For my virtual event, I set some time aside to sit down and watch the official recording of Hamilton on Disney+. I specifically chose Hamilton because, as an aspiring history teacher, I love learning about U.S. history, and because I was familiar with a few of its songs through my friends. I have never been a huge fan of musicals, so I was excited to enter this new realm. Despite this, it is often very challenging for me to get into the proper mindset to watch anything in one sitting, even if I do enjoy it, so I had to remind myself that this was a mandatory assignment. However, by the end of my viewing, I developed a whole new perspective on this struggle.
During my viewing process, I was captivated by the combination of the music, choreography, and staging. In particular, I really loved the moments in which the backup performers are motionless to signal the freezing of time. These little decisions only added to the overall musical performance, especially in the song “Satisfied”, which is currently my favorite song out of the entire soundtrack. This song successfully conveyed Angelica’s pain and internal conflict as the eldest daughter, and this emphasis on her story was especially appealing to me as a woman. Even today, I feel that the perspectives of women throughout history are rarely considered or discussed, so for Angelica to have her own dedicated song was a refreshing listen. Just this one single song is a powerful example of art as representation and a tool for resistance against opposition, something that we have discussed in our Arts in NYC class.
Alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda’s great usage of art as a medium for protest, it is an amazing work of storytelling in itself. I noticed his continuous weaving of quite a few themes, with the most notable being immigration, legacy, or lack thereof, and love. I want to highlight the intersection between the themes of immigration and legacy within this musical and how it ties into our Arts in NYC curriculum. Throughout this semester, we have been exploring the diversity of New York City, a community that is home to so many immigrants and children of immigrants. We did this by analyzing various pieces of art created by people of color, much like Lin-Manuel Miranda and the various cast members. I think that this form of diverse representation thematically is especially powerful, with messages that resonate with a population of minority groups that rarely get catered to in a white-dominated world. In this, artistic works like Hamilton elevate or contribute to the legacy of immigrants or other marginalized groups, which is important as people try to erase their existence today.
Overall, after having watched the entire musical, there is no doubt in my mind that every song in the soundtrack is beautiful. Aside from the incredible vocals from each of the performers, each song was able to uniquely convey Alexander Hamilton’s life while having its own literary themes, and I admire Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creativity in doing so. He put in great effort into musically retelling Hamilton’s story and legacy, while also highlighting the roles of other overlooked figures in U.S. history, such as Aaron Burr or Elizabeth Schuyler. Ultimately, I found myself enjoying both the artistic and historical aspects of this musical, even re-listening to some of the songs on Spotify afterwards. My enjoyment in watching Hamilton was an important reminder that attending events, whether virtual or in-person, should never feel like a chore but rather something fun or informative.
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