On Broadway Hamilton Hits the Mark

Broadway Beat: On Broadway Hamilton Hits the Mark

Broadway’s new favorite marksman is Alexander Hamilton, who is the subject of Hamilton, a musical by Tony Award winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) which opened this summer. 

The show tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton to the tune of hip-hop and rap.  The actors playing our founding fathers on stage are as ethnically diverse as the people walking the streets of Times Square outside the theater.  Though the show takes place in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, it is fresh and relevant and feels like it belongs on stage in 2015.

Hamilton has met and surpassed its mark, and is taking the Broadway industry by storm.  In its first 10 weeks on Broadway, Hamilton has grossed more per week than almost all other shows.  It took 2011 Tony winner The Book of Mormon­ a year to see grosses as high as Hamilton has after 10 weeks.

Hamilton isn’t based on a hit movie, doesn’t have a celebrity in the cast, and doesn’t have a Tony Award to flaunt (at least, not yet).  Its premise isn’t all that universally appealing either: “come see our founding fathers rap” isn’t the best sales pitch.  What it does have is great theater.  It is selling seats on the strength of its content.  Its hype on social media is through the roof, and it got rave reviews from every major publication.  It is a sign of hope for artists everywhere that good art sells, and it sells big.  It reminds us that the better our work, the easier it is for us to make our mark.

There is no doubt that Hamilton is going to be a heavy competitor at this year’s Tony Awards, especially for Best Musical.  While nominations are still months away, and few of Hamilton’s competitors have opened yet, here are the other categories that I think Hamilton is likely to be nominated for:

Actor in a Leading Role: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton); Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr)

Actor in a Featured Role: Daveed Diggs (Lafayette/Jefferson); Christopher Jackson (George Washington); Jonathan Groff (King George).

Actress in a Featured Role: Renée Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Shuyler); PhillipaSoo (Eliza Hamilton)

Score: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Book: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Director: Thomas Kail

Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler

Orchestrations: Alex Lacamoire

Costumes:  Paul Tazewell

Lighting: Howell Binkley­