The musical, Hamilton, is a not-to-be-missed masterpiece about how deeply flawed people can still make extraordinarily valuable contributions to humankind. It is a revolutionary production about a Revolutionary time, hopefully sparking a much-needed evolution in consciousness as we embark on America's second revolution.

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On my way to a performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, I stopped at the post office. When I excitedly mentioned where I was headed, I was confronted with a sharp, "I don't believe in that!"

I must have looked surprised as I wondered: Don't believe in going to musicals? Don't believe Hamilton existed? Don't believe the story?

I didn't have to wonder for long. "Hamilton was white! They shouldn't have black actors playing a white person!"

"Well, Hamilton's mother was from the Caribbean!" I shot back to a look of genuine surprise.

And therein lies much of the value of Lin-Manuel Miranda's masterpiece: effectively using the arts, as has long been the tradition, as a vehicle to enhance education, insight and then hopefully, tolerance and empathy.

Creative license is employed in this work of art, as it is in others, and nitpickers may argue over the factual details of the narrative. However, the spirit of the story is not only intact, but is enhanced by creativity. As Cervantes famously warns us in Don Quixote, "Facts are the enemy of Truth."

Experiencing Miranda's Hamilton while nestled within the geographic area where many of the pivotal activities occured was a thrill for Norfolk, Virginia's audience in Chrysler Hall. Every local reference was met with enthusiastic applause, whoops and hollers:

• The Commonwealth of Virginia, known as the "birthplace of presidents," boasts eight sons; three are featured prominently in the musical: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
• The Battle of Yorktown, which took place less than thirty miles from the venue, was masterminded by Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton. The victory famously heralded the end of the Revolutionary War and set the stage for the birth of a new country.
• The Chesapeake Bay, which figured prominently in the Revolutionary War, is less than 10 miles from Chrysler Hall.
• Coincidently, a visible reminder of the struggles these early Americans-to-be faced is barely 400 yards from the venue: a British cannonball, still lodged in the wall of the historic St. Paul's Church.

Hamilton premiered on Broadway in 2015. Miranda's brilliant musical score mixes R&B, pop, soul, jazz, rap and traditional show tune styles. In addition to writing the book, music, and lyrics, he also starred in the title role on Broadway.

Hamilton received a Pulitzer, 11 wins out of 16 Tony Award nominations, a Grammy, a MacArthur 'genius grant' for the creator and a special Kennedy Center Honor. Many have called the masterpiece the best Broadway show to date. Seeing it is an essential experience for any musical, cultural, political or history buff--indeed, for any American.

Miranda based the musical on historian Ron Chernow's 2004 book, Alexander Hamilton, noting, "My feeling when I was reading his biography was like, why is the only thing I know about him is that he died in a duel?" And, indeed, until this musical launched, that is all most Americans knew about Hamilton, if they knew about him at all.

Few remembered or were taught that Hamilton made the greatest contribution to the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay designed to promote the ratification of the US Constitution. Hamilton wrote 51 articles to Madison's 29 and Jay's five.

And few Americans were familiar with Hamilton's creation of a national bank.

I'll give him this: His financial system is a work of genius. I couldn't undo it if I tried. And I tried. --Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton

Among the various issues America still faces 250 years later are women's rights, poignantly touched on by Angelica Schuyler, Hamilton's sister-in-law:

Angelica Schuyler sings:

I've been reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine
So men say that I'm intense or I'm insane
You want a revolution? I want a revelation
So listen to my declaration:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal"
And when I meet Thomas Jefferson (unh!)
I'mma compel him to include women in the sequel

One of the eternal themes of the arts which rears its prominent head in this musical is the downfall of great men, which often starts with the turn of a skirt. Why do they never seem to learn?

Hamilton's devoted wife Eliza sang heartbreakingly of his infidelities. It seemed that she pulled on the heartstrings of every member of the audience as she sang of her additional horror when the tawdry secrets were made public.

You forfeit all rights to my heart
You forfeit the place in our bed
You'll sleep in your office instead
With only the memories
of when you were mine.

Meanwhile, Aaron Burr is dangerously dallying with a wife of a British officer. Historically, many of the prominent men in this story are well known for their unauthorized amorous adventures.

The musical has sparked strong debate from various factions, but Miranda's political messages are wrapped up in such brilliant artistic packaging that people with opposing points of view are lured into entertaining the possibility of a different perspective.

As an example, Speaker of the Utah House Greg Hughes is reported to have called Democratic Senator Jim Dabakis during the intermission saying, "I'm watching this musical, and I am sobbing like a child in here," then suggesting, "this thing is the greatest presentation of our American history we've ever seen." Nearly all major news publications, regardless of their place on the ideological spectrum, have praised Hamilton as a masterwork, according to shapeofsociety.com.

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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Upcoming shows in the Hamilton North American Tour

$10 Tickets are available for all performances of Hamilton through a digital lottery.

In the March 29, 2023 performance at Chrysler Hall, Norfolk VA, the Phillip Tour featured:

Alexander Hamilton - Pierre Jean Gonzalez

Eliza Hamilton - Jisel Soleil Ayon

Aaron Burr - Blaine Alden Krauss

Angelica Schuyler - Lencia Kebede

George Washington -Marcus Choi

Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson - Jared Howelton

Hercules Mulligan/James Madison - Desmond Sean Ellington

John Laurens/Philip Hamilton - Tyler Fauntleroy

Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds -Jen Sese

King George - Neil Haskell

Philip Schuyler/James Reynolds/Doctor - Nick Sanchez

Samuel Seabury -Stephen Carrasco

Charles Lee -Tristan Hill

George Eacker - Dharon Jones

Ensemble - Stephen Carrasco, Josh A. Dawson, Nicole deRoux,

Kristen Hoagland, Tristan Hill, Dharon Jones, Taeko Mccarroll,

Vanessa Magula, Nick Sanchez, Anthony Santos, Quiantae Thomas

For more information on HAMILTON, visit:

-- HamiltonMusical.com

-- Facebook.com/HamiltonMusical

-- Instagram.com/HamiltonMusical

-- Twitter.com/HamiltonMusical

I extend my appreciation to my friends Norma Eckroate, for brilliant editorial suggestions and to Dr. Christine Fallwell for sharing the story of the cannonball in St. Paul's Church.

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.