There are few things in our culture that have made such a huge impact as quickly as Hamilton: An American Musical. This production is unique in many ways. Most of the dialogue is in the form of rap, and it is performed by a very racially diverse cast. Yet, the storyline follows the story of the very white washed founding fathers. This production has been breaking barriers both in society, and on broadway. This is illustrated very well in the documentary, Hamilton’s America. This essay will briefly cover some of the most intriguing aspects of the musical, documentary, and Hamilton’s life. The documentary contains footage from the beginning of the production process, when Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote the musical, and performed in the title role) was just starting to write it. Miranda was not new to the broadway scene - he had made his debut through his very successful production In the Heights, however, Hamilton was taking a risk. This was a history based production, which would fall within the ranks of Les Miserable, or 1776. As mentioned in the musical, there are many things at risk when adapting historical events. Yet, they started filming footage of Miranda at the very beginning of production which means they must have known they were onto something good.…show more content… The documentary glazed over this, in my opinion. It is a very unique style, as broadway has a very traditional, distinct style for most productions. However, the documentary focused more on how this was effective in communicating their message to new generations. This is true, however, I wish they would have commented on the effect on the performing arts community in general. This took a backburner in the documentary. I understand why, as there are more more impactful areas to discuss, but I would’ve found it interesting to hear their
