RIANNA SEELIG
Staff Writer
For those who don’t know — Alexander Hamilton was kind of a big deal. He was a Founding Father, a big player in the drafting and writing of the Constitution, the founder of the Federalist Party, the first Secretary of the Treasury, part of George Washington’s inner circle and now, in 2016, the inspiration for a Broadway musical which just won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The book, music and lyrics for “Hamilton: An American Musical” was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda, previously known for creating and starring in the Broadway musical “In the Heights.” Miranda also starred in “Hamilton,” playing the lead role: Alexander Hamilton.
The musical was inspired by the 2004 biography titled “Alexander Hamilton” by the historian, Ron Chernow. Miranda purchased the biography at an airport while on vacation, read it to pass the time and was inspired to create.
The show follows the story of Hamilton, appropriately opening with the song “Alexander Hamilton” as the audience is introduced to Hamilton, the young orphan from the Caribbean. The remainder of the show follows his life, weaving a tale of romance, revolution and political intrigue.
Miranda and company from the show performed the opening number at this year’s Grammy Awards, receiving a roaring standing ovation. Later in the evening, the show won a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. Miranda accepted the award with a speech entirely in-verse.
According to Deadline.com, the show is bringing in insurmountable amounts of money, numbers virtually unheard of on Broadway in years.
“With advance ticket sales now in the $40 millions range — a figure comparable to ‘The Book of Mormon’ and the opening of ‘Miss Saigon’ in 1990 — and tickets are harder to come by than a kind word for Trevor Noah,” they said.
The “Hamilton” soundtrack has five stars on iTunes, with the most frequently downloaded songs being “Alexander Hamilton,” “My Shot,” “You’ll Be Back” and “Helpless.” The album is also one of the most listened to albums on Spotify.
With the ever-growing levels of success the show is seeing, it is no surprise the recently-released book titled “Hamilton: The Revolution” immediately became an Amazon No. 1 Best Seller. According to the book synopsis on Amazon.com, fans are in for quite a treat.
“[Miranda and Jeremy McCarter’s] account features photos by the renowned Frank Ockenfels and veteran Broadway photographer, Joan Marcus; exclusive looks at notebooks and emails; interviews with Questlove, Stephen Sondheim, leading political commentators, and more than 50 people involved with the production; and multiple appearances by President Obama himself,” it reads.
So, what is it then that is causing such success and popularity? Over a dozen shows run on Broadway at any given time, giving theatergoers plenty of options. Why “Hamilton?”
Senior theatre arts major Judy Muller feels the success of the musical lies in the fact that the musical is so much more than what Broadway usually sees.
“‘Hamilton’ is more than just a musical; it’s a movement for musical theatre and our generation,” she said. “I was lucky enough to see it last August, and I can say that Lin-Manuel Miranda crafted the most diverse and lyrically genius show I’ve ever seen or heard in my entire life.”
The show is also extremely ethnically and culturally diverse, which, according to Miranda, was no mere coincidence.
“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,” he said.
Whether it is because of the diversity of the cast, the catchiness of the music or the power of the lyricism, “Hamilton” is a force to be reckoned with. Tickets are available online for a healthy chunk of money. However, price clearly hasn’t been much of a deterrent for most.