On Broadway, It's a Lin-Manuel World (Or An Opinion on The Hamilton Phenomenon)

     Readers, welcome to yet another post featuring musings from my musical mind. When one thinks of the one word that can sum up the highest form of success on Broadway today, one can presume the name that comes to mind: Hamilton. Theatergoers find themselves in this pursuit of the social standard that when one asks, "Have you seen Hamilton?", they can answer in the affirmative. The show has gripped the nation in such a way that so few have done before it. But how exactly did this story of the first Secretary of the Treasury, one who so many knew so little about, come to grasp the nation? The answer comes down to the man who re-found one of the Founding Fathers.
    This man, who crafted and currently stars in the Broadway mega-hit, is Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda took Broadway by storm in 2008 when his first Broadway musical, In the Heights, would debut on Broadway following a highly successful Off Broadway run. The show would go to critical acclaim, winning the Tony for Best Musical as well as Best Score for Miranda, who would star in the show, receiving a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Usnavi. A Grammy as well being a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama would also follow for the show. Following his success with ...Heights, Miranda would be asked by Stephen Sondheim to translate lyrics for the revival of the iconic musical West Side Story. Miranda would also collaborate for with Tom Kitt and Amanda Green on Bring It On: The Musical, which would also enjoy a successful limited engagement on Broadway following a national tour. It would appear Miranda had hit upon this Midas effect on Broadway shows. His next project  would prove that this story is less about the show currently enrapturing Broadway, and more about the man who has created such a legacy in an impressive amount of time.
      Miranda, a former high school English teacher, would be vacationing from In the Heights when he read Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda would realize the potential for a project. Miranda envisioned a concept album in which he could tell the story of Alexander Hamilton. Miranda would consult In the Heights director Thomas Kail. Then, Miranda would asked by the White House to come perform at their Evening of Poetry, Music, and Spoken Word. Originally planning to perform from In The Heights, Miranda then decided to give his newest passion project the national spotlight in a big way. Being the Internet age, footage of this performance would reach the Web, captivating audiences and spurring Miranda to rethink in what form. Some years later, Miranda would be asked to perform again, this time at New York's Ars Nova venue. Miranda would perform the song "My Shot" from the project still titled The Hamilton Mixtape. More enthusiasm would be received from this performance, leading Miranda to making his upcoming American Songbook concert at Lincoln Center prominently feature songs from The Hamilton Mixtape. Among the attendees at the sold out concert was Jeffrey Seller, who convinced Miranda to scrap the concept album and instead bring the story of Alexander Hamilton directly to the stage. This is how Hamilton came to be born and how the legend of Lin-Manuel Miranda just continues to grow in a way many haven't seen.
        What's remarkable about Miranda's journey to his status on Broadway right now is that in the public eye, the man has yet to make an egregious folly. He has seen now his three Broadway musicals get nominated for Best Musical, with one win in the category and a second possibly on the way. His current venture is perhaps the brightest highlight of his career. Hamilton has seen wins for Drama Desk (including for Miranda's take in the title role, which he currently reprises on Broadway), Lortel, a Grammy, and, most recently the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show has also earned 16 Tony nominations, a new record. A sweep at the Tonys would give Hamilton another record, the most Tony wins ever. Also, a clean sweep could have another outcome in which no performer has ever won a Tony for Best Score, Best Book, Best Leading Actor for a single show, a feat that Miranda has a shot at. Many, including this author, can only get a peek into this musical phenomenon with its cast recording as well as a book that Miranda co-authored with Jeremy McCarter as any indication of just how strong a case it has to do so. The journey of Hamilton is a journey that has witnessed its inception in perhaps the greatest audience in the nation can ever have to its current home on Broadway, with so many eyes peering into what could happen in what is now being described as "the Hamilton effect" on the Great White Way.
        The ending to the story of Hamilton  and its creator is, as yet, unwritten, both in regards to June's Tony Awards and, perhaps most importantly, what comes next for the man who has taken the nation by storm. There is no denying that the contributions that Lin-Manuel Miranda has made to not just the stage, but the entertainment world as a whole, has led him to attain a position at such a young age among a class of elite. One cannot hope that the world has only just briefly caught a glimpse as the bright future awaiting Lin-Manuel Miranda. Can this man who made an impact at the mere age of 28 continue this remarkable legacy? The world can only hope so. Right now all we can do is sit back and marvel at all that Lin-Manuel Miranda has accomplished and only hope for the best.
         There is no question that, despite Hamilton being Broadway's latest phenomenon, the real phenomenon being explored on Broadway is  Lin-Manuel Miranda. Hamilton is just one example of how this man has come to thrive recently. One can imagine, what his next stage project shall be. All in all, it is an early, but impressive, start for one man who took his one shot at Broadway and has continued to make the most of it. Until next time, this is Mike signing off, ghost light lighting on.