Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has taken the Broadway stage by surprise. The musical made its Off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater in February of 2015 where it immediately sold out. The production won the 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and seven other Drama Desk Awards. It had received 14 nominations from the Drama Desk Awards. The show transferred to Broadway in August of 2015, where it received immediate critical acclaim and broke records with its advance office sales. Miranda wrote the music, the lyrics, and the book for the musical, all of which is based off of the 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

            The musical beautifully chronicles Alexander Hamilton’s life using Hip Hop. The musical starts off with the company summarizing Hamilton’s early life. They mention his time as an orphan in the Caribbean as well as the destruction of his town by a hurricane when he was 17. He writes about said destruction and his writing ability earns him passage on a ship to the American colonies so that he can pursue his education. It chronicles his meeting with Aaron Burr and Hamilton’s burning need to fight for his country. George Washington asks him to become his right hand man, Hamilton then oversteps Washington’s boundaries and is sent home.

The audience watches him meet his wife, Eliza, they watch him fight in the revolution against Great Britain. They watch Eliza’s sister hide her love for Alexander, they watch his son die. They watch as he cheats on Eliza and proceeds to publish the letters that his lover wrote him in order to clear his name. Eliza burns everything that could have redeemed him. The audience remains captivated by Hamilton’s strength and determination when it comes to leaving a mark on the world. He fights for his country’s future. The audience is immersed in the raw strength and emotion of the musical, Hamilton captivates people of all ages.

The music gives the audience/listener chills and the Broadway album has sold millions worldwide. The lyrics are thoroughly impressive and the writing style is uniquely Miranda’s. The Broadway album is currently nominated for a Grammy.

The musical is especially popular among the younger audience. This may be due to the modern style of music or the fun historical lesson. The Wall Street Journal has called Hamilton “the most exciting and significant musical of the decade.”

One of the most unique factors of this musical is its cast. The cast of Hamilton is extremely diverse when it comes to race and ethnicity. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself plays Alexander Hamilton. Chinese-America Phillipa Soo plays Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. The musical also features Jonathan Groff, former Glee star, who plays King George. The musical is definitely refreshing, Broadway is known for its lack of diversity and Hamilton helps to bring more people of color to the stage. Hopefully the Broadway giants will take a hint from Hamilton’s success and try to cast a little bit more diversely.

The musical does not pull its punches when depicting the life of Alexander Hamilton. It describes the death of his mother and cousin, his upbringing, and every large obstacle that he comes across. It goes into detail without leaving anything out. The audience knows what’s going on without being confused in the slightest.

Overall Hamilton is the perfect musical for today’s musical nerds. It manages to capture both the beauty and the hardships of the American Revolution. In a time where it is important that America knows its history so that it does not repeat it, Hamilton is leading the way for historical musicals like it to become a way for people to learn about America’s history.