Hamilton is a musical based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States in the late 1700’s. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the book (story) for the musical and also composed its music and lyrics. In addition, Miranda played the title role in the original Broadway cast. Hamilton won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The show also won the 2016 Tony Award as best musical, and Miranda won Tonys for his book and the songs and lyrics.
Hamilton begins with a summary of Hamilton’s early life as an orphan in the Caribbean Islands. He travels to the American colonies as a teenager. There, he eventually meets a group of young men who were to become the leaders of the revolution for the colonies’ independence from Great Britain (now the United Kingdom). The story continues through the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and into the early 1800’s, portraying how a group of passionate young patriots scrambled to found and establish the new nation. The show also deals with Hamilton’s death in a famous duel with Aaron Burr in 1804.
Miranda’s music is a combination of rap, rhythm and blues, and popular music. The performers wear clothing of the period but speak in the modern language of Miranda’s lyrics. The musical won praise for the diversity of its cast. Miranda is Puerto Rican. Such characters as Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, James Madison, the Marquis de Lafayette, and George Washington were played by African American and Hispanic American actors.
Hamilton opened Off Broadway in New York City in February 2015 and immediately was a sellout. The show transferred to Broadway in August 2015 and became a critical and commercial hit. Hamilton won the 2015 Grammy Award for best musical theater album. Miranda based his musical on the biography Alexander Hamilton (2004) by the American biographer Ronald Chernow. Thomas Kail was the director, and Andy Blankenbuehler was the choreographer (dance creator).
