Hamilton was, and is, a national phenomenon. I never thought we'd see it and like many others was quite happy it'd be streaming on Disney+ with the original cast. Now I'm no theater critic, but I have read Chernow's book that influenced Lin-Manuel Miranda and led directly to his play. So after watching, my thoughts largely revolve around the history.
Getting started, a few general things. I have to say I loved it. The music was certainly good, though I'm not sure how many songs will be completely memorable (though admittedly music is something I struggle to remember and I'm not the best source). Much of its style is well catered to our time, with some traditional theater songs mixed into quite a bit of hip-hop. In the second half when Hamilton and Jefferson are both in George Washington's cabinet, their meetings are rap-battles. Miranda described it extremely well in saying it's 'America then, as told by America now.' Very little of the cast is white and are exclusively playing white historical figures, which shows in a cool way how America has changed. Only one casting made me laugh, where James Madison, a pasty white diminutive 5'4" lawmaker, later President, is played by a 6'+ broad-chested black guy.
What absolutely impressed me most was all of the real life history packed in. Alexander Hamilton grew up in the Caribbean and friends from his island covered the cost to send him to the states because they believed in his future. He became a major voice for independence and impressed Washington, later becoming his right hand. He married Eliza Schuyler during the war, and also had a complicated relationship with her sister Angelica. He fought at Yorktown. After the war he worked in law for a short time before becoming the leading voice supporting the new Constitution, penning a majority of the Federalist papers. After Washington's election he became the first Secretary of the Treasury and essentially created our monetary system from scratch. This required some deal making with Jefferson and Madison, the leaders of the developing 'Republican' faction. He and Washington agreed that the new United States government remain neutral to the ongoing French Revolution. After Washington's presidency Hamilton remained an important figure in politics but no longer wielded power. His affair with Maria Reynolds came to light (the first sex scandal in American history), largely due to his overwhelming need to clear his legacy in office. His argument was: 'Yes I had an affair but I never used government funds. Here are the receipts.' What suffered, of course, was his personal life and future political aspirations. Shortly after he gets embroiled in a dispute with Aaron Burr, leading to a duel and Hamilton's sudden death before the age of 50. All of this is covered and more, in song.
Was there embellishment? Of course. Hamilton and Burr weren't really rivals early in life. Hamilton didn't introduce Washington to Lafayette. Washington didn't wait for Hamilton to begin the siege at Yorktown. Hamilton didn't serve as the Treasury Secretary all through Washington's two terms, though he did continue to advise him. Hamilton can't be given sole credit for Washington's Farewell Address. His political career was potentially over even before the affair came to light. I'm sure there's more.
On the other hand, so much is on point. The juxtaposition of Burr and Hamilton works so well because they were so different. Burr (who's great as a narrator), was a wily political operator who never stood for anything. Hamilton always wore his strongly held positions on his sleeve and stood for all he believed in unabashedly. Hamilton's, shall we say, interesting relationship with both Eliza and Angelica was handled exceptionally deftly, giving it the nuance it deserves. I appreciated the whole song explaining that Jefferson had been gone in France for years and needed to be updated on current events. Jefferson's meeting with Burr was likely made up but the sentiments it contained were certainly true, where both were jealous of Hamilton's relationship with Washington. The eventual endorsement of Jefferson was a huge moment and political shocker. It's still crazy that while Burr was technically Jefferson's VP candidate, he could've become the President depending on the results. 'Wrote My Way Out' perfectly encapsulates Hamilton's methods, in both his rise and fall. He got to where he was by writing and hard work, in fighting for independence, for the Constitution, and for his major policy proposals as Treasury Secretary. In that respect it makes sense he would be upfront and honest about his affair since he didn't know any other way. Eliza's response was to burn their letters in anger and disgust (possibly true as none survived) before eventually forgiving him. She then spent the rest of her life at his defense.
The play does a great job conveying and mixing emotions. There's joy throughout Hamilton's rise, a feeling of helplessness in the affair, regret near the end. The songs or moments of levity were genuinely funny, especially every appearance of Jonathan Groff as George III. I don't want to forget the 'treaty with Louis head' or Jefferson gloating at the Reynolds Pamphlet. The race to the duel is sudden and you realize you don't want it to end. The retrospective on Hamilton's life in the moment before the shot and afterward by the other players was epic and heartfelt and solidly sets his place in history.
I applaud the play's craft where Hamilton, who was not going to throw away his shot, in the end does exactly that. Or so we think. I'll give LMM credit for this as the biggest recurring theme, even though the song doesn't reprise with the duel. Also, I'm honestly surprised a play that's so heavy on history was such a success. Hamilton led an interesting life and certainly deserves to be remembered (and kept on the $10 bill), but I can't imagine most people find anything fascinating about the federal government assuming debts of the states or the creation of a national bank or anything else Hamilton actually toiled over during his career. I guess each of us can enjoy it for differing reasons.
In short, it was a smash and you should go see it. Thank you Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Nvm. I didn’t look this far back.