Hamilten!
This year marked the tenth anniversary of the hit Broadway show Hamilton, and it is now being celebrated by being shown in theaters all over the country. A couple of weekends ago, I went to see it in theaters and wanted to share my experience.
Let’s start with how successful this musical really is. It has won a total of 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book. It has received a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. It has gotten attention globally, and most people have at least heard about the musical at some point in their lives.
The success of the show is all thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda. He wrote the music and lyrics that are now sung all around the world. His lyrics were carefully crafted to educate the audience and entertain them at the same time. The musical brings up the issues of slavery and women’s rights of the time. Alexander Hamilton was opposed to slavery, so Miranda’s choice to focus on him as the main character criticizes our country’s history. The songs the Schuyler sisters sing displayed that women weren’t just looking for physical attraction. Angelica Schuyler, valuing intellectual thought while she talked to Alexander during the song “Satisfied” proved this. Miranda also put an emphasis on the accomplishments of immigrants during the revolution. He and Marquis de Lafayette were both immigrants who helped George Washington lead the colonies to freedom. The original cast itself was another huge success for the industry. The majority of the cast were people of color, which helped people of color see themselves in the country’s history.
My favorite part of seeing it in theaters was the opening reunion video that featured the original cast about how the show has changed them and impacted their lives. They mentioned how huge names like Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise, Prince, Daniel Radcliffe, and President Obama all went to see the show, who typically would not be seen in that setting. Big-name celebrities like them seeing the show live spoke to how impactful the show was when it first came out. The fact that we are celebrating the show like this ten years later confirms that Hamilton has made its mark in the theater industry. Another way the show celebrated the anniversary was the original cast performing a mash-up during the 2025 Tony Awards. The cast wore all black outfits, save for Jonathan Groff, who starred as King George, wore red. They performed their biggest songs, including “Non-Stop”, “You’ll Be Back”, “The Room Where it Happens”, and “History Has Its Eyes on You”. Hamilton is more than just a Broadway show. It is history. So next time you’re looking for a movie to watch, I recommend Hamilton.
Read More/Sources: https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/hamilton_an_american_musical_its_national_influence_as_art
