It could have been any other book that Lin-Manuel Miranda chose at an airport store before going on vacation to Mexico to rest after the success of his first Broadway musical, “In the Heights.” However, the playwright of Puerto Rican descent chose to read the biography of “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow, and from that simple decision his life changed.
Without even having finished the reading, and back in New York, Miranda knew that he would make a musical inspired by the story of Hamilton , the first secretary of the Treasury of the United States, whose role as one of the founding fathers of the nation had been relegated to simply appear on ten-dollar American bills. So, for most people, his legacy was unknown until he came to the knowledge of the playwright, who had already been working on a promising career with “In the Heights”, a piece that earned him critical acclaim and made him deserving of several awards. Among them, a Tony Award for Best Musical Work.
Hamilton’s life provoked such fascination in the writer that when on May 12, 2009 he was invited to present himself by the then President Barack Obama to the Night of Poetry in the White House his letter of introduction was the theme “Alexander Hamilton”. This song was part of what Miranda called “The Hamilton Mixtape”.
At that time, the actor shared that he was excited for the opportunity to be in the White House because he had been working on an album about the life of a person who embodies what ‘hip hop’ is.In addition, before the laughter of the audience, he said that Hamilton represents “the ability of the world to make a difference”.
Why? Hamilton was an immigrant born from an illegitimate union in the Caribbean, who later became an avid self-taught person. From a young age, he dedicated himself to fight for the American Revolution and even organized the army. His dedication led him to be very close to becoming president, but he died in a duel he had with his rival, Aaron Burr.
One of Miranda’s successes was to bring historical events to the present day through sticky melodies that mix rap, hip-hop, rythm & blues and pop rhythms, and even the so-called ‘britpop’. In addition, the nation’s heroes who were in charge of making decisions to form the country are personified in the work by a cast of Hispanics and blacks, reflecting the nation’s current ethnic and cultural diversity. The work is entirely Miranda’s creation, who spent years writing the libretto, lyrics and music of the 46 songs that weave the plot.
Since its premiere “Off-Broadway” in February 2015, Hamilton began to give clear signals of what would happen: the functions were full and won the Obie Award for the best new work “Off-Broadway”. Subsequently, he has won countless prizes of the highest category and turned his creator, Miranda, into an admired figure in the world of arts at an international level.
Very quickly, “Hamilton” began the expectation of his arrival at the Richard Rodgers Theater in August of the same year. So much was the interest generated by the piece that from the pre-sale the tickets sold out. This was due, not only to word of mouth, but to the excellent reviews that were published in the media. In addition, personalities from all areas have publicly praised the musical. Among them, the former President Obama, who said that the taste for Hamilton is the only thing he agrees with Dick Cheney. Meanwhile, his wife, Michelle Obama, said: “It’s simply, as I say to everyone, the best piece of art of any kind I’ve seen in my life.”
Other recognitions of the piece are: the Pulitzer theater prize, seven Olivier theater awards, including the best musical and choreography, 11 Tony awards and also the prestigious Edward M. Kennedy award, awarded by Columbia University.
Although at that time of pleasant reading, the least that surely imagined the Puerto Rican is the impact that his new creation would have, the truth is that “Hamilton” today is considered the most successful piece of musical theater of the decade and catapulted the figure of Miranda to international fame, profit that he has used to raise the name of his beloved Puerto Rico.
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