I’ve chosen to discuss this musical because it’s been stuck in my mind ever since seeing the show on Broadway last summer. Not only does the musical deal with many cultural and political issues that are still valid today, it also manages to discuss these issues within a historical narrative, creating an incredibly informative and educational story. On top of all of this, add in world-class choreography and dancers, incredible singers and music, humour and wit, and rap, hip-hop, and R&B, and you have a truly awe-inspiring musical experience!

Introduction

Hamilton: An American Musical was created, written, and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical made its Broadway debut on August 6, 2015, and soon went on to amass an incredible amount of awards, including 11 wins at the 2016 Tony Awards. These awards include Best Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Choreography, just to name a few.1 Further awards have since been won by the West End cast in London, at the 2018 Laurence Olivier Awards earlier this year.2 Miranda’s inspiration for the musical came from Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton, which set into motion an event the musical world had never seen the likes of before.3 The musical deals with the founding of America, told through the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who would later go on to become the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton, who’s legacy has been preserved on the face of the American $10 bill, played an important role in many events during the American Revolution and the events afterwards. Between creating America’s financial system, serving as George Washington’s right-hand man during the war, and reforming the U.S. Constitution, Hamilton’s influence on America spreads far and wide. However, the most important fact about him, intentionally highlighted by Miranda, is that Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant. This will be expanded upon below, but Miranda deliberately highlights this fact to show that one’s origin does not have any determination on the type of person they are, or what they’re able to accomplish; a fact especially relevant in America’s current political landscape.

Cultural Aspects

During casting, an emphasis was placed onto finding non-white leads for the musical.4 This was a deliberate message meant to empower diversity. By casting the Founding Fathers of American with non-white actors, the musical emphasizes the fact that being white isn’t a requirement for anything, and that immigrants of all colors can play a powerful role anytime and anywhere.

The musical also addresses slavery in several forms. The lyric “revolutionary manumission abolitionists”, featured in the song “My Shot”, gives evidence to this.5 The line refers to the New York Manumission Society, of which Alexander Hamilton was a part of. The society was founded in 1785, by Founding Father (and later the first U.S. Chief Justice) John Jay. The society’s focus was promoting the abolition of slavery, and the manumission of African slaves in the state of New York.6 The historical reference helps make the audience aware that Hamilton was one of the few actively campaigning against slavery back in the day, while many of his colleagues were not. Speaking of Hamilton’s colleagues who were in favour of slavery, the musical also brings some of Thomas Jefferson’s hypocrisy to light. Jefferson, known as a famous early American president, is also widely known for being the principal author of the American Declaration of Independence. A famous line from the second sentence of the Declaration goes as so: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.7 It is widely known that these words came from Jefferson, however, what’s not as well-known is the fact that Jefferson was a slaver, who evidently didn’t consider blacks to be men, or to be equal to any of the rights that he so famously mentions in the Declaration. Miranda further addresses this fact through in his songs, an example occuring in “What’d I Miss”, a song which features Jefferson’s return to American as the ambassador to France. The lyrics “Haven’t even put my bags down yet, / Sally be a lamb, darlin’, won’tcha” references Sally Hemings, a slave owned by Jefferson, and who, as it is widely believed, fathered all five of her children and acknowledged not a single one of them.8,9

Miranda also uses Jefferson’s aforementioned line from the Declaration to address feminism. In the song “The Schuyler Sisters”, all three of the female leads sing the line “We hold these truths to be self-evident / That all men are created equal”, which is shortly followed by “I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel”.10 By having all three of the female leads center-stage during this, Miranda shines a light directly on the blatant feminism that was, an unfortunately still is, a huge problem within society.

As well, a large part of the music stems not from stereotypical showtunes, but from modern genres, such as rap, hip-hop, and R&B. The following video and webpage highlights some of the classic rappers which inspired Miranda in his writing of the musical, found here.
By intentionally focusing on these genres, the musical helps expose these art-forms to people unfamiliar with them. As well, this also gave a chance for people unfamiliar with musicals to experience the genre of musical theatre. This can all be seen as an attempt by Miranda to modernize musicals and make them more accessible to a wider range of people, and to further promote diversity and the acceptance of ideas once foreign to one’s self.

“Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)”

The following video features the original Broadway cast of the musical, performing the number “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” at the 2016 Tony Awards. The number depicts the events of the Battle of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution which ultimately led to American independence.

An example of creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s political commentary can be seen at the 1:12 mark in the video, again highlighting the effect immigrants had (and continue to have) on America. “The World Turned Upside Down” is a historical reference to the song, which according to legend, was played by the British during their retreat from Yorktown.11 Within one song, we can see the number of historical and socio-political references Miranda is able to make. I would highly recommend giving the soundtrack a listen; not only does it provide a detailed look into political landscape of early America, but the brilliant lyrics and music from various genres guarantees a listening experience you won’t be able to find anywhere else! From Beyoncé-esque R&B love songs to Biggie Smalls-inspired rhymes, there’s definitely something for fans of all genres to enjoy!

Political Aspects

Hamilton, one of America’s most famous Founding Fathers, was an immigrant. This is especially relevant with regards to today’s politics, as America is a country who flourishes through its immigrants. However, the current political leadership of the country seems to take offense to this, as we all know (hopefully). The cast of Hamilton addressed this by speaking directly to then Vice President-elect Mike Pence after a performance of the show. A video of the speech, made by Brandon Victor Dixon, the actor for Aaron Burr, can be seen below.

Other things of note regarding the incident were two tweets by President Trump, demanding an apology from the cast for supposedly harassing Pence. A full summary of the event, with images of Trump’s tweets, is provided by The New York Times.

In the end, Hamilton is a story about America, whose rise and establishment via the efforts of immigrants with diverse backgrounds is mirrored by those behind the creation, production, and performance of the musical. The incredible music, writing, cast performances, and all other elements of the show come together as a musical promoting acceptance and diversity, something we can all take forward with us in hopes of a better tomorrow and future.

References
1-“Search Past Tony Awards Winners and Nominees.” TonyAwards.com. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/pastwinners/tonys_results.html?fname=&lname=&show=Hamilton&award=Category&year=Year.

2-Staff, Variety. “‘Hamilton’ Takes Home Seven Olivier Awards, Including Best New Musical.” Variety. April 09, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://variety.com/2018/legit/awards/olivier-awards-winners-list-hamilton-1202747097/.

3-Brantley, Ben. “Review: ‘Hamilton,’ Young Rebels Changing History and Theater.” The New York Times. August 07, 2015. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/07/theater/review-hamilton-young-rebels-changing-history-and-theater.html.

4-Blay, Zeba. “No, The ‘Hamilton’ Casting Call For ‘Non-White’ Actors Is Not Reverse Racism.” HuffPost Australia. November 22, 2016. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/no-the-hamilton-casting-call-for-non-white-actors-is-not-reverse-racism_us_56fd2c83e4b0daf53aeed9b9.

5-“Lin-Manuel Miranda (Ft. Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr., Lin-Manuel Miranda, Okieriete Onaodowan & Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton) – My Shot.” Genius. September 25, 2015. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-my-shot-lyrics.

6-“Education Update – New York’s Manumission (Free the Slaves!).” University Latin Mottos – Education Update. Accessed August 10, 2018. http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2005/february/html/Black-Manumission.html.

7-“The Declaration of Independence: Full Text.” Ushistory.org. Accessed August 10, 2018. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/.

8-“Lin-Manuel Miranda (Ft. Daveed Diggs, Leslie Odom Jr. & Okieriete Onaodowan) – What’d I Miss.” Genius. September 25, 2015. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics.

9-Stockman, Farah, and Gabriella Demczuk. “Monticello Is Done Avoiding Jefferson’s Relationship With Sally Hemings.” The New York Times. June 16, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/us/sally-hemings-exhibit-monticello.html.

10-“Lin-Manuel Miranda (Ft. Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Phillipa Soo & Renée Elise Goldsberry) – The Schuyler Sisters.” Genius. September 15, 2015. Accessed August 10, 2018. https://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-the-schuyler-sisters-lyrics.

11-“Cornwallis’ Surrender.” Yorktown Victory Monument. Accessed August 10, 2018. http://www.visitingyorktown.com/surrender.html.

 

The Power Dynamic around Blackface in Early American Theatre
The reason blacks donned blackface in early American theatre arose from not being allowed to perform onstage as themselves for most of the 19th century.1 White men with black painted on their faces were tolerated on stage by white audiences, thus giving blacks a way onto the stage as well – by painting their faces into a way acceptable by white audiences, blacks could perform onstage. The power dynamic of having to look up at a black man or woman made many whites uncomfortable.1 Blacks painting their faces in a cruel mockery of their natural selves satisfied the whites enough to appease the power dynamic; the whites felt unthreatened enough to allow themselves to look up at a black man or woman on stage.1

Shuffle Along – Progressive or Reinforcing of Negative Stereotypes?
The all-black cast of Shuffle Along could be seen as a challenge against racism. However, it also seems like the show reinforced the negative stereotypes against blacks that were common in that time. This is evidenced by lines like “You ain’t got no business being no mayor and you knows you ain’t, what you talking about being mayors”, and also by Sullivan stating the show “wasn’t exactly forward-­thinking on race. It broke boundaries, no doubt, but mainly through its success, and by having great pop tunes”.1 It is important to note that the time-period the show debuted in did not allow its creators to be very forward-thinking. They were already toeing the line in other aspects, and any more pushes against the status quo could have been dangerous for all involved.

To expand on the aforementioned “other aspects”, Shuffle Along definitely challenged the taboo of black sexuality by having two black characters fall in love. As stated by Walton, and noted by Sullivan in his article:

White audiences, for some reason… do not want colored people to indulge in too much lovemaking. They will applaud if a colored man serenades his girl at the window, but if, while telling of his great love in song he becomes somewhat demonstrative and emulates a Romeo — then exceptions are taken.1

Thus, to call Shuffle Along non-progressive due to reinforcing some black stereotypes common in that time would be wrong.

Regarding typical rhythms in musical theatre, it can also be said that Shuffle Along was responsible for “introduc[ing] syncopation into the American musical”, and blackness as well.1

As well, it appears that the stereotype of chorus girls dancing jazz also originated from Shuffle Along.

It appears that Shuffle Along tried to be as progressive as possible in that period of time. I’m sure many more forward-thinking inclusions would have been added, if not for the very real, dangerous repercussions facing the musical’s makers.

“I’m Just Wild About Harry”

As stated by Sullivan, the most famous song from Shuffle Along is “I’m Just Wild About Harry”.1 Unfortunately, I had not heard the song before. However, it was interesting to learn that it was the only song written by African-Americans used as a presidential campaign theme until Obama.

Patting Juba
The phrase “patting Juba” refers to African plantation dancing, which was complex, full of expression, and physically taxing.1 The “patting” comes from drumming on one’s body, and slapping one’s chest, knees, and soles of feet.1 The second Juba was an even better dancer than John Diamond. The only problem was that he was black. This story was included to continue drawing attention to how blacks were mistreated by racism and having to paint their own faces in order to perform. This ties to the main story because P.T. Barnum’s painting of Juba may be the first noted occurence of blackface being used. This exploitative act by Barnum can be followed down in history to the minstrel shows, and later to the very actors who participated in Shuffle Along.

False Claims by Shuffle Along
Shuffle Along’s claims to being the first black broadway show, or the first successful one, are not fully true.1 These claims truthfully belong to Williams and Walker, and their 1907-1909 show “Bandanna Land”, which played at the Majestic Theater on Broadway.1

Shuffle Along in 2016
The concept of the 2016 show (titled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed) was to not be a revival of the original, but a transformation.1 This was done partially due to the failures of past revivals, and the “terrible book” of the original.1 The 2016 show celebrated the original by telling the story of how Shuffle Along came to be, i.e. its making; this was done by “tell[ing] the story of the original creators and cast and how they pulled it off”.1

New Insights from the Article
The most surprising thing from the article was learning how openly hostile whites would be to blacks. While aware of racism, I had no idea newspapers would publish lines like “These young men are likely to wake up with a start some morning”.1 As well, considering Walker’s following statement in today’s time is quite disheartening – “There is no reason why we should be forced to do these old-time nigger acts. It’s all rot, this slap-­stick-­bandanna handkerchief-­bladder in the face act, with which Negro acting is associated. It ought to die out, and we are trying hard to kill it.”1 Combining the facts that Walker said this 110 years ago,  and that the world is still just as bigoted (if not worse) in many places is a little sad to think about.

Minstrelsy and American Popular Music
In my opinion, this section of the textbook doesn’t give what could be called an unfair perspective on blackface in America. However, it does completely glance over years of strife and racism, shortening a critical period of history down to less than a page. It would seem that a textbook detailing the history of popular music in America would spend a little more time on the subject.

References
1-Sullivan, John Jeremiah. “‘Shuffle Along’ and the Lost History of Black Performance in America.” The New York Times. March 24, 2016. Accessed July 20, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/shuffle-along-and-the-painful-history-of-black-performance-in-america.html?mcubz=1.

The Great American Songbook
As stated by The Center for the Performing Arts, The Great American Songbook is “the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 2oth century”. 1

The Songbook includes the most popular songs from musical theatre and Hollywood musical film from the 1920s to the 1950s.1

It is important to note that while many different publishers may put out books titled “The Great American Songbook”, the Great American Songbook is not a physical book with a definite list of songs; instead, it is a loose consensus of the most popular songs from the timeframe mentioned above. As so, it was not one person, or a group of people, who decided what would be included in the Great American Songbook, but society as a whole. The songs that were the most endearing to the public, and the ones that lasted the longest were the ones deemed to be part of the Great American Songbook.

The Great American Songbook directly relates to the popular music of its time, i.e. between 1920 to 1950. The Songbook also has a specific relation with the “golden age” of musical theatre, as many of the biggest musical theatre hits from that period are included in the Songbook.

“If I Loved You”
“If I Loved You” was written by Oscar Hammerstein II and composed by Richard Rodgers for the 1945 musical Carousel.2

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic meets the general criteria for being a part of the Great American Songbook by being one of the most well-known and beloved songs from a famous Broadway musical. The success and love for Carousel led to a production across the pond on West End, a film adaptation in 1956, and has generated many revivals on both Broadway and West End. As well, the musical has garnered many Tony and Olivier award nominations and wins along its lifespan.3,4 “If I Loved You” manages to stand out amongst all this as arguably the most beloved song of the entire musical. Having survived the test of time, “If I Loved You” still remains a musical theatre favorite to this day. As so, it is clear why the song has been included in the Great American Songbook.

The song is a loose duet featuring both song and spoken dialogue, in what seems to be a 4/4 time signature. The song is opened by the female lead, Julie, who sings in a moderately slow, operatic style. The male lead, Billy, repeats the melody back in a similar style later on. The singers are accompanied by a typical Broadway orchestra, with the string section being prominent throughout the entire song. The lyrics show Julie and Billy dancing around the subject of being in love, as they are both too shy, and neither wants to admit it to the other:

If I loved you,
Time and again I would try to say
All I’d want you to know.
If I loved you,
Words wouldn’t come in an easy way
Round in circles I’d go!
Longin’ to tell you,
But afraid and shy,
I’d let my golden chances pass me by!
Soon you’d leave me,
Off you would go in the mist of day,
Never, never to know how I loved you
If I loved you. 5

“If I Loved You”, Movie Version (1956)

“If I Loved You”, Laura Osnes (2015)

Laura Osnes stays true to the operatic nature of Carousel, making her version sound quite similar to that of Shirley Jones in the movie clip. However, Osnes does have lighter touch to her voice; whether this is due to the poorer sound quality of the film clip, the “more pop-like” Broadway voice currently in style coming through, or simply genetics is unknown. As well, Osnes’ rendition doesn’t include a duet with a male counterpart, and features only a piano for accompaniment, instead of a whole orchestra. Jones and Osnes are very talented vocalists, and both seem to be staying true to the original source material. As so, it doesn’t seem like there are any glaringly unique characteristics between the two. The main noticeable difference seems to be Jones sounding more operatic in her phrasing and vibrato, as was the norm for Broadway during her time. Jones’ version is definitely more famous, as she was featured directly in the movie, whereas Osnes’ version was simply paying homage to Rodgers and Hammerstein during a concert. The Youtube views for each video agree with this.

My guess as to why songs after the 1960s were not added to the Great American Songbook would be because they simply had not been around long enough to be considered classics. Or, perhaps, the new type of music was too out of the norm and was deemed sacrilegious by the pretentious folk who didn’t know better. Another reason could be genre’s separating from each other, with the showtunes and jazz of the Great American Songbook settling into their own niches, and rock developing into its own independent genre.

While musicals and show tunes may seem outdated and irrelevant to some, the fact that Broadway and West End are still thriving and generating incredible amounts of money proves otherwise. While not the taste for some, there will always be those who singing, dancing, and acting culminating together to result in incredible stories. As so, there will always be a continued relevance for musical theatre.

References
1-Great American Songbook Foundation. “What Is the Great American Songbook?” The Center for the Performing Arts – Home of the Palladium – Carmel, Indiana. Accessed July 19, 2018. http://www.thecenterfortheperformingarts.org/Great-American-Songbook-Inititative/About-the-Great-American-Songbook.

2-“If I Loved You.” Wikipedia. July 07, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Loved_You.

3-“Search Past Tony Awards Winners and Nominees.” TonyAwards.com. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/pastwinners/tonys_results.html?lname=Carousel.

4-“Olivier Winners 1993.” Official London Theatre. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1993/.

5-“If I Loved You Lyrics by from Carousel Soundtrack.” STLyrics.com. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/carousel/ifilovedyou.htm.

 

 

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