Happy 7th Anniversary, HAMILTON!

A rare example of a show that seemed to tick every box - revolutionary material, critical success, audience and box office success, resonates with the wider non-theatre culture AND all primarily in my opinion due to the writing and acting not any staging gimmicks (I really think the show is just as powerful on CD as it is in person). Shocking it is already so ‘old’. Would be curious to know if anyone think it has aged at all by any measure (eg musical style, subject matter, social themes/context etc) or if it’s still considered ‘perfect’. 
 

I also initially found Lin’s fame off the back of it a little off-putting (and who made him the spokesperson of Broadway such as Sondheim’s death). However, I also recognise that he may end up being one of the most important forces for keeping our important history alive and respected in a wider population. I hope Tick Tick Boom! was only the beginning. And musicals have such an awful reputation in the general population we need shows like Hamilton to keep us relevant.

Overall, thank you thank you Lin and Hamilton.  

Updated On: 8/5/22 at 01:50 PM

Time flies! I saw the show three times on Broadway (once with the original cast), and caught the tour earlier this year. It really is just a landmark and revolutionary piece of theatre in every aspect.

I remember the hype for this show when it first came to Broadway. This is the show that introduced me to the theatre community. It took me until 2018 and flying to London to finally see this show LIVE. I still have not seen it in NYC and probably won't for a while. I honestly think before hamilton that there hadn't been a huge cult musical since Book Of Mormon. Correct me if I am wrong on that one. Either way, Happy 7th Anniversary Hamilton! Here's to MANY more anniversaries to come!

binau said: "Would be curious to know if anyone think it has aged at all by any measure (eg musical style, subject matter, social themes/context etc) or if it’s still considered ‘perfect’."

Didn't it get some backlash relatively recently because of the way it glossed over the issue of slavery? I'm not saying it was right or wrong (surprisingly, I don't know the show well enough to make that decision); I just remember hearing about it, to the point that I believe Lin-Manuel had to Tweet about it in his show's defense.

 

DooWahDiddy said: "binau said: "Would be curious to know if anyone think it has aged at all by any measure (eg musical style, subject matter, social themes/context etc) or if it’s still considered ‘perfect’."

Didn't it get some backlash relatively recently because of the way it glossed over the issue of slavery? I'm not saying it was right or wrong (surprisingly, I don't know the show well enough to make that decision); I just remember hearing about it, to the point that I believe Lin-Manuel had to Tweet about it in his show's defense."

 
Some people might consider the show perfect.. But as far as its broader cultural imprint, it's definitely not considered perfect still. In the past 7 years, there have been a wide range of criticisms applied to it. Some regarding its portrayal of history/historical figures, some regarding its artistic merit, some pointing out that it feels like an Obama-era show in many ways, and times have changed...etc.

For my money, I've always thought that Act 1 is vastly superior to Act 2. And there are lots of lyrics I think are kinda forced and cringe-y. The show is well-rewarded for its ambition, but that same ambition also means there's more room for error. So naturally, it's not perfect.
 

EDIT: This is a really interesting article by Helen Shaw, where she looked back critically on both Hamilton and Book of Mormon after seeing them both again in 2019

https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/re-reviewing-the-book-of-mormon-and-hamilton-in-2019.html

Updated On: 8/5/22 at 05:45 PM