Experiencing Hamilton

As the librettist for the Broad- way musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda has created a musical fantasia about the man on the ten dollar bill and a Founding Father of the United States, Alexander Hamilton. Without a doubt, Hamilton is as revolutionary as the young man who helped create the America we know today.
My experience with the musical Hamilton is similar to many. I came across it through word of mouth and on social media and, because at this point Hamilton is essentially impossible to see live (it’s sold out until 2017), like many others I spent 2 hours on a winter afternoon listening to the musical. With each song, I became more and more entranced by the story of the visionary, revolutionary and youngest Founding Father. I immediately understood what all the hype was about. Hamilton isn’t just a musical about a founding father. It really is an ode to vernacular, as hip-hop styles are incorporated into almost every track. In addition, the cast of Hamilton looks a lot like America today: racially and ethnically diverse. Hamilton’s immense popularity is indicative of the time we’re living in: Americ-ans are craving energetic and spirited historical storytelling in which the audience feels represented in the characters on the stage.
Alexander Hamilton is a Found- ing Father who, on the strength of his writing, pulled himself up by the boot straps to become not only the chief staff aide to General George Washington, but also one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution, the founder of the nation’s financial system, the founder of the Federalist Party (the world’s first voter-based political party) the Father of the United States Coast Guard, and the founder of the New York Post. Hamilton was a revolutionary United States become the indepen-
who helped create our nation. Be- cause of his age and humble back- ground, Hamilton didn’t necessar- ily get along with the Founding Fathers who he worked alongside. Drama typically ensued wherever Hamilton went because of his po- larizing attitudes and opinions. In other words, Hamilton’s story is perfect for a musical, and Miranda succeeds in telling it.
The musical begins with Ham- ilton’s first meeting with political rival, Aaron Burr and continues to tell the trials and tribulations that Hamilton faced as he helped the
dent country that it is today. The American revolutionary era was a time in which words carried great clout. When the characters on stage are debating foreign allianc- es like in “Cabinet Battle #1”, it makes perfect sense that the debate would parallel a rap battle like the ones we know today. What makes it even more exciting is that the stakes are really high. Decisions transpiring from the battles could put America into ruins.
The verbal dexterity that the men display really helps the au- dience understand how powerful the words they wrote were. In the opening song “Alexander Hamil- ton,” James Madison sings, “Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned / Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain / Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain / And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain.” These lyrics reveal the power that writing has. The verse refers to a 1772 hurricane that Hamilton ex- perienced in St. Croix; Hamilton wrote an account of the event in a letter to his father and was per- suaded by an older friend, Henry Knox, to send it to the Royal Dan- ish American Gazette. It was pub- lished, anonymously, in the Oct. 3 issue. In response to the letter, res- idents of St. Croix took up a col- lection to send Hamilton, who was previously self-educated, to Amer- ica for more schooling. Hamilton wrote himself out of his circum- stances and the musical invites the audience to do the same.
I encourage everyone to listen to Hamilton. Whether or not you’re interested in American History, hip-hop, or musicals currently, you will probably play it on repeat once you’ve listened to it once. •