Hamilton: The Revolution

One of the most complex issues with the representation of America’s foundational history onstage is the erasure of the BIPOC and women whose labor was integral to its creation. The founding fathers, who have become deified in the national imaginary and popular constructions of historical narrative, maintained oppressive systems and neglected to abolish slavery. Hamilton addresses this issue by creating a multiracial cast and representing the all-white pantheon of American “founding fathers” (and mothers) with BIPOC actors. The musical has been simultaneously praised for handing over the central generative history of America to those who have been traditionally omitted, and for using BIPOC bodies and musical traditions to glorify a white-centered story. Miranda and the rest of the team used a mixture of “color-blind casting” and “color-conscious casting.” The first term means casting the best person for the role, regardless of race. The issue with this idea is that race is visible regardless and creates meaning in certain roles. Color-conscious casting means openness about nontraditional casting in terms of race but paying close attention to how a certain race creates meaning in the role that may or may not be intended. Hamilton was written for a mostly BIPOC cast with the deliberate choice to bestow people of color with historical agency for the benefit of contemporary audiences who need to see and internalize the image of people who aren’t white doing something as powerful as founding the country.