When I was fifteen, I did Fiddler on the Roof and I was costumed like a house slave. My nickname was actually “Aunt Jemima,” complete with a yellow head scarf. One of my biggest frustrations with the theatre world has always been the typecasting that everyone knows exists, but that nobody has succeeded in combating. Fast-forward to 2016, when HAMILTON the musical has absolutely taken the world by storm. I would LOVE to be the first black Elle Woods but hey, I’m black. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Enter Lin- Manuel Miranda, the creator and title character of HAMILTON. This show came into existence at exactly the right moment in history — in the midst of one of the most racially tense moments in the 21st century, Miranda did something ah-MAZING. This man created a cast with leads almost entirely of people of colour. In interviews, he says, “This is the story about America then, told by America now.” All I know is that if it can happen once, it can and should happen again. Who knows? If Daveed Davis can originate Jefferson and Lafayette, the possibilities are endless!
“Imagine a Broadway stage where the only white featured lead is King George III… None of them are dressed as lions, and you’re not sitting through yet another iteration of A Raisin in the Sun to find some diversity onstage.” — the-toast.net
“The primarily black and Hispanic cast reminds audiences that American history is not just the history of white people… Perhaps the most significant lesson the show might teach audiences, and one that has particular relevance today, is the outsized role immigrants have played in the nation’s history.” — theatlantic.com
“There’s an African-American Vice President Aaron Burr, a biracial George Washington and a Chinese-American Mrs. Alexander Hamilton….’it’s told by such a diverse cast with a such diverse styles of music. We have the opportunity to reclaim a history that some of us don’t necessarily think is our own (Renée Elise Goldsberry).” — time.com
“…not the aristocrats who served in government, but the people who fought the wars and built the country. With actors of [colour] playing most of the roles in this show, those past truths reassert themselves by surviving into the present day.” — variety.com
“Immigrants / We get the job done.” — HAMILTON, the musical
Comments? Questions? Random streams of consciousness? Hit me up below this lovely montage (courtesy of WSJ) of HAMILTON moments featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Davis, and Leslie Odom, Jr. 🙂
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TD 