"A (New) American Musical" Subheading

I have seen the use of "An American Musical" in Hamilton's advertisements. I also remember that Allegiance used "A New American Musical" in their advertisements. Is this common? Which other American shows have used this phrase? Is this simply a way to promote the American art form or do you think that these specific shows used that tagline because they explore themes of immigration and what it truly means to be an American?

Branding could play a part; certainly it's accurate to describe these shows as American musicals. But on a more fundamental level, I think it's because they explore American history and the theme of what it means to be an American. In particular, the 2 shows you mentioned both also involve the theme of race, and how many people of color (in the case of Allegiance, specifically Japanese Americans) have to fight for their right be included in the notion of "the American People." Thus, titling the show "An American Musical" could be viewed as a statement, as if to say "this is a story about immigrants and people of color, and it's just as --if not more -- American at its core than stories about white people"

Updated On: 7/9/16 at 06:43 PM

What happened there, Gyosy??

You must have missed something here.

This thread is about a subheading in a shows title. Not about Hamilton.

It is correct. Only Phantom has been running longer, but still unnecessary, I think.

Do you think it has to do with both musicals focus on American history?