Non-Stop: How Alexander Hamilton is Still Impacting the Economy Today, Through Music.
By: Ashley Hohnstein
In the past year, musical theater was turned on its head with Lin Manuel Miranda’s jaw dropping musical, Hamilton. It is based on Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s founding fathers and the founder of America's modern business structure. The original cast features a diverse group of people- Miranda himself plays Hamilton. Not only is this musical making waves in a theatrical world full of type casting and discrimination, it is also breaking into a new demographic of theatre-goers. Gone are the days of “classics” like Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story. These are shows that, while groundbreaking in their own rights, simply do not appeal to the millennial generation; Hamilton does.
Lin Manuel Miranda’s musical, filled with historical rap battles and rather dirty jokes, is bringing in a new crowd of theatergoers. The Rockefeller Foundation recently bestowed a grant of $1.46 million to “fund a program where educational partners will create a special American historical curriculum that’ll include a trip for New York Public City public school students to see the play” (Garrison). In a world of reality T.V. and Netflix, live theatre was beginning to lose it’s appeal- Miranda brought it back. There are no operatic solos in Hamilton, nor are there classical melodies. Every song is built on hip-hop rhythms and melodies and then overlaid with synthesized vocal work. In a world where rap and hip-hop music are at the forefront of the music industry, these songs have a definite appeal to the younger generations. Miranda is quoted saying that “It’s a hip-hop story, [...] It’s Tupac” (Weller)
Not only have theatres seen a new flood of people, historical and cultural institutions have seen growth as well. This growth is contingent on Hamilton’s success. Alexander Hamilton’s gravesite has seen a growth in popularity, and museum archivists are seeing an increase in “more detailed questions, including about lesser-known figures in Hamilton’s orbit” (Garrison). With younger people heading to museums, museum profits, especially in the New York area, are increasing. Public institutions depend on funding to stay afloat, Miranda’s musical indirectly helped fund an innumerable amount of museums and public historical sites. On top of that, his musical is fueling the population’s interest in said public institutions. With interest comes the inherent need to protect them. Cultural sites associated with Alexander Hamilton will receive more attention not only in a monetary way, but also in a more holistic way, which is just as important.
If a two and half hour musical about the American Revolution can keep an audience on the edge of its seats, then Miranda did something right. The show grossed a whopping $69,515,482 so far in 2016 (Broadway World). To put it into perspective, during the week beginning on Sept. 11th, 2016, Hamilton had a potential profit of $2,150,229 while shows like Wicked and the Book of Mormon saw potential profits of only $1,393,167.50 and $1,230,293 respectively (Playbill). A musical about America’s original economist is making waves in today’s economy. Who would’ve thought that even while 8 feet under, Alexander Hamilton would still be growing and change America’s economy.
Works Cited
"Broadway Grosses." Playbill. Playbill Inc., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
"Broadway Grosses - HAMILTON." Broadway World. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Mark Garrison. "The Long Reach of the Broadway Hit 'Hamilton'" Marketplace. N.p., 11
Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Weller, Chris. "'Hamilton' Is the Most Important Musical of Our Time." Tech Insider. N.p., 19
Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
I have listened to the Hamilton soundtrack about a hundred times. As a consumer, I've never bought Broadway albums. Although songs from Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, or Spring Awakening are really popular and really good, I never thought to buy the music. But, the songs in Hamilton were different, mainly in their appeal. Maybe it was because the genre was different than regular Broadway, but I like regular Broadway. There's some type of magic worked into Hamilton and I think that changed a lot of people, especially me. I wouldn't be surprised of their total profit, because this musical has changed the entire Broadway industry (atleast in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteI have always been curious about this musical ever since the advertisement came out on TV. It sparked my interest because I am a huge history geek, so this musical appealed to me. I haven’t heard the music or seen it yet, but I hope so soon. However, I did not know how much of an impact it made on the economy! It was very interesting to find out that Miranda made it a hip-hop story. And that’s where Miranda gets his success because it appeals to younger generations like me. Even though I haven’t seen it yet, I personally like the original Broadway musicals like Phantom of the Opera (I have multiple songs on my phone). What shocked me the most was the profit they made. It hasn’t even been a month since it has come out and it has already topped the largest musicals in the world! In a way though, it’s sad to think that now Hamilton gets his debut. Hamilton was a very important person in the Revolutionary War and he hasn’t gotten much popularity until now. Finally, I am a huge fan of Broadway musicals so I am going to have to check out this musical and see how good it is!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who hasn't yet seen or heard the music of this musical, and only experienced it through second hand sources (social media) it’s really interesting to think that one musical can do so much for the economy. I personally love musical theater and I’m glad that one has come along that appeals to those who don’t have an inherent love for it like I do, one that appeals to what’s popular for our generation. And if it can bring some love to museums and historical sites as well, then it’s all the better!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in New York this August, it was pretty obvious that there was one show that everybody was fighting to see - Hamilton. The lines were quite long every night, but I never knew why. I never knew that they decided to combine rap, the 1700’s, and theatre, and that it could be so popular. I’m not kidding, everybody in times square had either seen Hamilton, was waiting to see Hamilton, or was buying tickets to see Hamilton. It does make a lot of sense, though. People finally has a renewed interest in theater and naturally the interest in the musical they’re seeing would extend to museums.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the "best" musical pieces of this show from one of my coworkers and it's spiked my interest. Not only is it appealing to our generation, but also very well thought out and accurate. It would be a shame if I didn't note that this is the type of thing that the government just can't do to promote the public museums and such. Just think, if the government used the money to help fund shows like this rather than pushing out failed advertising campaigns that get ruined by bureaucracy, everyone would likely come out ahead. Alexander Hamilton's message is something that's been relatively lost and it is a good thing that someone is bringing it back to the light.
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ReplyDeleteI think the magnitude of Hamilton's effect on other industries really shows how much culture can impact economics. Hamilton has been both a success in its own right, and a success as an advertising medium. This new type of show was able to connect two markets that previously had only tenuous connections. Also, Hamilton shows the power of tastes and trends in a market; if Hamilton had not been so controversial, it would not have been such an interest to potential consumers, and the show would have not seen such great success. Hamilton really is a great example of how in interconnected markets, seemingly isolated events can can have indirect effects.
ReplyDeleteI love this musical, but I never really thought of it as effecting the economy as a whole outside New York before. Most people I have introduced the music to love it and get into it themselves, but almost none of us have actually seen the play in New York. I know for me personally it has made me more interested and curious about the lives of people in the play and I can see how it would increase museum attendance. I'm glad today's technology is advanced enough that everyone in the country can enjoy the music and the story instead of just a few hundred New Yorker's per night
ReplyDeleteI personally have not seen this musical yet, but I know how infamous the musicals 'Wicked' and 'The Book of Mormon' are. So to me, hearing that 'Hamilton' had a potential profit of over $1 million more than those two classical shows, I was shocked. It's definitely the coolest thing to see how much the public reacts to theatre; especially in a positive way. Maybe for the future of the theatre industry and the musical theatre industry, the playwrights, composers, and directors need to put on more shows that connect to their audience. I agree with what you're saying; times are changing, and more sophisticated, classical musicals can be at a low interest for most of the youth in society. More musicals like Hamilton that incorporate the awe of classical stories and the humor and music of society today will be a huge hit for a youthful audience, which will bring in more demand for musicals and increase each musical's profit. And not only do the musicals and people in them benefit from their new audience; like you said in your post, the success of Hamilton has indirectly helped museums in the New York area to succeed and experience economic growth. More interest for youth in theatre would be so cool not only for the musical directors, cast, and crew, but also for New York City itself; there would be so much more business and Broadway would be even more exciting and joyful, if that's even possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I’ve never seen the musical, I’ve listened to a few songs and know that overall, the musical is a huge success and quite an entertaining performance. Even though I never saw a possibility of it affecting the economy anywhere other than the place it performs, reading this post I saw otherwise. It was interesting to see how this play relates to other such ‘millennial-appealing’ plays, like ‘The Book of Mormon’ economics-wise, and I think the information you brought forth was really informative. It would be fun to see how other plays compare to Hamilton, especially ones that bring in the same type of crowd.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the musical at all, and I'm unfamiliar with it other than Alexander Hamilton, but seeing that Phantom of the Opera and Wicked aren't as popular anymore is kind of shocking. Seeing from the article, I can tell that Hamilton has impacted many people economically. Seeing that times are changing, I guess we could consider Hamilton being the most popular of the shows. As it says in the essay, Hamilton has really been famous over the time passed, and most of it is because of how modern it is. Seeing that it's quite modern, it can affect how people take that information in and connect it to the economy. I guess that's why we can see such a profit jump from the past Broadway shows to Hamilton,.. it's modern and it shows much to the economy (as I read in the essay). I also find it kind of interesting that because of this show, people have been inspired to go to the museum in New York and learn more about Alexander Hamilton. That just shows how modern art can impact how people learn about history and it's economy.
ReplyDeleteI have seen plenty of musicals, and I've always noticed that with each one I go to they keep getting better and better and even adding new technology to each performance. The enhancement of musicals is doing so much better and your statements above really prove that these musicals are trying to attract more and different crowds of people. I wish I would know what the future plans are for the next generation of musicals. And hearing about the Hamilton really wants me to go see it that it has been doing so good and earning so much!
ReplyDeleteI know in the last few years there have been concerned that younger generations don't spend as much time learning about history or spending their money at museums. So I think it's great that Hamilton has been able to capture younger people's imaginations and get them more interesting in history. The success of this musical may open doors to increase interest in other realms that have been falling out of favor.
ReplyDeleteThis was nice to read especially because I haven't heard anything about the musical and knew nothing about it before I read your article. I strongly agreed with you on your comment about how musicals and plays are getting old and out of date with Netflix being very popular. I know personally that I would much rather watch Netflix than go out and see a play or musical because none of them seem interesting to me. I think that it is a great idea that the play-writers of Hamilton to create a play that gets the interests of the younger generation with the hip-hop songs, rap battles and dirty jokes because whether we like it or not, that is what today's generation finds interesting.
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