Lin-Manuel Miranda's latest project: The Hamilton Mixtape:
For some reason, Alexander Hamilton fans don't appear to be all that common. I know a lot of history geeks (and I'm one myself, albeit a more casual one), but only three of them are passionate about Alexander Hamilton, and I'm including myself in that count. I find that surprising. Growing up in a suburb of Boston meant an overexposure to all things Revolutionary War--I dressed up as a colonial girl more than once in elementary school, I could see a tavern from my house, and on Patriot's Day (you Massholes know what I'm talking about), gunshots from the early morning reenactment would wake me up. Living in all that history got old by sixth grade.
But Alexander Hamilton was different. His background, his determination, and his wholehearted commitment to pretty much everything has always made him stand out to me. There were plenty of strong-willed, brilliant, and passionate men working for independence, but there weren't any quite like Alexander Hamilton. He was badass.
Hamilton's life seems perfect for musical theatre--the man died in a duel!--so it's about time somebody tried making Hamilton sing. Lin-Manuel Miranda seems counter-intuitive; hip hop in the 1770s, really? But after listening to that opening number, I can't think of anyone better. I love the quiet tension underlying the song; it makes me think of a coiled spring that could snap at any moment, and it gives the number--and potentially the whole piece--a momentum and energy that suits Hamilton completely. Having Aaron Burr open the show, introducing the audience to Hamilton and the world of the musical, is a fascinating choice. I'm curious to see how that'll play out--does he narrate the whole show? I love that the music isn't period at all, as well.
In addition to capturing Hamilton's intense and independent personality, the music makes it very clear that this is not going to be a straightfoward look at a man's life. I know nothing of this project other than this song, but the music alone makes me expect a non-realistic world with its own set of rules. The music automatically causes audiences to see the story in modern terms, which I think is really cool. I feel early American history is often preserved behind museum glass. This music and these words shatter that glass and forces our history to live right alongside us, where it belongs.
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Hey! This is... who you think it is. ;) Anyway, I liked your analysis of it from a musical theatre standpoint! I'm not sure if you already saw this, but there's a Playbill article where he discusses the project in a bit more depth, albeit not to the extent which would really answer a lot of your questions. (It's not letting me c&p a link on here, so just google "Lin-Manuel Miranda Goes Crazy for House and Hamilton"). He mentions that he's making a "concept album," which makes me think that he might not be paying too much attention to how it's actually going to be sung on stage at this point, but maybe I'm just making too many assumptions. I'm happy that all the feedback on YouTube is overwhelmingly positive, though!
ReplyDeleteI did NOT see that article, but I will hunt it down! I wonder why he's making this a concept album and not a stage show...or if he's planning it to be a stage show eventually. I also wonder how theatrical a concept album this will be--like, will there be more narrative-driven (kind of like Evita-style, not in a "And then this happens!" way) or will it be more like the Chess concept album? I need answers, Lin-Manuel Miranda!
ReplyDeleteI am being presumptuous and friending you on LJ, btw!