Warren Egypt Franklin, Desmond Sean Ellington, Elijah Malcomb, Pierre Jean Gonzalez - HAMILTON.
(Image by (c) Joan Marcus 2021) Details DMCA
Beneficial contributions of immigrants and people of color are highlighted throughout, for example, when Lafayette and Hamilton chant, "Immigrants get the job done!"
Among the unsung historical figures, the musical introduces many theatergoers to John Laurens, who championed racial equality. Who of us ever heard of him in American History classes? Laurens was a soldier and statesman from South Carolina and a close friend of both Hamilton and Lafayette; he fought alongside them at Yorktown. Laurens was the son of the wealthy co-owner of one of the largest slave trading houses in North America. Despite his family's role in slavery, he believed that people of any color should be able to aspire to freedom in a republican society, and he proposed a plan for 3,000 slaves to serve in specially created regiments in order to earn their freedom. Congress approved his plan in 1779; nevertheless other roadblocks prevented its implementation. Laurens proposed it again in 1780, and a third time in 1782, not long before he died in battle at age 27.
But we'll never be truly free until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me, you and I. Do or die. Wait till I sally in on a stallion with the first black battalion, have another--Shot!
--John Laurens in Hamilton
Hamilton continues to stir controversy anywhere, not just at my post office! Newly elected vice president Mike Pence must have been quite surprised to be addressed from the stage during curtain call on November 18, 2016.
Brandon Victor Dixon, who replaced Leslie Odom, Jr., in the role of Aaron Burr, delivered a message to Pence which was written by Miranda, director Thomas Kail and producer Jeffrey Seller, with input from the cast, according to The New York Times. He said, in part, "We, sir -- we -- are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us," according to Inside Hook.
On May 12, 2009, less than four months after President Obama's inauguration, Miranda performed a song from the show at a White House event. Then, in March, 2016, the cast and musicians performed "One Last Time" at Obama's White House during the final year of his second term.
The musical has re-inspired public debate regarding whether the arts should offer a spotlight on politics and social commentary. As usual, the resistance is most strongly offered from the side being dissected in the spotlight of shame. Two Georgia legislators tried to ban the musical, but were unsuccessful.
From ancient Greek playwrights to the Bard of Avon, from Charles Dickens to Harper Lee and beyond, the arts have always been the arena most effective for pinpointing imbalances, inequalities and corruption, and inspiring evolutionary change toward a more just society.
Whatever the controversy between facts and truth, the cultural truth is that Hamilton is a masterpiece, a not-to-be-missed story about how deeply flawed people can still make extraordinarily valuable contributions to humankind.
Hamilton is a revolutionary musical about a Revolutionary time, hopefully sparking a much-needed evolution in consciousness as we embark on America's second revolution.
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