Monday Musings – 26 February

I saw Hamilton at Atlanta’s historic Fox theater on Saturday. Judging by the roar of the crowd when certain characters appeared on stage, Karen and I were the among the few people who had not already seen the play. It was also my first time in the Fox theater so, when I wasn’t enjoying the music, I was in awe of the 1929-era venue.

As for the show—it was kind of genius. Here we were crowded into a darkened theater with nearly 5,000 people, clapping and cheering for a semi-obscure figure from American history—Alexander Hamilton. According to his Wikipedia page, Hamilton was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 during George Washington’s presidency. He is most famous for dying at age 49 of a gunshot wound suffered in a “gentlemen’s duel” with Aaron Burr.

Karen wondered about the first meeting of Lin-Manuel Miranda (the show’s creator) and his financial backers when he described his proposal. “I have this idea for a musical play about Alexander Hamilton. You know, the guy on the ten-dollar bill. It’ll draw from hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes, AND I’m going to cast non-white actors as the Founding Fathers.”

It sounds crazy, but it totally works. My favorite was Mad King George in his crown and regalia chiding the rebellious colonists. “You’ll be back,” he sang. “Soon, you’ll see.” He might as well have been singing to the audience about the next time Hamilton rolls back to town.