Hamilton: A New American Musical premiered on Broadway in August 2015. Since then, it has been performed at the White House, seen by hundreds of thousands of fans, and won eleven Tony awards. Needless to say, almost every person has heard of the musical Hamilton. With catchy songs and an outstanding reputation, Broadway tickets start at around $800 per ticket. However, the steep prices do not deter the fans from pouring into the theater. Hamilton is the hottest show being currently performed by far and for good reason. The shows creator Lin Manuel-Miranda, playing the role of Alexander Hamilton himself, has greatly contributed to the show’s success as well through his creative talents. Hamilton: A New American Musical will surely withstand the test of time thanks to its overall charm and creator’s brilliance.

Hamilton only premiered a little over a year ago, and yet its popularity is massive. Usually musicals will take some time before really gaining traction, but Hamilton proved that theory tremendously wrong. Hamilton is a big deal, for the album was almost #1 on iTunes at one time, something not often seen from musicals. Clearly there is a draw to this musical that is pulling several people in. Eventually, even I could not resist the musical’s apparent charm, and I started to develop an interest.

Curiosity caught my conscience one day while I was out shopping. I saw a people’s guide for Hamilton, and I started flipping through the pages, curious of what all the fuss was about. What I saw was a colorful and historically-dripped set filled with characters most of whom I had no idea of. I then turned to a biography page of the show’s creator, Lin Manuel-Miranda. Included was a picture of him sitting in his pool composing the script for Hamilton. Something about him specifically sparked my interest, though I did not know exactly what yet, and so my affection for Hamilton began. 

I started to read up on Miranda to learn more about this seemingly-ambiguous figure. What most astonished me was how seriously he took the history of what he was writing about. Like many dramas that have been released in recent years, facts are twisted for the public’s pleasure. Take the movies Pocahontas and Pearl Harbor for example; there are more things historically wrong about them than right. Miranda did not make this the case for his musical. Hamilton’s creator said that he wants “historians to take this seriously.” Every single lyric is factually-based. Nothing was thrown in for the sake of a good rhyme. In fact, Miranda took almost an entire year to write just the first song. He wanted everything to be perfect, and in my opinion, Hamilton is as close to perfection as any musical can possibly be.

Hamilton: A New American Musical tells the story of (you guessed it) Alexander Hamilton from his birth to his assassination in the form of hip-hop music. A Founding Father and rap, two things completely opposite, but they fit surprisingly well. When I first listened to the opening song on the soundtrack adequately named “Alexander Hamilton,” I could not help but bob my head back and forth. The beat is incredibly catchy, with snaps in the background and a simple piano melody. Like most rap, the song mainly rests on the singers’ vocals, who spit out facts left and right. Subconsciously, listeners are memorizing historical facts by simply listening to their Spotify playlist. If only history class was this easy!

When the musical was performed at the White House, President Obama said it was one of the best civics lessons today kids could learn from. It may seem funny, but the President knows what he is talking about (as we would hope). More than once this semester has my hand popped up in history class to answer a question. “I know this!” I think as I sing Hamilton lyrics in my head. If I were to read about Alexander Hamilton in a textbook, I would be bored out of my mind like most, but Hamilton is not a textbook. It is so much better, and the show’s credit lies in the creative talents of Miranda.

I had heard of Lin-Manuel Miranda before, but not because of his musical. Sometime in the Spring of 2016 he was (as much as I can remember) telling Congress about the problems surrounding his home territory of Puerto Rico and asking for Congress’ help. Not only did he write an astonishing musical, but he was also actively involved in politics. This man has talent. He was calm when he spoke to Congress, but he was powerful. Endearing and persuasive, I started to research the problems in Puerto Rico because I had never heard of them before. The problems did not immediately affect me of course, but there was a way about Miranda that made me drawn to him. He spoke his words so beautifully, and so I was immediately compelled by Miranda. It is because of his powerful speaking that he was able to craft such a tremendous script for Hamilton.

Lin Manuel-Miranda served as screenplay writer, lyricist, and casting director for Hamilton. Although retiring from his part of Alexander Hamilton just a few months ago, Miranda’s presence can still be felt in the show today. The musical’s casting is all due to Miranda, and through his choices, Hamilton has been able to convey its revolutionary movement through its actors. For example, the only white main actor is King George. Miranda wanted this on purpose to show how far America has come since the time of Founding Fathers. One line that usually gets tremendous applause from the audience is the lyric “Immigrants, we get the job done.” Miranda himself is an immigrant, and he included the lyric because of the current issues surrounding our world today. Miranda wanted his musical to push the boundaries that have been holding American musicals back in the past, and he certainly accomplished that feat, beautifully doing so.

Miranda should be admired for more than simply his composing and casting skills. The night of the Tony Awards took place a few days after the Orlando gay night-club shooting. Upon winning the award for best musical, Miranda told the crowd “Love is love is love is love is love” as tears started to well up in his eyes. Although winning the most amount of awards, Miranda wanted to make sure the victims of the terrorist attacks in Orlando were the main focus, not Hamilton. One cannot help but admire Miranda. He is one of the best musicians currently living, and he is a speaker for the people. A great one at that, in fact, and it is because of this reason that I was so drawn to Hamilton in the first place. Like the character he plays, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s name will go down in history for his immense social activism.

Hamilton: A New American Musical will remain in people’s hearts for a long time after its closure on Broadway. Although thousands of fans will not get the chance to see the musical (there is a waiting list!), most, like myself, are happy that they can at least listen to the cast recording at home. Hamilton has made history fun again and made musical cynics start to tap their foot. From the bouncy “Aaron Burr, Sir” to the incredibly fast-paced “Guns and Ships,” the show is an irresistibly good time. Hamilton: A New American Musical is certainly one for our decade.