Hamiltunes: An American Singalong
“Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton. There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait. Just you wait.” For many people, this is a line from a famous musical, but, for me, it can be perfect anecdote to introduce myself. Before the hit musical “Hamilton”, people would hear my name and say “oh, you have one of those president’s names”. I would typically educate the person and tell them who Alexander Hamilton was. It happened so much, though, I would sometimes not say anything and just joke around with that person. Now after the success of “Hamilton”, people tell me they’re waiting in the wings for me, but they know he’s the first treasurer of the United States. I’m okay with that.
The musical “Hamilton” tells the biographical story of Alexander Hamilton. It gives a story to one of the founding fathers that made an impact to our United States history who typically doesn’t get the spotlight very often. (Well, excluding the 10 dollar bill, of course.) It showcases the positive and negative life events that summed up Hamilton’s legacy. Please excuse my subjection, but this musical is fantastic. (The main characters name may have something to do with that.) However, what makes this musical extraordinary is it takes the story of an immigrant, and illustrates how the United States was created and influenced by immigrants. It utilizes color blind casting to tell a story of what is currently representative of the United States. Also, features genres of music that have influenced American culture, including: rap, pop, R&B, Broadway etc.
The creator of “Hamilton” is Lin Manuel Miranda. The broadway world was introduced to Manuel when he made his debut with the Musical “In the Heights”, which received many awards. Like “In the Heights, “Hamilton” was loved by many immediately. It won 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
