From Broadway hit to GLOBAL Brand…
Image Credit: Rolling Stone
In her recent book “Becoming,” Michelle Obama described Hamilton, the Musical as the “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life.” For a woman that has seen and done many extraordinary things, that’s quite the testimonial.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Former First Lady (great Michelle’s think alike) and so too do the approximately 2.6 million+ people who have seen the show on stage since its debut 6 years ago, according to Broadway World. So just how did a show about a war veteran and politician, become the biggest brand on Broadway?
For me, it’s not just the on stage talent and theatrical delight of this story that blows my mind. (Full disclosure: I’ve seen the show twice, Broadway and Oz, read the 738 page book by Ron Chernow and consumed pretty much every piece of digital content I can get my hands on.) This show has gone from an off-Broadway play to one of the most commercially successful pieces of musical theatre and beyond and it’s no accident. The curtain opened on this show just when the world needed it’s message most.
For those of you who don’t know (like my one friend who thought I was on my way to New Zealand when I told her I was headed to the show) this production was created by a lad by the name of Lin Manuel Miranda. In 2009, he was invited to perform at the newly created “Whitehouse Poetry Jam,” an event created by the Obamas when they first arrived in Office as a way to bring more accessible culture and art forms ‘for the people, by the people’ into Pennsylvania Ave. Fresh off a stint from another award winning musical, Mr Manuel-Miranda performed a new piece he had been working on about a chap by the name of Alexander Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary of the United States (the equivalent of the Aussie Finance Minister.) Sounds kinda boring right, but the Obamas were fans. Big fans in fact. Watch this performance from 2009 on Youtube here. (Spolier Alert: This song becomes the opening number of show)
Lin sung the song, then went off on his way to create over the next 7 years, an entire musical about A. Ham and his Founding Father mates…….which saw that short little rap at The Whitehouse turned into a 2 hour and 44 minute off-Broadway debut at The Public Theatre in 2015 named – “Hamilton, An American Musical.”
After critical acclaim, the show was then promoted to the big time on Broadway, followed by a touring production around the US, West End a fundraising production in Puerto Rico and now our fine shores of Australia. The stage production, soundtrack and movie (let’s not forget that ground breaking Disney + deal) has been awarded 11 Tony Awards, 7 Olivier Awards, a Grammy award, Pulitzer Prize and multiple People’s Choice Awards to name a few. Hamilton, is now kind of a big deal.
Sure, the show blows your mind, it features a cast of 30+ performers rapping their way through American History via Tupac inspired tunes, wearing 18th century outfits. But the ‘why’ for the inception of this show is just as eye opening. From the very start, Lin Manuel-Miranda has always communicated the importance of creating a show with diverse representation in his workplace. In creating Hamilton, he ultimately created a job for himself and his friends when he deemed the current opportunities available in his industry to be lacking. It’s no coincidence that Alexander Hamilton himself was an American immigrant who went on to achieve great things, just like the show’s creator, whose family hails from Puerto Rico.
Every touchpoint of this brand all over the world holds true the same values of diversity and inclusion no matter where you experience it – via the stage show, the app, the spin off soundtracks “Hamilton Mixtape” and “#Hamildrops” and has provided an immense opportunity for showcasing the work of people with talent, not limited by their backgrounds which historically in the musical theatre industry hasn’t always been evident.
In New York City when tickets started selling out, the cast would head outside and perform for the people of Manhattan hoping to win one of the limited $10USD ticket lottery awarded each day. When ticket prices escalated and become unattainable for many, opportunities were created so that underprivileged children could attend matinee performances of the show and do musical workshops on the Richard Rogers stage. In some American schools, this production is now part of the school curriculum.
Lin Manuel-Miranda is a talented human who has used the power of storytelling to transform a moment in American politics into a global multimillion dollar brand and cultural phenomenon. A talented human from humble beginnings, who assembled a team with a shared vision - to disrupt a genre and change the way the next generation saw opportunities for themselves on the stage and beyond. In doing so, they’ve provided an unexpected and powerful lesson for us all in how to #riseup, take control in the writing of our own ‘story’ and created a future #legacy that even Hamilton himself would be in awe of.
Have you seen the show? I’d love to hear what you thought of it. Let me know @thebranddance .
Until next month, have a happy day.
Michelle x
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