by Paula Gail Benson
I’m
a musical theater geek. I freely admit it. Last year, when The Wall Street Journal presented a video identifying all
the snippets from musical shows contained in the number “A Musical” from
Broadway’s Something Rotten (about
two playwriting brothers who compete with William Shakespeare and happen to
create the first musical), I was thrilled to check which of the twenty
references I had recognized and which I had missed. (Thanks to that video, I
could finally hear the opening notes from “Hello Dolly.”)
This
year’s Broadway mega-hit is Hamilton,
a rap, hip-hop, jazz, pop, and contemporary Broadway musical about the life of
Alexander Hamilton based on the 832 page biography by Ron Chernow. Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda
received a MacArthur “Genius” award and the Pulitzer Prize. The musical was
nominated for 16 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Awards and won 11, including 2 for
Miranda’s book and score. The Broadway production continues to have extremely
limited tickets available. People pay $10 to enter a lottery in hopes of
winning a front row seat. While they wait outside to hear if they won, they are
entertained by #Ham4Ham performances featuring cast members and other artists.
One popular #Ham4Ham
appearance
featured the three actors who had played King George (a comic relief role)
taking on the women’s roles to sing “The Schuyler Sisters,” the joyous
expression of three main female characters who find the Revolution on their
doorstep in “the greatest city in the world,” New York.
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| "The Schuyler Sisters" |
I
haven’t had the opportunity to see a production yet, but I’ve heard glowing
reports from those who have. And, thankfully, the videos on the website and
YouTube let us out-of-towners live vicariously until we have the chance to see
the show in its entirety.
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| #Ham4Ham Georges' version of "The Shuyler Sisters" |
Hamilton’s journey into being
is chronicled in a 288-page book titled Hamilton:
The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter. I splurged to get
the audio version. McCarter’s narrative is read by Mariska Hargitay (Olivia
Benson on NBC’s Law and Order: SVU).
Her vocals are the perfect choice to convey the New York City atmosphere. Lin-Manuel
Miranda reads his own notes that supplement the text and add additional
background information.
True
to my musical theater geekdom, I wish I had this book in high school when I
dreamed of working in the musical theater and wondered how to break into that
world. It describes the complete process of creation, how the collaboration
began and continued. While being a fascinating backstage account, it also tells
life stories of those involved in the production. Part of the charm is in
seeing how the events happening in the present dovetailed with the past being
portrayed to add to the poignancy of the show. Reading (or hearing) how the
births or illness of the collaborators’ children influenced the lyrics provides
a new level of understanding for the work.
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| Lin-Manuel Miranda and cast |
I
had little familiarity with rap or hip-hop when I began studying the lyrics for
Hamilton. I have since developed a
respect for the rhythms and the patois of the language.
According
to Hamilton: The Revolution, the
musical has a larger word count than some of Shakespeare’s plays. The lyrics to
each song, along with an audio recording, are available on the website
genius.com. Here’s a link to the opening number “Alexander Hamilton.” Included on
genius.com are annotations and commentary, some by Lin-Manuel Miranda and other
collaborators and some by fans. It’s fascinating to see how the music was
developed and the effects it has had on its listeners.
The
truly amazing aspect of Hamilton’s
creative process is the collaborators seeking to present a historically
accurate portrait that would resonate with young audiences. Ron Chernow became
a trusted advisor for the show. Before the production came to Broadway, it was
performed for many high school audiences, who studied both the history and the
modern interpretation.
While
becoming a phenomenal success, Hamilton
also has invigorated people’s appreciation of both musicals and history. It’s
opened eyes to information and presentation.
Have
you ever watched a play or movie that captured your imagination so that you
wanted to know more? Have you been amazed to discover what you can learn when
you seek that additional information?
