Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? A Marxist Analysis of "Hamilton" and its Relationship to the Broadway Economic System

Author(s)

Alana RittFollow

Abstract

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega-hit Hamilton: An American Musical has been both a critical and academic darling since its premiere in 2015. A historical retelling of America’s inception through the eyes of an oft-ignored founding father, the musical weaves together a diverse cast and hip-hop musical stylings in order to tell the story of “America then, as told by America now.” While many critics and scholars alike have praised the musical for putting an exciting and accessible twist to American history, others have argued that the musical is not nearly as “revolutionary” as it claims to be. This essay is designed to provide a critical analysis of Hamilton against the backdrop of existing scholarship on the musical. Specifically, examines Hamilton through the lens of Marxist literary critique in order to answer the question: who does Hamilton really represent, and how does this reflect the economic culture of Broadway?

Department

Communication

Major

Communication

First Advisor

Robert Sloane

First Advisor Department

American Culture Studies

Second Advisor

Michael Ellison

Second Advisor Department

Theatre and Film

Third Advisor

Andrew Schocket

Third Advisor Department

History

Publication Date

Spring 4-26-2021

Repository Citation

Ritt, Alana, "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? A Marxist Analysis of "Hamilton" and its Relationship to the Broadway Economic System" (2021). Honors Projects. 674.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/674