Class Year
2016
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
1-29-2016
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
Hamilton is one of Broadway’s newest musicals and it’s the hottest thing to hit the stage in a long time. The show, a rap-opera, follows the life of Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s ‘forgotten Founding Father.’ The show has had immense success since it opened in August 2015, with thousands of followers on the show’s Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube pages. It has exploded from the stage into a cultural phenomenon, but what makes the story of this Founding Father so compelling for audiences? Previous productions of historical musicals and plays have failed on the stage, while Hamilton thrives. What is its secret? [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
McNish, Megan E., "Hamilton: Musical Theater, Public History’s New Frontier?" (2016). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 151.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/151
Included in
Public History Commons, Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, United States History Commons
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.