In the waning days of the Obama Presidency, what could be timelier than a hip-hop musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda set to open on Broadway on Thursday, August 6? This showstopper reimagines the Founding Fathers within the context of a vibrant multicultural America. Step aside white dudes, Washington and Jefferson and Hamilton (Burr too) are men of color. Parodying today's hip-hop style, the Founding Fathers might just as well be superheroes.
They're aspirational
De-termined
To get things done
They aim higher
Reach further
Stratospheric Am-heroes
Once upon a time great American theater was crafted in prose: Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Lillian Hellman, and David Mamet, to name a few. Now, in our post-literate age where Broadway audiences are driven by global trends and reading is now strictly optional, the new-age American musical predominates. It's tapping into that pervasive urban street vibe where down is up and the hood is king: "Chicago," "Rent," "Urinetown," and now "Hamilton," the latter of which taps into a range of musical styles transcending hip-hop--Broadway ballads, pop rock, and R&B, to name just a few--in order to present a compelling story of one of the greatest of all the Founding Fathers.
The musical is based on Ron Chernow's biography "Alexander Hamilton." Chernow, arguably the greatest biographer writing today, captures Hamilton's story with brio. Of all our Founding Fathers none save Washington looms larger than Hamilton, who often seems more 20th global financial strategist than 18th century post-colonial constitutionalist. Under Miranda's musical adaptation, the story assumes operatic overtones: Hamilton, a godly superhero; Madison and Jefferson, well-intentioned though mere demi-gods; Aron Burr, the villainous Lex Luther.
Why does the Hamilton story seem appropriate for hip-hop? Born out of wedlock in the West Indies, the family struggled financially after James Hamilton abandoned them. Alexander's mother died when he was 13. He and his brother were adopted by a cousin who subsequently committed suicide. Afterwards the boys were separated. Alexander was adopted by a merchant, perhaps his actual biological father. Influential local leaders financed his education in America. He studied at what would later be called Columbia University in New York City. He was Washington's aide during the American Revolutionary War. He subsequently was appointed as a New York representative to Congress. He established the Bank of New York. He served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Hamilton was instrumental in enlisting the support of both James Madison and John Jay to help him write "The Federalist Papers," which provided a sustained argument in support of the Constitution. He was appointed our first Secretary of the Treasury by President George Washington. Under his guidance the national government assumed responsibility for the Revolutionary War debts incurred by the states. He enlisted Congress to create a National Bank, which created the framework for what would eventually become the Federal Reserve. Hamilton established the U.S. Mint that created our national currency. He was a strong supporter of national (centralized) power at the expense of state and local autonomy. He understood that America's strength lay in its urban cities, its financial institutions, and, by extension, its industrial capacity. Hamilton died in a duel with Aaron Burr having failed to "take his shot." Tragically his son died earlier under similar circumstances.
On Thursday the musical opens on Broadway, coinciding with the first of a series of Republican Presidential debates. Patrick Healy, a National Political Correspondent writing for "The New York Times" expressed the sentiment that Republicans these days "seem more in tune with the blunt Hamilton and bombastic Jefferson of the musical" than Hilary Clinton who, he added, "occasionally seems like a kindred spirit of Aaron Burr, the Hamilton nemesis. . . ." Amen. Let's hope a national Republican leadership can emerge from the wilderness to lead the nation back to promise land. In the meantime, let's rescind efforts by the Treasury Department to replace Hamilton's portrait on the $10 bill with that of a woman. Let Andrew Jackson's visage on the $20 bill be sacrificed to that end.
The accolades for the Hamilton musical keep streaming in. Tony award-winning composer Stephen Sondheim has declared the musical a "breakthrough." Playwright John Guare--remember "Six Degrees of Separation"?--was recently interviewed by Rebecca Mead for "The New Yorker": "You had that incredible feeling of when a door opens up," said Guare, "and a brand-new wind blows through. He [Lin-Manuel Miranda] had captured the spirit of Hamilton, and the spirit of Ron Chernow's book, and the spirit of our time. It was such an odd thing, but it was done with such elegance and care and control and madness."
Readers: Go see it. Fight to save Hamilton on the $10 bill. While we're at it, let's hope that Patrick Healy calls it right--the Republicans as potential Hamiltonian superheroes only this time around let's make sure that Hilary Clinton (a.k.a. Aaron Burr) is never given the opportunity to fire the fatal shot.
Dr. Diana E. Sheets, an iFoundry Fellow and Research Scholar at the University of Illinois, writes literary criticism, political commentary, and fiction. Much of it can be read on her website, www.LiteraryGulag.com.