Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking new musical, Hamilton, has become on of the biggest things to ever hit Broadway.The show tells the story of Alexander Hamilton with a diverse cast and through hip-hop music. The show has been nominated for a Grammy Award. The cast will also perform live via satellite from their home theater at the Grammy ceremonies. Now Miranda is opening up about the shows use of hip-hop and how it fits perfectly with Hamilton’s story.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lin-Manuel Miranda discussed blending hip-hop and musicals:
“I think the music that you listen to between the ages of 13 and 20 is the music that means the most to you for the rest of your life. Hip-hop is the major challenge of any musical theatre piece.”
Miranda was able to find the connection between Alexander Hamilton’s life and the lifestyle that is so prevalent in hip-hop music, adding:
“It’s a story of someone who rises and falls on the strength of their facility with words. So to me, this was a hip-hop story. The fun for me in reading the rest of the book was assigning musical styles to each of the different characters.”
Hamilton’s opening number can be seen at the the 2016 Grammy Awards, live from the Richard Rodgers Theater in NYC. The Grammy Awards will take place on Monday, Feb 15 on CBS.
