By Stacie Boyls | Arts & Life Writer, Marissa Muniz | Broadcast Reporter
On Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., three professors gathered together to discuss the impact of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway production, “Hamilton,” in celebration of the show’s 10th anniversary.
LTVN’s Marissa Muniz examines how “Hamilton” changed classroom dynamics
The panel included senior history lecturer Dr. David Smith, theater arts lecturer and musical specialist Lauren Weber and music professor Dr. Samuel Parlor. Each member of the panel reflected on how the musical phenomenon impacted their respective disciplines and the legacy “Hamilton” has left over the last decade.
Smith opened the panel, stating “Hamilton” splashed into the world at an unprecedented rate. Smith furthered his claims by emphasizing the importance of the musical and how it reshaped a generation’s perception of American history.
“It recast Hamilton, himself, from the role that historians had sort of boxed him in, into something radically different,” he said.
According to Smith, “Hamilton” stirred much controversy among historians.
“A lot of [historians] basically said ‘this is not the Hamilton I studied when I grew up in the ’60s,’” he said.
Weber continued the discussion, noting how Hamilton sparked similar conversations with its diverse casting directive.
“Like many art forms, musical theater has a history of social customs that have excluded and sometimes given representations that are derogatory,” Weber said. “’Hamilton’ really flipped this narrative – that’s really my takeaway for theater.”
Weber emphasized how the intentional casting of diverse backgrounds paved the way for actors from marginalized communities to see themselves in a way they never previously imagined. The musical had overwhelming success from an educational standpoint, too, she said, noting how 250,000 students were given the opportunity to watch the musical.
Next, Parlor highlighted the show’s musical influences and pop culture references that spread across the score and lyrics, and incited attention from a broad audience. “Hamilton” takes inspiration from the music of Eminem, Outkast, Jay-Z and Beastie Boys, amongst others, he said. Parlor also posed questions about what the presence of hip-hop in “Hamilton” means for the musical, and its message.
“In my home field of musicology, one of the big debates about ‘Hamilton’ concerns his foregrounding of hip-hop and the show’s broader style eclecticism,” Parlor said. “What does the presence of hip-hop in Hamilton mean in terms of style, narrative and character development, commercial appeal and especially the shows political messages regarding race?”
While Parlor acknowledged the limitations of the musical, he also commended its effort to unite communities, affirming the tension between authenticity and appropriation built into the setting of “Hamilton.”
“To some audiences, having a white historical figure, like Alexander Hamilton, perform black-coded hip-hop feels anachronistic and racially inauthentic,” he said. “The opposing perspective to this regards hip-hop in Hamilton as a celebratory and inclusive gesture, uplifting the genre to legitimize the art, writing its marginalized practitioners back into the U.S. historical narrative and creating dialogue across lines of democracy and musical taste in the audience.”
The panel ultimately agreed that “Hamilton” posed new ideas to their respective disciplines. They also answered questions regarding the musical’s longevity, how the musical changed them personally and the impact they hope it leaves for new generations.
“The real power of the show is not that it is like the most progressive text of all time,” Parlor said. “Its power lies in the fact that it inspires this kind of debate and these questions. That is the reason we’re talking about it today, this rich and sometimes deeply problematic text, but it helps us see ways forward.”
