Who Tells Your Story

Abstract

Debuting in 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical Hamilton was an instant success because of its unique interpretation of American history. The historical alteration that has made Hamilton so popular is the casting of America’s founding fathers all as men of color. All actors, with the exception of two, are people of colour, which makes Hamilton a welcome display of diversity on the Broadway stage. This modern casting choice has caught the attention of many critics, raising questions concerning the nature of artistic works versus historical works. This racially diverse casting choice is not accidental, and yet the same attention to diversity is not given to the play’s characters and plot. The visual diversity on stage conceals the fact that Hamilton is another example of the glorification of white men that simultaneously erases the presence and struggles of people of colour throughout American history. While the hip hop culture that structures the musical may appear to engage with a more diverse America, Hamilton is still using a concept of colored culture that is a form of reactionary masculinity to toxic Euro-American gender standards; the modern rap masculinity on stage is the same toxic masculinity as the oppressive white masculinity in history. The racially diverse cast and music that appear forward-thinking only conceal that Hamilton is yet another celebration of exclusively white American history that promotes the Euro-American construct of domineering masculinity.