Reflection 1：Hamilton (Musical)

Speaking of something creative, the first thing I think of is the Hamilton Musical. As a huge fan of American theatre, Hamilton totally surprised me and light up the days during the pandemic in 2020.

Hamilton is a sung-and-rapped-through musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Miranda said he was inspired to write the musical after reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The show draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about “America then, as told by America now”.

I see the future of Broadway musicals. It makes me very exciting to see more musical like Hamilton that is diverse in many extents. One is diversity in combining music genres, including many trendy music genres will bring more young people to the theatre. One is diversity in the cast group, we can see more colored people perform in the theatre. As a huge theatre fan, there are many productions that do not have a character that is suitable for a minority group of people. In many theatre shows, I saw the whole cast are white characters. As a result, many talented colored actors/actresses are hard to survive in the theatre industry. I believe the Hamilton musical will open many doors to colored people like us.

Former president Mr. Obama invited the cast of Hamilton to Whitehouse, and he said “Hamilton has become a phenomenon, a smash hit. It’s taken Broadway by storm, captivating the entire country, winning tons of awards, turned musical haters into diehard fans.”

I found Hamilton incredibly creative, educational, and inspirational. This is the first time I saw a popular music genre like hip hop in a musical. It is also a reason why so many young people became Hamilton fans. The show itself is about the story and spirit of America, however, the brilliantly crafted song brings the show to the next level, a level that makes the story charming and novel. It invokes people to think about the nation is built by the great men and women of Hamilton’s generation. The youthful energy from the show reminds us that after hundreds of years, we are the same young people who are also capable of making changes to the world.