![]() One of the things that was so striking, spending 24-or-so hours observing Lin-Manuel Miranda at close quarters, was how unbelievably generous he was to every person around him. ![]() I went to the studio at the same time, as I also voice two characters in Bluey (Ice-Cream Lady and Coco's Mum). He also snuck in a quick visit to the Fortitude Valley studio where the animated children's series Bluey is created (Miranda voiced Major Tom, Bluey's horse, in the most recent series). In early March 2023, Lin-Manuel Miranda was able to make it here and attended the Brisbane production. The musical had to shut down for a period when NSW went into lockdown, but other than that brief window, it has played continuously since to sell-out audiences.Īt one time, Australia was the only place in the world where Hamilton was still playing, with Broadway and West End closed down. Hamilton opened in Australia in 2021 but due to COVID, Miranda was unable to attend. The narrative of the musical is built around the rivalry between Hamilton and one of his contemporaries, Aaron Burr. Through the sheer force of his will and intellect, Hamilton works his way up to become US Treasury Secretary, setting up the basis of financial system that's largely in use to this day. Then you've got the content itself: the compelling tale of a young penniless immigrant, Alexander Hamilton, who moves to the US, fights in the American Revolution against the British. As with the lyrics, the degree of musical complexity is gobsmacking. It relies on counterpoint and repetition of themes throughout the work to build a cohesive whole. The music draws influences from rap, R&B, soul, pop and musical theatre. It's now almost two weeks since I prepped for the interview and listened repeatedly to the soundtrack and I still wake up every day with Hamilton songs racing through my head. The songs are almost disturbing in their ability to create ear worms that burrow into your brain for days. Musically, the score surely includes some of the most insidiously sticky music hooks ever written. Now I'm the very model of a modern major general The venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all In the Hamilton song Right Hand Man, George Washington raps: I am the very model of a modern major general I'm information vegetable, animal and mineral For example, take this riff inspired by the most famous verse from The Pirates of Penzance. Lyrically, Hamilton is partly sung and partly rapped and it has a complexity of internal rhyme and cleverness of language that is mind-boggling. ![]() He made the inspired choice to cast non-white actors to play all the roles except King George, giving the show great dynamism and originality. Miranda had spent seven years writing it, after reading the 2004 book Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. If you google Hamilton, the first suggested question that appears is: "What is Hamilton about and why is it so popular?" It seems that once you've come across Lin-Manuel Miranda, you are likely to be not just a fan, but to be in awe. The other was an almost religious level of joy and devotion. The first was blankness, the person having zero idea who he was. I noticed two distinct reactions when I mentioned to people that I was interviewing Lin-Manuel Miranda. That's how deep the fans' emotional connection is to Hamilton and the man who created it. I had a colleague apologetically ask me to please think of her son if somebody was sick and had to forgo their ticket at the last minute. The Australian Hamilton producer, Michael Cassel, was approached outside his hotel by strangers on the morning of the event, tearfully begging him to get them in. ![]() A man I had met once contacted me via a mutual friend and said he would pay any money, if only I could get him one seat. An acquaintance texted me to say she wouldn't forgive herself if she didn't ask me to take her backstage. I heard from Facebook friends to whom I've barely spoken in 30 years, asking if there was any way I could get them tickets.
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