LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

In 2009, Lin-Manuel Miranda attended the White house Poetry Jam. He presented himself by saying: “I’m thrilled the White House called me tonight, because I’m actually working on a hip-hop album. It’s a concept album about the life of someone I think embodies hip-hop…. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton”. The audience giggled. I mean… wouldn’t you have giggled too? It’s incredible to watch that performance because the audience giggles throughout it. When “Hamilton” first premiered in June 2016 and the same song was performed with the full cast, there were no giggles. There was just excitement. It would be the birth of  “Hamilton”, the new modern classic. 

 

Before anyone feels the need to point it out, let me just say I know “Hamilton” is not 100% historically accurate. But honestly, who cares? The historical liberties Lin-Manuel Miranda took make for better conflict, more character depth and practically perfect dramatic structure. Hamilton has made many people become interested in history. Among them, many young people. Tell me how many people, films, shows, plays or books have managed to have the impact “Hamilton” has had?

 

In my opinion, “Hamilton” feels classic and new at the same time. The drama and conflicts we see are not new… they are almost Shakespearean. Yet the ways in which they are presented are new. On the one side there’s the rap, of course. But there’s also certain storytelling devices used in this musical that are new. I cannot tell you how my jaw dropped when Angelica sung one simple word: “rewind”. The brilliance of that moment is mind-blowing. Firstly, “rewind” is something that obviously does not belong to the theatrical medium. Having it said and visually recreated (with the characters walking backwards, recreating their steps) is just fascinating to me. At the same time, it’s an anachronism. Sure, rap is an anachronism too, but you know what I mean. There’s just something super special about seeing a woman in a period dress singing about rewinding a situation in the theatre. Not only that, throughout “Satisfied”, Angelica also pauses the narrative in different moments to explain her point of view of the situation.

 

There’s also the slow-motion when Hamilton is shot in the end, which seems to be taken right out of “The Matrix”. These dramatic tools could easily feel completely out of place in the play, yet, they work. Not only do they work, they just elevate the play to a different level. 

 

As far as I am concerned, Lin-Manuel Miranda achieves this because his mind is also on a different level. The amount of detail in this play is incredible. I love this interview with him where he talks about the process about writing “My Shot”. The song’s objective was to prove that Hamilton was incredibly advanced for his time. To illustrate this, Miranda has Mulligan, Lafayette and Laurens singing pre-Rakim hip hop, while Hamilton comes in with influences from Jay-Z, Eminem and Big Pun proving that he is (as Lin-Manuel Miranda states) “the future of this groups of friends”. Now I am no rap or hip-hop expert by any means. I actually had to look up some of the names he mentioned to make sure I was spelling them right. Still, the fact that Miranda thinks about these details translates into better, richer characters and more elaborate character dynamics. You, like me, might not know about the inspirations Miranda had while writing, but you definitely can feel that the way Hamilton is rapping is more elaborate than his friends. Hamilton’s rapping style is, to me, a reflection of his character and way of thinking. Ideas spring up and he links them together easily. Why does he write like he’s running out of time? Well, because that’s the speed in which ideas come to him.

 

Undoubtedly, the main storyline is Hamilton’s relationship with Burr. If you don’t know your history, don’t worry. The end of their relationship is revealed in the first song, so I guess no spoiler alert is needed here. In any case, as I touched upon before, their conflict is almost Shakespearean in nature. We’ve seen it before. Even Miranda admitted in this interview with Emma Watson that their meeting mirrors Harry Potter and Malfoy’s meeting in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. That doesn’t matter, though, because it’s Miranda’s touch that makes it feel new. When we first meet Hamilton and Burr, we realize they want the same thing: to be remembered, to be great. The problem is that they have different approaches. Therein lies their conflict.

 

Burr: If there’s a reason I’m still alive while everyone els has died, I’m willing to wait for it.

 

Hamilton: Legacy. What is a legacy? 

It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. 

 

Their antagonism stems from the different means each of them believes they need to achieve greatness. Burr is contained, calculated. He tells Hamilton in his first meeting: “Talk less. Smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for”. Burr waits for everything to come to him. That’s why he’s constantly singing “Wait for it”. Meanwhile, Hamilton continuously fights for what he thinks is right knowing it might cost him his life (“I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory”). He’s constantly moving, constantly talking and writing. Why? “I am not throwin’ away my shot”, he keeps repeating. Hamilton’s frustration with Burr is just that. “If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?”. This is basically the reason he ends up endorsing Jefferson instead of Burr in the end. “But when all is said and all is done, Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none”.

 

This is the last nail in the coffin of their relationship. After exchanging a few conflicted letters, they decide to have a duel. Ironically, the end of their relationship and Hamilton’s life is caused by both these men going against what they have been preaching all throughout the play. Hamilton decides to shoot in the air (throws away his shot), whereas Burr shoots Hamilton dead. Had Burr “waited for it”, he would have realized Hamilton wanted to shoot at the sky. Jaime Altozano has a great video on YouTube expanding on Burr and Hamilton’s relationship. It’s in Spanish, however, it has English subtitles and I highly recommend it to any Hamilton fans out there: 

 

 

The last thing I’m going to say about their relationship is that we don’t only know about their antagonism through their practically opposite leitmotivs. We also have an important visual clue. The famous Hamilton logo where Hamilton raises his arm in victory (or is he throwing away his shot there?), mirrors Burr’s position in the end of “The Room Where it Happens”, where Burr sings “click boom” while pointing his arm down. This had me thinking, if both of them had done this gesture (Hamilton shot at the sky, Burr shot at the floor) Hamilton would have survived. As Burr realizes at the end: “I should have known. The world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.”

 

Finally, we can’t talk about “Hamilton” without mentioning its love for the female historical figures during that time. The play ends by letting us know that it was thanks to Angelica and Eliza that we know Hamilton’s story, that we know about his legacy. We also hear about the many accomplishments Eliza had after Hamilton’s death, including the Orphanage that is currently still working. I love the ending of “Hamilton”, where Eliza gets all the glory. It feels like Lin-Manuel Miranda is telling us that this musical would not have been possible if it weren’t for this woman’s hard work. In fact, when Hamilton takes Eliza’s hand and brings her front and centre, part of me feels like in that moment, it’s not Hamilton doing this. It’s Lin, giving her the recognition she deserves. That is why, to me, Eliza’s gasp in the end feels like she’s breaking the fourth wall. In that moment, she sees the audience. She sees everyone who has just learned about her story. Their story. Their Legacy.

 

I’m so happy that Disney+ decided to release “Hamilton” earlier than initially planned. When the pandemic hit, part of me was hoping they would. “Hamilton” was released worldwide on July 3rd 2020, in the midst of an important time of unrest in the USA with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Protests.

 

Having first come out in Broadway during the Obama era, “Hamilton” felt optimistic. I mean here we have a rap musical about Alexander Hamilton where the founding fathers were being played by people of color and everyone loved it! It shouldn’t be surprising, though… not only is the musical amazing, the cast is simply, THE BEST. Seriously, isn’t Daveed Diggs the best Jefferson EVER? (#DaveedDiggsIsMyJefferson). “Hamilton” quickly became so popular, the price of the tickets went way up, people would wait months to watch it. The word of mouth was incredible. I remember reading about the audience cheering at the line “Immigrants, we get the job done”. 

 

And then Trump came. Don’t get me wrong, people were still cheering at that line, but another part of “Hamilton” took center-stage. It’s the part were it talks about all the work that is left to do in America. Because there is still so much to be done. This is why the Black Lives Matter movement used “Hamilton” quotes in their marches. Because things that were worth fighting for then are still need to be fought for now. 

 

If you’re interested in learning more, you are in luck. There’s something I love about Disney+ and it is that they have extras to their titles. “Hamilton” has great interviews where the cast talk about “Hamilton” and its relevance. I highly recommend you listen and learn from this beautiful cast. Maybe most of us weren’t lucky enough to see the play live. Thanks to Disney +, however, it’s like we all get to be in the room where it happened.