Analysis Of Hamilton: An American Musical

Hamilton: An American Musical, the spellbinding play by Lin-Manuel Miranda, nominated for a record breaking sixteen Tony Awards and winning eleven. How have they gotten their success? It doesn't only consist of an amazing sore and script, actors can make or break a musical/play. What makes Hamilton: An American Musical revolutionary is not only the talent and experience of the cast its the background and races of the cast. Though all the characters are white, the main actors are all different races. The founding fathers and mothers of the United States are played by an assortment of African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Puerto Ricans, and Caucasians. 2016-17 has proved to be a very diverse year for Broadway, with revivals

In 1828, Thomas “Daddy” Rice invented the black character Jim Crow. Rice danced around and sung a song called, Jump Jim Crow, he played this character himself and blackened his face to appear darker (Burns). Word got around about Rice’s spectacle and soon Blackface was all the rage. Blackface wasn’t created to mock African Americans, but was used as a way to mock them without having to fear a punishment (University of South Florida). Minstrel Shows began soon after Blackface, these types of show were adopted around the year 1850 (Burns). “Between 1850 and 1870, the minstrel show was one of the most common and popular for entertainment in American,” (Burns). No one could seem to get enough of the plays and there were many minstrel shows around the world. America was the capital of minstrel shows through this 1850-1870 timeline. Minstrel Songs were inspired by Anglo-Celtic songs, but the way they were presented was mocking African American (University of South Florida). Minstrel songs were usually made by African Americans, though the white playwright got payed (Muhammad). The earliest forms of minstrelsy all shared three stereotyped images of African Americans that they are more like caveman then civilized humans, African Americans are stupid, buffoonish clowns, and that African Americans only want to be working on the farm or in a “rural paradise” of some sort

The Shakespearean play Othello normally used black face to create the lead character, Othello, who was Muslim (Simpson). Paul Robeson played Othello in the 1943 version of the classic, it was a very deep and heavy role and was very influential for African Americans at the time (Simpson). Robeson began acting in a local all-black production in Harlem and was soon hired for bigger production and eventually hired for London’s production of Othello, he was unsatisfied with his performance (Simpson). After his London role of Othello, he was hired to have an encore of the role (Simpson). Breaking barriers for the second time as an African American man playing a role mainly white people had played until his time (Simpson). Othello was a very brave and bold character he had problems with jealousy and keeping his temper and this would lead to the downfall of him (Simpson). Considered one of the most influential African American plays, A Raisin in the Sun is the amazing play by Lorraine Hansberry (Simpson). This Musical is about an African American family whose father dies and leaves an inheritance (Simpson). The family soon moves into an entirely white neighborhood and the story is about how they cope with money, heritage, and the difference of white and black culture (Simpson). The characters consist of Walter Lee Younger the