“I like the quiet it takes to pursue an idea the way I pursued Hamilton, but I couldn’t write a book, because there’s no applause at the end of writing a book.” - Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to see the hit musical Hamilton. After nearly two years it is still selling out performances, and tickets go for almost a thousand dollars. On top of this, the musical does not fail to touch everyone who sees the performance or listens to the soundtrack. It has millions of fans from all over the world, and a place on iTunes’s Top-10 albums list.

At first, hearing the concept of a hip-hop musical about one of our founding father is almost silly but once you actually see it you won’t think twice about downloading the album. Strangely enough, this weird way of presenting American history actually works extremely well. Bringing not only accurate information on the stage but information that is actually interesting for a change. Students are calling it the best history class you can take!

You might wonder why the creator of this musical chose Hamilton instead of George Washington or John Adams, but Hamilton’s history is very peculiar. He had a very interesting life. The musical shows his trials and tribulations.

Not only did he create our financial system, but he was a war hero, and was caught in a love triangle. He publicly informed everyone how he cheated on his wife through the Reynolds pamphlet and how he lost his son to a duel.

Many people can relate to his life because he came to America as an immigrant and a son of an unlawful union. This gave Hamilton a constant determination to rise up and prove himself. The feats that he managed to pull off were unimaginable not only did he write the United States financial plan but he was an accomplished lawyer and a important public figure.  He implemented policies in our government that we still use today.

As Lin Manuel Miranda said “There’s been lots of theater that uses hip-hop in it, but more often than not, it’s used as a joke - isn’t it hilarious that these characters are rapping. I treat it as a musical form, and a musical form that allows you to pack in a ton of lyric.” The way this story is conveyed is especially entertaining for the exciting movement and addictive music that hooks people to its story. I noticed the way the lyrics lined up with each movement of the dancers shows a verbal and physical representation of the story. The lighting and set demonstrate a theme and mood that gives you the sense you are back in colonial times. The music takes inspiration from Broadway, hip-hop, and rap making a masterful mix of musical styles.

The show has been color blind casted so instead of all of the actors being their character’s racial background, they come from many races. This is symbolic of the way our nation is today: a melting pot of different people and cultures.

This musical is very special; it has touched people in a lot of different ways. Usually you don’t see news or headlines about Broadway shows but this has broken a lot of barriers and has invigorated a new wave of fans for musical theater.Hamilton reaches all walks of life depicting a great story shown in terrific fashion.