There is a tendency for people to automatically dismiss things that enter our cultural zeitgeist. Either the thing tends to fail to live up to its overwhelming hype or, more often, it garnered this popularity merely because it was popular in the first place and never really deserved your attention. I like to call this the Justin Bieber effect. Hamilton, the smash broadway hit about the life of the “ten dollar founding father” is the latest of these must see properties that has consumed our country. I’m sure you’ve heard multiple times that you need to see it, or at the very least sit down and listen to the original cast recording. For the past 10 months, Hamilton has consumed me. I’ve listened to the album more times than I can count. To be my friend was to hear me talk to anyone and everyone about how great it was. I only refrained from mentioning it on The Daly Planet for ethical reasons: I don’t want to talk about something here prior to actually seeing it.
Fortunately 9 months ago, at the crest of the Hamilton tidal wave, I bought tickets to the first available showing: July of the following year. That time has finally come and gone and I was able to sit down and fully experience Hamilton in the way it was meant to be. I am happy to report that it is everything you have heard. Yes, Hamilton lives up to the hype and is worthy of all the praise, awards, and obsession it has garnered. Yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the most incredible, inspiring, and exciting voices in entertainment. All of it is true. You need to see this show as soon as possible is what I’m saying.
Exactly why Hamilton is so good, however, is a much harder question to answer. For those that don’t know, the show was inspired by the Ron Chernow biography about the first Treasury Secretary of the United States. Musician, composer, and writer Lin-Manuel Miranda famously grabbed the tome at an airport right before a lengthy flight. There was something in Hamilton’s story that Miranda latched onto and he decided to write some music about it. What was to eventually become the musical’s opening number was performed in front of the President at a White House poetry slam all the way back in 2009. You can tell that even in this early state, Miranda was on to something great here.
The musical tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, following him from his immigration to the American colonies, his involvement in the revolution and work in creating the new American government, his role as treasury secretary under Washington, all the way up to his death at the hands of Aaron Burr during their famous duel. Hamilton is billed as a hip-hop musical and while many of the songs involve rhythmic fast paced rapping, the show actually has much more in common with traditional musicals thank you’d think. There are duets, dance numbers and dramatically belched ballads that all feel at home on Broadway. Miranda didn’t change the game, he simply elevated it.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on musicals, so I will avoid talking in detail regarding the music, sets, choreography, and direction even though I fully believe all of these items are truly incredible. What I do want to focus on today is the underlying story of the musical. It is here, I believe, that Hamilton becomes wholly unique. The story of Hamilton is, to put it bluntly the story of America. In the most transparent way, it’s literally discussing the birth and founding times of the United States and the people that fought, bled, died, and willed the country into being, not just before the war, but in the early days following America’s founding. But like most other good entertainment, it also functions on many different levels.
The play is divided into two acts, taking place before and then after the end of the Revolutionary War and it’s almost remarkable how different they are. The first focuses on the struggles of war, the dreams of young men and the promise of a better tomorrow. In it Hamilton finds love, becomes a father, and distinguishes himself as instrumental to the war effort and the new government. The songs are boisterous and declarative. Hamilton speaks about life and death, about his precious legacy. He boldly states that “there’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait…” And what’s more, he’s right! He seems to be a golden child, unable to do any wrong and achieving success wherever he seeks it. Through his sheer determination and will the bastard orphan immigrant becomes one of the most powerful people in early America. This is the American Dream personified. It’s everything all of us want to achieve. It’s inspiring and wonderful.
The defining number of the act is a quiet one, “Dear Theodosia”, where Hamilton and his friend and rival Aaron Burr each sit down in a chair and begin to sing. The number takes place immediately following the end of the battle at Yorktown. America has won their revolution and is now free. The two men are singing to their newborn children, but their chairs are placed at the end of the stage facing towards the audience: they’re also singing to us:
“You will come of age with our young nation
We’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll make it right for you
If we lay a strong enough foundation
We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you
And you’ll blow us all away”
Our history books tend to deify our founding fathers. They were these perfect men who managed to cast off the yoke of tyranny and lead America toward our promised future. This is revisionist history to be sure, but there’s something inspiring about it. As I looked at these two men playing great figures of our history (one of them an immigrant, which is very intentionally mentioned several times throughout the show) singing to me about passing on the world they have created, a sense of immense pride and determination swept over me. It is my responsibility, it is all of our responsibilities, to take this gift and earn it. It is my duty to live up to the promise of our country and blow them all way…figuratively.
And then the other shoe drops. If Act 1 is the American Dream, then act two is the American Reality. As our country moves into its earlier years the entire play takes a turn. Gone are the heroic battles and fights of the first act. Cannons are replaced with pens, battlefields with cabinet meetings. The music shifts from hopeful, bombastic tunes of glory and the future to haunting reflections on the actual challenges of governing a nation. As George Washington puts it, ‘Winning was easy, young man. Governing’s harder.”
At the center of this all is Hamilton. The man who had so much success in the first act suddenly encounters setback after setback. His brilliant plan to nationalize state debt is met with heavy resistance. To get it through congress, Hamilton is forced to cut deals that leave his supporters feeling betrayed. He enters into an illicit affair and gets extorted for money by his mistress’ husband, a fact which he chooses to admit to the public in an ill advised attempt to protect his legacy. His son, trying to live up to the brash, confident and outspoken ways of his forebear gets shot and killed in a duel. Hamilton is left broken, removed from power, and scorned by his wife. What’s more, his disagreements with Aaron Burr leaves him supporting Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 election over his old friend, a fact which angers Burr so much he challenges Alex to a duel…and we all know how that one ends. This is kind of deflating, isn’t it? In the last hour of the show the promise that was America is beaten out of Hamilton. The American Reality almost completely consumes him and leaves him dead. But it is here that I think Hamilton once again shows its brilliance. Alexander Hamilton was an important, intelligent historical figure, but he wasn’t perfect. He had big ideas and dreams, but he was forced to make compromises. And he messed up a lot too. He made mistakes. His brashness served to help his success, but also led to his eventual downfall.
This is America. To watch Hamilton is to be reminded of the promise and dreams of our country, but it’s also a story that forces you to accept its faults too. It reminds us that winning the Revolutionary War is not what created this country, but rather the hard work of its people in the years after to establish a government that did its best to hold on to those great ideals. These people weren’t perfect and they made mistakes, but they laid the foundation for something incredible. We’re still working hard to build onto that foundation and still making a whole bunch of mistakes, but if we do as Hamilton did and hold onto that dream while also accepting the reality, we can live up to the promise of our founding fathers. We can create “a place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints and rise up.”
Hamilton is as good as everyone says it is, but more than that I believe it is important. In this tense political climate, having something that accepts reality but embraces hope is necessary. If you’re looking at the upcoming election and losing faith in your country go see this show, or at least listen to the cast recording. Remind yourself that even when the American Reality has got you down, the American Dream is still there somewhere. That America is a “great unfinished symphony” that lets you make a difference. So get out there and blow us all away.*
*Again I have to emphasize that I mean this figuratively. Bombs are bad.
