ABSTRACT
On August 15, 2015, Hamilton opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre to critical acclaim and an impressive 30 million dollars in advance sales. The story of America’s founding is not a new one for the theater nor, for that matter, is the story of Alexander Hamilton. A play, of the same name, debuted in 1917. However, Miranda’s musical explores the subject matter from unique contemporary perspectives, in both its musical vocabulary and the points of view. Conversely, Miranda’s Hamilton uses hip-hop as well as rhythm and blues as its musical foundation – two distinctly American styles deeply rooted in Black and brown communities but embraced by an even broader mainstream American audience. Equally inspired is Hamilton’s use of narrators to give the show a contemporary relevance.
