Hamilton, a cultural phenomenon

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical centres on the life of one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, who was a key figure in shaping the nation. The award-winning hit features a mash-up of hip-hop, RnB, and soul songs performed by a diverse cast.

Orphaned at a young age, Hamilton moved to New York in the hope of a better life. While there, there he impressed those around him with his hunger for revolution and reform. The story sees Hamilton become George Washington’s right-hand man, fall in love, and go on to become the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

About Hamilton the Musical

The seeds for the Hamilton musical were planted when composer Lin-Manuel Miranda purchased a copy of Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton. Within a few pages, Miranda started to envision the revolutionary’s life in musical form and embarked on the project in 2009 by penning The Hamilton Mixtape — a number of songs that would later go on to form the show.

During this time, he was invited to the White House to perform at an evening of Poetry, Music, and Spoken Word in front of President Barack Obama and the First Lady. He treated audiences to the song “Alexander Hamilton”, which was met with scattered laughter from the crowd. After workshopping the mixtape, Hamilton finally received its Off-Broadway premiere at the Public Theater in 2015 before later transferring to Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

Why does the show Hamilton resonate with audiences?

Hamilton has left a major impression on audiences since it first premiered Off-Broadway in 2015. The show offers a unique perspective of one of the lesser-known founding fathers using an innovative approach to make the story more relevant and engaging to a modern audience with its infusion of hip-hop and rap and commitment to diverse casting.

The musical won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, making it the first musical to win the award since 2010 and the 9th musical to win the accolade since 1930. Hamilton went on to win 11 Tony Awards, six Olivier Awards, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.