“I’m young, scrappy, and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot!” What started as a simple idea evolved into a mixtape, and is now one of the most well- known and loved musicals of the 20th century. Hamilton is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on Broadway.
According to the New York Times Theater Guide, the musical debuted off Broadway at The Public Theater in New York City on January 20, 2015. It then launched on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater on July 13, 2015, where it runs to this day. However, this musical began much earlier than 2015.
The story of Hamilton actually begins in 2008, when creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, also known for creating In the Heights and the soundtracks for Moana, Encanto, and Mufasa: The Lion King, read a biography on Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Forbes states that Miranda started writing songs for a mixtape about Hamilton’s life almost immediately.
On May 12, 2009, Miranda was invited to perform In The Heights at a White House poetry event. Instead of showcasing this, Miranda made the bold decision to perform “Alexander Hamilton”, a song from the mixtape he was working on. The standing ovation he received convinced him to continue his work.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Miranda performed his Hamilton mixtape again at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series on January 11, 2012, just three years after his White House debut. Miranda, Gavin Creel, James Monroe Iglehart, and future fellow cast members, Mandy Gonzalez and Christopher Jackson, sang as part of the “hip-hop song cycle”.
In 2015, Hamilton officially took shape as the beloved musical it is today. The musical follows Founding Father Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) the young immigrant who rises through the ranks to become a central figure during both the Revolutionary War and the creation of the U.S. Government.
The first act explores Hamilton’s early years in America and the contributions he made to the Revolutionary War, This act includes characters like Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.), George Washington (Christopher Jackson), Marquis de Lafayette (Daveed Diggs), and King George III (Jonathan Groff).
The second act explores his political adventures after the war and the assistance he provides in both creating the Constitution and the American government. It includes many of the same characters with a few new additions, like Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs) and James Madison (Okieriete Onaodowan).
The musical also follows the unconventional personal and romantic life of Hamilton, and introduces us to characters like Eliza Hamilton (Phillipa Soo), Angelica Schuyler (Renée Elise Goldsberry), and Maria Reynolds (Jasmine Cephas Jones).
Since its debut, Hamilton has been performed 3,554 times, grossed 1,065,569,699 dollars, and been seen live by 4,746,401 people, as reported by Broadway World. It has also premiered in many notable places, including London, Puerto Rico, Germany, the Philippines, Abu Dhabi, and many more. In 2016, Hamilton won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 11 Tony Awards, and released The Hamilton Mixtape, which topped the Billboard 200 chart. A film captured performance of Hamilton, featuring the original Broadway cast, was released in 2020 on Disney+.
Hamilton has become more popular than anyone, including Miranda himself, could have guessed. The success and fame of the musical prove just how much it is loved by fans. As Lin-Mauel Miranda said himself, “There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait.”
