The Best Fourth of July Present

These thoughts were written by Maggie, one of our 2020 summer interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

Another one of our interns wrote an interesting piece about Hamilton/theatre politics as well. Click here to read it!

You have probably heard about this “Hamilton” musical by now, right? And did you know that the much anticipated filmed version was released on Disney+ on Friday, July 3? The composer and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda has received quite the praise for his brilliance and creativity. Moreover, his thoughtfulness shined through during this pandemic because having already filmed the musical, he decided that it should be available for those at home during the Fourth of July even though its original date to be released was October of 2021. It also comes at a pivotal moment as many are reconciling with their white-washed history and calling for changes to be made in terms of how society perpetuates white supremacy amid recent killings of unarmed, innocent Black people by the police.

“Hamilton” is no little musical; since its first performance in 2015, it is not only told history but made history. Theater goers would spend hundreds or thousands to get a ticket to the often sold-out shows around the world. On Broadway, it took in $30 million even before officially opening, and by September of 2015, it was sold out for most of Broadway, then becoming the second-highest-grossing show on Broadway for the Labor Day week, only behind The Lion King. It then went on to set a Broadway box office record due to its money grossed in a single week in New York City, which was in November 2016 when it grossed $3.3 million for eight performances in a week, the first show in history to break over $3 million in only eight performances. Also, in 2016, it set a record for receiving 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical; won a Grammy; and received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. According to Forbes, the musical has overall made over $1 billion combined from Broadway, other U.S. theaters, and London, including publishing and merchandise. The filmed version with the original cast from 2016 was sold to Disney at $70 million.

From portraying the Revolutionary War in one song to Alexander Hamilton meeting and marrying his wife in another to showing the Federalist Papers being written to discussing the start of the U.S. Treasury to finally walking through multiple presidencies, “Hamilton” gives you a full history lesson in about two hours, filled with rap music and artistic glory. Miranda is known for his in-depth research and unconventional hours on the subway writing the book that became the musical. His inspiration came from reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow; he wondered if the story was in the musical world, only finding one Broadway play in 1917. This prompted him to start The Hamilton Mixtape, in which he later performed at the White House in 2009. Years later, he created a whole soundtrack with the vision for an entire musical.

Briefly, to explain more about Alexander Hamilton, he was a Caribbean immigrant who became an orphan. Through his ability to write, he eventually made his way to New York for school and decided to join the War of Independence, helping General George Washington, who made him his Secretary of Treasury. Furthermore, he brought the first bank of the United States into existence and married Elizabeth Schuyler and had children. However, he did engage in an affair and created too many enemies that affected his career and life.

My favorite part of this musical is the way in which Miranda took this past story of America and placed it in modern America. He intentionally cast Black, Latino, and Asian actors and actresses because these people were not represented in early American government. Miranda is known to say that this casting diversity is “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. We’re telling the story of old, dead white men but we’re using actors of color, and that makes the story more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience.” Additionally, the show supports immigrants, as viewers are reminded continually that Hamilton is one, and captures his ability to rise in politics. The musical reinforces the pro-immigrant sentiment through its cast diversity too. “Hamilton” puts the voice and power into the hands of immigrants and people of color, who did not have that voice or power in the time of Alexander Hamilton. However, the musical provides accurate history because viewers really get to know the type of people Alexander Hamilton and the other early leaders of America were, including their political moves and quarrels. The show leaves viewers with mixed views of Hamilton, helping people understand more of the truth regarding who the Founding Fathers actually were.

In addition, another favorite part is its use of modern styles of music throughout the show’s entirety which makes it exciting and enticing. When watching the movie, you do not have to worry about someone moving in front of you or someone kicking the back of your seat; you get to see “Hamilton” in all of its glory and with the director’s eye. You are able to see different angles, including close-ups of the actors and actresses. This helps convey the emotions of what the characters are feeling. You still get some theater experience with the full set and stage view and the one-minute intermission between the two hours and 40 minutes of the show. With the movie, they used two live performances; one which was nonstop and had cameras in the audience and another without audience members where the cameras could get closer to the stage. Lastly, “Hamilton” uses the F-word three times, yet Miranda wanted to make sure the film could reach as many people as it could. In order for it to be PG-13 along with its violence, lust, and death, he cut two of those F-words.

Overall, if people need to see “Hamilton,” the time is now. It serves as a way to reckon with the history of this country while appreciating what the musical industry can do. The musical puts the viewers in a position to wonder if Hamilton should be honored. Do you praise him for being a revolutionary hero and celebrate the oppression the revolution and founding of America brought? Do we recognize his infidelity? Do we support how the early government unjustly solved their problems? Do we understand he married someone whose family had slaves? Why are there not more musicals about Black leaders in American history, especially when in 18th century New York, 14% of Blacks were enslaved? All of these questions are important and deserve to be asked, so I say watch the film and ask yourself them but please do not stop there.