# Hamilton - The Musical **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119 "2015-10-29T20:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/1 "2015-10-29T20:00:03Z")
Has anyone seen this? It’s apparently HUGE on Broadway, performances are pretty much sold out for the forseeable future. I’ve picked up the soundtrack (after having a bunch of friends glow about it), and I’m liking it a lot. No standout single, but a really cool storyline and a novel approach to telling the story. The music is largely rap, hip-hop, & R&B, with some strong Broadway/Tin Pan Alley influences as well - the cast is almost entirely people of color, regardless of the fact that most of the historical folks were white as hell. Per Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music/lyrics/book and plays Hamilton, “Our cast looks like America looks now, and that’s certainly intentional. It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the Founding Fathers at the door.” It’s based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography of Hamilton, which won a George Washington Book Prize and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. I can hardly wait till a touring version comes to me - I can’t really justify a trip to NYC to see it, but still… ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/2 "2015-10-29T20:04:11Z")
My wife was urging us to go to this just last night. I agreed, but now I have to back out I fear. > [@](#): > > The music is largely rap, hip-hop, & R&B, with some strong Broadway/Tin Pan Alley influences as well ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/3 "2015-10-29T20:07:43Z")
Honestly, don’t let that put you off. I’m not a big rap fan, either, but it really does work in the context. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/4 "2015-10-29T20:11:13Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Honestly, don’t let that put you off. I’m not a big rap fan, either, but it really does work in the context. ok, thanks. Maybe it will improve my tolerance of the genre. I can tolerate almost anything for two to three hours. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/5 "2015-10-30T05:37:42Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > ok, thanks. Maybe it will improve my tolerance of the genre. I can tolerate almost anything for two to three hours. Have you seen or heard _In the Heights_? It’s written by the same guy and was a huge hit as well, if that helps alleviate your fears. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/6 "2015-10-30T06:16:52Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0wboCdgzLHg/hqdefault.jpg ""Hamilton": A founding father takes to the stage") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wboCdgzLHg) A cool piece on the show, from before it went to Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/7 "2015-10-30T07:44:40Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > ok, thanks. Maybe it will improve my tolerance of the genre. I can tolerate almost anything for two to three hours. You will more than tolerate this! The musical is phenomenal! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/8 "2015-10-30T10:59:41Z")
I believe it is sold out through January at least. In the New York area, it is freakin’ huge. On any given day, there is a piece in the media delivering straight news or a big think piece on Hamilton and its creator and star: - The success of it as a blockbuster show - Commentary on what it and _The Book of Mormon_ and _Fun House_ say about the future of Broadway - The high-powered political and celeb attendees - The fact that Lyn-Manuel Miranda just got a MacArthur genius grant and is fluent in both hip hop and Broadway - How Miranda seamlessly fused Hamilton’s story with the vibe, music and cross-cultural sense of American Identity of modern hip hop. - How kids of color from low income areas are being given free access to the show because of its content and message Everything I have heard has been positive, like the Book of Mormon. I would love to see it if I could not have to deal with the nuttiness. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/9 "2015-10-31T22:14:33Z")
[This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfwohSjn6iw) is a great selection of clips from the show. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/10 "2015-10-31T23:47:01Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You will more than tolerate this! The musical is phenomenal! Lin-Manuel is a master of music (& lyrics). The rap and hip-hop really work–now I need to study up on these genres that had not been my cups of tea. But the play also features songs with tunes that stay with you–in several other styles. Including Brit-Pop for George III–the only major role played by a white actor. [This site](http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-alexander-hamilton-lyrics) has the lyrics–& who is singing what. Plus serious annotation… Spotify has the Cast Album as does Amazon Prime… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/11 "2015-11-01T02:11:56Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > It’s based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography of Hamilton, which won a George Washington Book Prize and was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. And yet I’m guessing Chernow didn’t anticipate his book being turned into a rap musical. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/12 "2015-11-01T03:08:35Z")
The Chernow book is great. I’m bemused by the very concept of this show, but if it’s a success, God bless 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/13 "2015-11-01T07:40:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And yet I’m guessing Chernow didn’t anticipate his book being turned into a rap musical. [No, but he was converted.](http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/08/07/429717792/a-hip-hop-soundtrack-for-a-musical-about-alexander-hamilton-sure-why-not) (And Chernow worked as historical adviser while the play was being written.) > [@](#): > > For his part, biographer Chernow says he was initially skeptical that his book could be turned into a musical, much less one that uses rap as its main source of expression. But he agreed to meet with Miranda. “He came over to my house, he sat on my living room couch, he started snapping his fingers, and he sang the opening song,” Chernow says. “And I absolutely marveled at what he had done, because I realized he had condensed the first 40 pages of my book accurately, into a 4 1/2-minute song!” [From another interview:](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/books/review/mc-hamilton.html) > [@](#): > > Chernow said he wasn’t surprised that Miranda lifted certain juicy episodes from the book onto the stage, like Hamilton’s scandalous affair with Maria Reynolds or his rivalry with Aaron Burr. But “I was startled that he also worked in Hamilton’s assumption of state debt, Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation and the Whiskey Rebellion. This is arcane historical stuff that he makes not simply arresting, but irresistible.” ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/14 "2015-11-01T16:34:21Z")
And if you’re still not convinced, check out this video of Miranda performing for President Obama, back when he first started writing the show: [Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/15 "2015-11-17T21:20:29Z")
Have been listening to the soundtrack for almost 3 weeks straight. Am at the point where I’m counting up the $ and seeing how much a trip to NYC to see it would set me back. (There’s a couple other new shows on B’way that I wouldn’t mind seeing either.) ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/16 "2015-11-18T02:36:17Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Have been listening to the soundtrack for almost 3 weeks straight. Am at the point where I’m counting up the $ and seeing how much a trip to NYC to see it would set me back. > > (There’s a couple other new shows on B’way that I wouldn’t mind seeing either.) Good luck getting tickets! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/17 "2015-11-18T05:14:57Z")
There was even a shoutout to it on the TV sf/crime show _Limitless_ tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/18 "2015-11-18T05:34:15Z")
Now that I have read the thread, it does sound a lot more interesting than a musical about a pretty dull Scottish town, which is what the title first suggested to me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/19 "2015-12-04T02:35:20Z")
Mount Vernon has recognized the merits of the show: [Lin-Manuel Miranda to Receive George Washington Book Prize · George Washington's Mount Vernon](http://www.mountvernon.org/about/news/article/lin-manuel-miranda-to-receive-george-washington-book-prize/) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119/20 "2015-12-04T03:30:11Z")
Lin-Manuel Miranda sounds like a moron who couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the c, a and t [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hamilton-the-musical/736119.md?page=2)