilton’s entire childhood, while Act I’s closer “Non-Stop” covers more than seven years of history. The only downside of this impressive feat is that Miranda had to make a few creative alterations to facilitate the story’s flow. The duel that killed Philip Hamilton, for instance, actually took place the year after the election of 1800, whereas the musical depicts Hamilton as already distracted by grief from his son’s death as the candidates are campaigning.
Some characters, too, have been simplified to the point of misrepresentation. One example of this is General Charles Lee, whom the show portrays solely in a negative light. In contrast, I’ve heard (but have yet to personally verify) that he was a much more nuanced figure in reality. Characters such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are also spared from the unpleasant details regarding the humans they enslaved. While the show’s lyrics do call out slavery here and there – perhaps most notably in “Cabinet Battle #1,” in which Hamilton roasts Jefferson for taking advantage of slave labor to stay out of debt – the ugly details are for the most part omitted, most egregiously glossed over in “What’d I Miss” when Jefferson sings to his mistress Sally Hemings, “Sally, be a lamb, darlin’, won’tcha open [a letter from President Washington].” In the musical, Sally responds by passing the letter to Jefferson with a twirl and a smile, after which the two characters share a synchronized shimmy. Truth be told, Sally Hemings was an enslaved woman forced to sleep with Thomas Jefferson from the time she was a teenager. She may have only agreed to do so in exchange for Jefferson’s promise to one day free the children she bore him. No person should ever have to make such a bargain, and to portray Sally as a cheerful and willing servant in “What’d I Miss” does her a disservice and unjustly spares Thomas Jefferson from the shame of his actions. Even worse, Washington gets off entirely – the show never makes reference to him practicing slavery, even though the real Washington owned over 300 slaves.
Lin-Manuel Miranda has acknowledged slavery-related criticisms of Hamilton as “valid,” but says it simply wasn’t possible to cover “sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people.” That’s fair, to a degree. One can’t write a 2.5 hour musical covering 50+ years of history without cutting out some important details – maybe even most of those details. Miranda did what he had to do to tell the story in a way that would flow on stage, and he wildly succeeded in that regard. Because of the creative decisions he made regarding content, however, justifiable criticisms have arisen. It can be simultaneously true that Miranda did what was necessary to produce a viable show, and that his choices obscured relevant historical facts and social criticisms.
Setting aside any critiques, however, Hamilton has made several positive contributions to society.
First, Hamilton is notable because, like In the Heights before it, it creates space on Broadway for many performers of color who otherwise might face limited opportunities on stage. Lin-Manuel Miranda observed early on in his life that the theater offered few opportunities for actors of color to play lead roles, prompting him to believe that people like him must write the roles they want to play. And, he has indeed done this through Hamilton (and In the Heights), creating a place not only for himself, but for dozens of other POC actors – perhaps hundreds, when you consider the various Hamilton companies that have performed and continue to perform across the world. In developing a show that subverts racial casting norms, Miranda has not only generated opportunities for adult actors, but has also given young children of color the chance to see people who look like them onstage, empowering them to realize that they, too, can pursue a career in theater if they wish.
Second, Hamilton arguably flips society’s racialized views of heroes and villains, placing people of color in the roles of the Founding Fathers while typically reserving the most villainous role – King George III of England – for a white actor. This flipping of the script is perhaps lost in the humorous portrayal of George III (masterfully done by Jonathan Groff in the original cast) and the sheer entertainment provided by the show’s music and choreography; but it is still an important change from the status quo, which all too often sees people of color depicted in media according to negative stereotypes.
Lastly, while Hamilton may in some ways promote the uncritical brand of patriotism that many Americans subscribe to, it has also contributed many rallying cries for social movements. Given the sweeping popularity of the musical’s soundtrack, Hamilton lyrics have frequently appeared on signs at political protests. Utilized probably even by those who have never seen the show on stage, popular selections include “History has its eyes on you” (from the song of the same title) and “This is not a moment, it’s a movement” (from “My Shot”). Lines such as these have become an important tool for those exercising their right to protest. Democracy is worth fighting for, and if Miranda’s work inspires citizens to get out and make their voices heard, that’s no small feat.
In conclusion, Miranda may both “get love for it” and “get hate for it” (as Hamilton says in “The Room Where It Happens”) – arguments can be made either way. Regardless, Miranda undoubtedly achieved his objective with this show: to tell a story about Alexander Hamilton’s life through the lens of hip-hop. His vision not only made it to the stage (which would in itself have been a notable achievement), but has touched millions around the world, expanding our understanding of what theater productions can look like. The ripples of Miranda’s influence will likely impact the performance world and audiences engaging with it for decades to come. How appropriate for a musical that repeatedly proclaims, “The world will never be the same!”
Resources:
The Obama White House (via YouTube). “Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8). YouTube video. Posted Nov. 2, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE.
Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia. “Hamilton Opens with Multi-Million Dollar Advance.” Playbill. Aug. 7, 2015. https://playbill.com/article/hamilton-opens-with-multi-million-dollar-advance-com-356635.
Roger Friedman. “Broadway: Brilliant ‘Hamilton’ Opens with a $30 Million Advance and A-List from Mariska to SJP to Rosie.” Showbiz 411. Aug. 7, 2015. https://www.showbiz411.com/2015/08/07/broadway-brilliant-hamilton-revolutionary-war-set-to-rap-and-hip-hop-opens-with-a-30-million-advance.
Michael Paulson. “‘Hamilton’ Hits a New High: The Most Money Grossed in a Week on Broadway.” The New York Times. Nov. 28, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/theater/hamilton-hits-a-new-high-the-most-money-grossed-in-a-week-on-broadway.html.
Heather Long “Investing in Broadway: How we actually made money.” CNN Business. Jun. 12, 2016. https://money.cnn.com/2016/06/11/investing/fun-home-broadway-investors/index.html.
“Patriotism on Broadway: Why everyone wants to see Hamilton.” The Economist. Dec. 16, 2015. https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2015/12/16/patriotism-on-broadway.
Michael Paulson. “‘Hamilton’ Makes History with 16 Tony Nominations.” The New York Times. May 3, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/theater/hamilton-tony-nominations-record.html.
Kenneth Jones. “In the Heights Is in the “Hits” Category; Producers Recoup Investment.” Playbill. Jan. 8, 2009. https://www.playbill.com/article/in-the-heights-is-in-the-hits-category-producers-recoup-investment-com-156729.
Good Morning Britain (via YouTube). “Lin-Manuel Miranda Shares the Inspiration Behind Hamilton | Good Morning Britain.” YouTube video. Posted Dec. 13, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtgZ6uSrql4 (3:26-3:47).
Harvard University (via YouTube). “Lin-Manuel Miranda talks “Hamilton” and Hip-Hop, Power and Playwriting.” YouTube video. Posted Sep. 16, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TiHINIYGLA (4:25-5:00).
Alissa Wilkinson. “The Hamilton Mixtape feels like the original album that Hamilton was always covering.” Vox. Dec. 8, 2016. https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/6/13843722/hamilton-mixtape-lin-manuel-miranda.
A Moonlighting English Teacher (via YouTube). “The Best Rhymes in Hamilton.” YouTube video. Posted Oct. 18, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqBtzjhFo54.
“Historical and Fictional Timeline of “Hamilton.” The Hamilton Project. Accessed Jun. 4, 2022. https://newtfire.org/hamilton/vis_Timeline.html.
Gus T. Renegade. “No, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings Did Not Have a ‘Relationship.’” Atlanta Black Star. Feb. 25, 2017. https://atlantablackstar.com/2017/02/25/no-thomas-jefferson-sally-hemings-not-relationship/.
“The Life of Sally Hemings.” Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/.
“10 Facts About Washington & Slavery.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/slavery/ten-facts-about-washington-slavery/#:~:text=At%20the%20time%20of%20George,owned%20by%20George%20Washington%20himself.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (@lin_manuel) on Twitter, Jul. 6, 2020. https://twitter.com/lin_manuel/status/1280120414279290881?lang=en.
Casey Mink. “Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Next Trick.” Backstage. Nov. 4, 2021. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/lin-manuel-miranda-tick-tick-boom-interview-74212/.
Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter. “The Perceived Realism of African American
Portrayals on Television.” The Howard Journal of Communications, 19:241-257, 2008. https://library.uoregon.edu/sites/default/files/data/guides/english/howard_journal_communications.pdf; citing various sources.
Qingwen Dong and Arthur Phillip Murrillo. “The Impact of Television Viewing on Young Adults’ Stereotypes Towards Hispanic Americans.” Human Communication, A Publication of the Pacific and Asian Communication Association Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 33 – 44. 2007. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marilyn-Murrillo/publication/228984764_The_impact_of_television_viewing_on_young_adults’_stereotypes_towards_Hispanic_Americans/links/02e7e515d896f65a53000000/The-impact-of-television-viewing-on-young-adults-stereotypes-towards-Hispanic-Americans.pdf.
Jillian Capewell. “Protesters Are Using ‘Hamilton’ Lyrics To Defend Rights Across The Country.” HuffPost. Feb. 1, 2017. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hamilton-lyrics-make-pretty-good-muslim-ban-protest-signs_n_58920abce4b02772c4ea8582.
March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) on Twitter, Jun. 11, 2022. https://twitter.com/AMarch4OurLives/status/1535675430606360576?s=20&t=40YhIp9oXBWtGLnKKncB3Q.