Hamilton
"An American Musical"
Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American playwright with a Puerto-Rican background. He co-wrote “In the Heights” with Philadelphia native, Quiara Alegría Hudes. This “hip-hop” musical was a smash hit. It ran on Broadway for about two-and-a-half years and swept away four Tony Awards. Shortly after this show closed, he began writing a concept album for a new idea he was working on. When asked to perform some of “In the Heights” at the White House, he performed this ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE) instead.
That’s right, a hip-hop musical about the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton. When I first heard the idea I was freaked out. “What the hell? That’s never gonna sell,” I thought. But then I started listening to the music…and fell very deeply in love. “It’s a straight jam”, says Karl Meyer ’18. “When it comes on I sing a duet with myself in the original octave. It’s for everyone!” And I couldn’t agree more. In fact, for a time it was beating Fetty Wap for top rap album. Hamilton used his words and writing to go places politically, and hip-hop is such a staple in American culture, so it only made sense to have the founding fathers spittin’ some flames. I begged my mom to take me and it turned out she already had tickets so I found myself sitting in the Richard Roger’s theater once again at a Lin-Manuel Miranda show.
By: Maddie Baker