As you may have heard, Hamilton finally made its way to our very own Broward Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As part of its United States tour, Hamilton was performed in Fort Lauderdale from December 18th to January 20th. The musical, created by Lin Manuel Miranda, was inspired by the 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Miranda utilizes various music styles including hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, and traditional style show tunes to explain the career of American historical figure, Alexander Hamilton. The show is unique for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the fact that there are no spoken lines. Instead, the whole entire script is sung, which makes for a dynamic and engaging experience.The creator, Lin Manuel Miranda, explains how he used music and a racially diverse cast to tell a story that took place over 200 years ago. However, a lot has been made of the multiracial display of America’s founding fathers. Miranda said,

“This is a story of American then told by America now. We are going to use every tool at our disposal to eliminate the distance between a modern audience and something that happened 200 years ago.”

He believes that casting Hamilton to represent our diverse population helps to eliminates this distance.

Many Pine Crest students were able to view this unique production at the Broward Center.  Junior, Annalise Selden was one of the students able to take part in the Hamilton hype. She said,

“Although I never saw Hamilton in New York and therefore don’t have anything to compare it to, Hamilton in Fort Lauderdale was engaging, exciting and enjoyable. Even though it was not on Broadway, the show is so well written that no matter where you see it, you will have a fantastic time!” said Annalise. Fellow Junior Delaney Dardet said,

“I have always wanted to see Hamilton, so I was really excited when I heard it was coming to Fort Lauderdale. It was such a fun show to watch and I am happy I got the chance to see it.”

The show proved to be an exciting experience, where the audience was responsive and energetic the entire time.

Besides being a fun theatrical experience, students were able to connect to its historical perspective. Several students are currently taking or have taken AP United States History at Pine Crest. Hamilton brought the classroom to life as the show touches on many founding fathers and key events in American history that lead up to Hamilton’s death. Junior Camy Fischer said,

“It was a fun way to portray history. Overall the show was very entertaining and the actors were very enthusiastic.”

If you didn’t get the chance to see it in Fort Lauderdale, don’t worry! Hamilton is continuing its U.S tour stopping in states from Pennsylvania all the way to California. Getting to see such a carefully crafted, historically accurate, compelling play is something students who had the opportunity will never forget!

Sources: Hamilton Musical, BBC