Ten years after debuting on stage, “Hamilton” proves its importance to society now more than ever.
After the initial digital release in 2020 on Disney+, the hit musical has finally found its way to the big screen, allowing audiences to see the highly acclaimed show larger than ever before.
Since 2018, when my U.S. history teacher showed my class the musical in hopes it would help us pass the STAAR test, I’ve seen the musical over 50 times. The messaging buried underneath fast lyrics and groovy beats still gives me goosebumps every single time I watch it.
The musical follows the life of Alexander Hamilton, the founding father who fought in the American Revolutionary War and became the first secretary of treasury establishing the foundations of the American financial system. Super interesting stuff, right?
While the biography of Hamilton may not sound all that intriguing, the lessons learned from his experiences are where the true importance of this musical lie.
One message “Hamilton” highlights is the importance of immigrants in the founding of America. The line “Immigrants, we get the job done,” from the song “Yorktown” highlights how both Marquis de Lafayette and Hamilton were immigrants and made moves in the revolution shifting America toward victory.
This line hits harder today in a country where articles are coming out daily of the latest ICE raid that has torn families apart to deport “illegal” immigrants, even though immigrants have been a crucial part of American history since the beginning.
The second to last song of the musical, “The World Was Wide Enough,” is about the duel that kills Hamilton. His friend and his enemy, Aaron Burr, was the one to pull the trigger.
At the end of the song, Burr reflects on the damage he caused by killing Hamilton in saying, “I should’ve known the world was wide enough for both Hamilton and me.”
This holds weight in many more ways than one. From world leaders wanting to have the final say to pop stars wanting to be the top of the charts and both bringing down others to do so.
The most relevant connection to this message is the war in Palestine and how Israel has been forcefully taking Palestinian land for years, killing thousands in the process.
Fighting over this land and space in the world, as Burr fought for his pride and titles, can be avoided if people came to the conclusion that the world really is wide enough for everyone to exist.
In 2009, the creator of the hit musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed a snippet of what would be the opening song to the show in front of President Barack Obama at a White House poetry jam.
Everyone in the crowd laughed, but Miranda was dead serious when he said he was working on a concept album about Hamilton and how he embodied hip-hop. By the time he was done performing an iteration of the opening song of the musical, everyone bopped their heads and even cheered him on with a standing ovation. This reaction to the musical has only gotten bigger.
The Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical has since become a household name across the world.
Another highlight of the musical is the cast. U.S. history is famously full of white men so one wouldn’t expect a musical about one of the founding fathers would be cast with primarily minorities. Besides a few ensemble cast members, the only white actor plays King George III, which speaks for itself. To have an all-inclusive cast for this musical is a reflection of the true beauty of America, diversity.
Besides the catchy tunes and stunning choreography, the thing that makes “Hamilton” so successful is just how timeless it is. With themes like legacy, family and honesty, “Hamilton” can be relatable and impactful to a wide range of audiences.
Miranda wrote the lyrics “Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” In this case, Miranda has gotten to see the seeds of his garden grow with the impact “Hamilton” has on audiences across the globe.
Being released in theaters is a major win for fans and new viewers alike. To see the show live on stage can cost viewers hundreds of dollars so to watch this global phenomenon for a fraction of the cost is another way “Hamilton” is making an impact and leading the way for other theater productions to follow.
