Influence in the Decade: Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Decade’s Greatest Work of Art
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
In the final two months of the 2010s, I am going to publish my highly-anticipated (by me) lists that commemorate the best in the decade. As for the end of October, this final piece will bring an end to my “Influence in the Decade” series. Regrettably, I am not familiar with too much theater from the 2010s. Therefore, any list I make about the best in theater from the past ten years would be solely dominated by Hamilton. Instead, I am giving Hamilton its own essay here. It’s a work of genius (you’ll read this word a lot) and so is its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
I also realize that this going to come across like “hero worship.” To be honest, I don’t know how to write about Hamilton and Miranda in any other way. I underestimated my sister when she told me how good this musical actually was. It took many months and a lot of Jimmy Fallon covers to actually get to the point where it became all I listened to. And thank god for that, because it is undeniably the best work of art to come out of this decade.
Of course, the Hamilton phenomenon begins here, with Lin-Manuel Miranda performing the opening number “Alexander Hamilton” at the end of the previous decade, in 2009. Throughout the video, people in the audience, President Barack Obama included, are laughing at the performance. Judging by Miranda’s smile, this is very much a good thing. It’s not that what he was doing was necessarily funny, but rather it was so unheard of and so egregiously absurd that it couldn’t possibly be real. And it couldn’t possibly be that good. It still seems like people are laughing almost involuntarily, as if they are not sure how to respond to something so perfectly formulated and put to the stage.
Of course, Miranda had the last laugh. He ended up back at the White House with his entire cast six years later, performing way more than just “Alexander Hamilton.” He also dabbled with “My Shot,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” and “One Last Time.”
This seems to be where any discussion of the genius of Hamilton should begin: with the songs. And even though they’ve been dissected and ranked to death, I still want to write about a lot of them! The opening number has obviously been fully-formed for years, but so many songs were written in such an abbreviated chunk of time that it seems almost impossible. Over the years, these songs have been turned into the form of a mixtape by the likes of Ashanti, Kelly Clarkson, Sia, Ja Rule, Nas, The Roots, and more. They have also been embraced in the form of “Hamildrops,” which saw The Decemberists, Riz Ahmed, and Ben Platt join the sandbox. But there is so much to be said for those original renditions.
I know about many musicals from the pre-2010s and, in my still limited knowledge, what could possibly be a better one-two punch in a musical’s list of numbers than “Helpless” and “Satisfied”? That is just a stroke of musical and lyrical genius. Seeing the feat achieved in person is also remarkable. I can’t believe how perfect it is. In two songs, it’s an all-time love story.
“Wait for It,” the Aaron Burr anthem, might just be the best song from the entire show with all of its heartbreaking bravado. “Non-Stop” is the most sweeping. “Yorktown,” the most rousing. “Dear Theodosia,” the sweetest. And that’s just the first act of the show.
When I eventually come up with a list of my favorite songs of the decade, I could feasibly have 47 of the 100 come from Hamilton. But as much as I love them all, I just couldn’t do that for a list. That is one for another time. Instead, let’s celebrate Hamilton here, as the pillar of artistic, theatrical, and musical achievement that it was in this past decade.
But, naturally, what would any of those songs have been if it was not for the stellar original Broadway cast of the show? God willing, they can make a Hamilton movie before the cast ages out of the roles too much. At the very least, they have recorded a performance by said cast. And what a murderer’s row of talent it is. Way better than the 1927 New York Yankees.
The cast was iconic right from the beginning and they’ve gone on to do so many successful things. Phillipa Soo, the angelic and loyal Eliza, starred in a couple more plays and had a lead turn on The Code. Leslie Odom, Jr., the complicated Burr, released a dynamite Christmas album and starred in Murder on the Orient Express, as well as upcoming roles in Harriet and The Many Saints of Newark. Renee Elise Goldsberry, the far-from-formulaic Angelica, appeared in The House with a Clock in Its Walls and Waves.
There’s Christopher Jackson (Washington), Daveed Diggs (Lafayette and Jefferson), Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules and Madison), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy and Maria Reynolds), Jonathan Groff (King George), Anthony Ramos (Laurens and Philip). They’re all so insanely gifted that it completely makes sense for them to slot in right alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda. His opus helped bring them all to the forefront of popular culture. Even if it wasn’t an undeniable masterpiece, that would be enough of an impact and an influence for us to be thankful.
Speaking of gratitude, on an episode of The Poscast, the subject was the top things to be thankful for in the U.S. Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur, the subject of my October 1 piece, were discussing Hamilton. Schur said it was “one of the few things that lived up [his] expectations.”
And he’s right. As incredible as the soundtrack is, it still is so unbelievably good live. I’m very privileged to be able to say that I saw it live, but I’m pretty sure everyone would have sprung at such an opportunity, as well. Hearing it at full volume, realizing that every single creative choice in Hamilton was the correct one to make, it’s still just inordinately and endlessly goosebumps-inducing. “Yorktown” never fails to give me chills.
It’s a phenomenal creative masterpiece that continues to prove it time and again. The absolute magnum opus has garnered a massive amount of praise from people all over the world. Laverne Cox remarked that it “revolutionized” American theater. Leslie Odom, Jr. said it was what he was waiting for his whole life. President Obama commented on how rare it was for Hamilton to be something that people recognize as being genius in the moment. I could hardly put it better than DC Theater Scene did when Tim Treanor wrote,
“The singular genius of Hamilton, the greatest musical ever written, is that it recognizes that the American Revolution did not end with Yorktown, but is ongoing, even today, and that there are Founders of America being born even as we speak.”
It somehow speaks to a moment, an era, a lifetime, and the history of modern society all at once. And it does so through hip hop! It’s unbelievable. I could lavish praise after praise about Hamilton all day. And I could do the same for Miranda. Which I will do so happily.
One of the best things about Lin-Manuel Miranda is that, even in the stratosphere and with his head in the clouds, he somehow remains grounded, humble, and understanding that his genius doesn’t make him holier-than-thou. Regarding the seemingly unanimous praise of Hamilton and its revolutionary attitude towards theater and musicals, as a whole, Miranda simply remarked, “It’s an old-fashioned musical.” There may be elements of that, but it’s as revolutionary as the first act war its based on. There’s no denying its brilliance and its status as a symbol of greatness in the 2010s.
I know I’ve used the word “genius” a lot, but it’s quite literally a great descriptor for Miranda himself. After all, he was the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Genius Grant, which was an enormous boon to direct him towards putting the finishing touches on Hamilton in the first place. On top of that, he also has a Peabody Award and 75% of an EGOT (that Oscar will come one day). And he’s only thirty-nine years old! Who has ever done so much from such a young age aside from Hamilton himself? Perhaps that is why the musical has seen so much success. You cannot get much more personal regarding the story of a founding father than Miranda was able to do.
It’s a pretty sound argument for reincarnation. It feels throughout the play as if Hamilton’s soul lives through Miranda. With this feeling, there is a certain point that the idea that it’s a work of art fades away. Instead, it is a testament to what makes life so important. A defining mark left upon this mysterious world. A world (and a decade) that seems to be in the palm of Miranda’s hand.
It’s tempting to say that the creation of Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s peak. But on the one hand, that is a trite and lame way to describe someone’s vast contribution to the artistic landscape. And on the other, there’s no way of knowing. Yes, it’s hard to imagine anything “better” coming out than Hamilton, but who could have imagined Hamilton coming out in the first place? Lin-Manuel Miranda is a multi-generational, sincere talent and his career is in uncharted territory. No one has ever been this talented, this kind, this thoughtful, this pure. Even though he would say the opposite, take it at face value. There is true genius behind his lovely smile and soulful eyes.
And yet, even though Lin-Manuel could truly have free access and reigns to create anything he wants to create, he is choosing to navigate his career in the direction that many people would probably do, too. He’s not Eddie Murphy, using models as human furniture and snorting cocaine off of gold plates. That was never in the cards for the way Lin-Manuel processed fame. Instead, he is engaging with all of the things he once looked up to before his stratospheric fame.
You would not think that someone so famous and newly powerful would be spending their time singing the theme song to Netflix’s Magic School Bus reboot or calling into Comedy Bang! Bang! with Scott Aukerman and Ben Schwartz, but that’s what he has done since becoming a household name. His creative genius has given way to fun and love for him; I doubt he’d want it any other way.
From writing a book of good morning and good night wishes with Twitter icon Jonny Sun to guest starring on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and BoJack Horseman. From devoting a large chunk of his time to creating a fundraiser song in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to executive producing the hit FX miniseries Fosse/Verdon. He’s doing it all and he’s having a blast, even when singing in kayaks with Jimmy Fallon.
As if that wasn’t enough, he is basically primed to become a Disney Legend one day after appearing as Fenton “Gizmoduck” Crackshell-Cabrera on DuckTales, writing the music and singing for Moana, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the forthcoming remake of The Little Mermaid, and portraying Jack the Leary in a Golden Globe-nominated lead turn in Mary Poppins Returns. Has anyone been having more fun this decade or been primed to have such a thrillingly sumptuous future than Miranda has? Watch accomplishment and dedication and art work.
But perhaps no moment from Miranda’s tour across the world resonated as much with as many people as his speech accepting a Tony award after the shooting at Pulse in Orlando, Florida. Here’s the full speech.
“My wife’s the reason anything gets done, she nudges me towards promise by degrees. She is a perfect symphony of one our son is her most beautiful reprise. We chase the melodies that seem to find us until they’re finished songs and start to play. When senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised — not one day. This show is proof that history remembers. We live in times when hate and fear seem stronger. We rise and fall and light from dying embers — remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside. I sing Vanessa’s symphony. Eliza tells her story. Now, fill the world with music, love, and pride.”
And here is the speech with Miranda’s delivery.
Chills, tears, all of it. They don’t go away. It’s love. That’s the simplicity of it. It’s all just love we want. It’s love we need. It’s the answer. The way forward. Hamilton shows us that. Lin-Manuel Miranda shows us that. Legacy is nothing compared to love, love is legacy. The sincerity of soul and spirit is palpable within Miranda. Read his book and notes on the writing and production of Hamilton. Like an eighteenth century duel, it’ll blow you away.
I don’t even really have much to say about Hamilton beyond all of that. There was less research to be done than my prior entries in the “Influence in the Decade” series because I just wanted to gush about what I believe was the best thing that came out of the 2010s. Maybe that seems unnecessary, but I had to celebrate it as we look back on the decade that was. Perhaps, nothing was ever more timely. Perhaps, no musical has ever been as good as Hamilton. The decade produced so much beautiful and fantastic art. For my money, it produced the best on-stage musical ever.
In the sense of what Alexander Hamilton accomplished and propelled the burgeoning young nation towards, the 1770s, the 1780s, and the 1790s belonged to him, as much as they belonged to the more well-known figures of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. As much as the real Hamilton defined politics and warfare in those decades, this Hamilton will define love, beauty, art, theater, and what it means to be alive in the 2010s. They both had their impacts. They’re just different.
And Hamilton will define the 2010s, as a whole. It will also live forever as one of the greatest, most genius works of art ever created, never mind put to stage. Lin-Manuel Miranda told that story. Who will tell the next one?
I mean, it’ll probably be Lin-Manuel Miranda. But aside from him. Decades are wide-open canvases begging for us all to leave our marks. You don’t have to be a treasury secretary to span centuries.
Thank you for joining me on my “Influence of the Decade” series! Two articles were chosen by Medium curators to reach the front page of their respective categories. It was fun reflecting on some of the most influential artists and shakers of the decade. If you enjoyed this piece and would like to read the others, all you have to do is click on the ones that interest you!
