We asked: Why do you love Hamilton?

Because who doesn’t?

Arguably the biggest new show on Broadway right now is about, of all things, history and politics. Hamilton, a new musical on the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, tells his story through hip hop and rap music and features a multicultural cast. And tickets are basically sold out through January 2017.

“Young, scrappy and hungry” Ithaca College students talk about why they love this game-changing musical.

Amanda Elizabeth Boyle, Junior, Writing and History

“I like it because as a history major it always really excites me to see people taking interest in historical narratives. And I also think it’s really exciting to see them popularized in pop culture and Broadway shows. It’s really exciting because it casts a cast of non-white people for the most part which I think is also really important. As someone who was involved in music in high school and earlier in my life I know that it can be very inclusive and very hard to do anything in it if you’re not part of the white majority.”

Riley Frankhouser, Senior, Theatre Studies

“I love Hamilton because, I mean it’s hilarious, very well written. I love the cultural clash that happens. Normally people wouldn’t associate rap with history, but it’s taking a completely different perspective and broadening people’s perspectives on how these shows can be put up. I think it’s really cool to go back in history – because normally I’m not a history kind of guy – but I think it’s really cool to go back in history and look at all of the facts and realize it’s not a social studies class, it’s actually a dramatic story. It’s got all kinds of twists and ‘Oh, please god no’s’ and ‘Don’t do that’s’ and it comprises all of these different events into a very suspenseful show.

“And one wouldn’t normally think a show about the Founding Fathers could be suspenseful. So I think that’s really cool. I like it.”

Julia Zubrovich, Freshman, Writing For Film, TV and Emerging Media

“Let me list the reasons! I’ve always loved Lin-Manuel Miranda since In the Heights. And this came out and my aunt got us tickets and I refused to listen to the soundtrack until I saw it. Basically my face melted off during the show. I think it’s just so innovative and I love theatre, and this is just such a new type of show… It was flawless. I think just the way he made the Broadway show completely different, in the best kind of way, is what really fascinates me about it.”

Dallas Harder, Junior, Television and Radio

“First of all, I didn’t know anything about Alexander Hamilton beforehand, and that was a really cool way to learn about him. I also really relate to the character because I’m very bull-headed and it’s really funny. It’s also just a really interesting way to tell the story through song and everything. I actually had no idea until my friend showed me over break, and since then I’ve been listening to it for two weeks now nonstop.”

Ashley Wolf, Junior, Journalism

“I watched a 20/20 documentary on it while I was in Florida, and I didn’t know really anything about it. But I’m a history minor, and I thought all the music was really interesting and Lin’s story is really cool, too. They told him he’d never be anything and now look at him.”

Luke Dombroski, Freshman, Theatre Studies

“I love Hamilton because like any good, red-blooded American I love our history. More than that, I love our history with a twist on it. And I think not only is Hamilton one of the most cleverly written musicals, but comprising it of a multicultural and multiethnic cast instead of going with the, we’ll say ‘blank canvas,’ that many Broadway shows do I think is very inventive and something that theatre needs more of.”

Anna Kelly, Sophomore, Writing For Film, TV and Emerging Media

“I think because it brings the history to life. It doesn’t get caught up in the academics of it, and it just says ‘This is what it was. These were real people. These were feelings, these were thoughts. And they did incredible things.’”

Stefanie Tanaka, Senior, Integrated Marketing Communications

“I knew about Lin-Manuel Miranda before, and I think the concept of rapping in a musical is just the coolest thing ever. I think the story is told uniquely, I love the music. I love that the cast is so diverse, and I love all the details. He put a lot of details into that musical, you really have to listen to it and sit down and that’s a really cool experience. He was able to create something that was really interesting and really unique.”

Peter Garza, Sophomore, Musical Theatre

 “I think Hamilton, other than being a great musical – the music is catchy of course, and Lin-Manuel’s writing is always pretty on point – I think it’s really important. Especially with all of the recent turmoil over the casting calls and the whole ‘It says non-white!’ They address that but they don’t address the 500 other casting calls that say ‘We ask for Caucasian, blonde haired boys that are this tall, this thin.’ And yet the one popular show that says non-white is getting all the backlash. I think it’s a show that kind of twists the predominately white male eye of seeing shows and the kind of associated perception – especially with historical figures like presidents – and casts them with these [non-white] people and it’s opening up so many doors for all these actors and actresses.

“And I think it conveys a really important message through fun writing and upbeat and catchy music. So I think in a way it’s kind of reaching, across all boards, different demographics of people while still being a commercially successful show, which is really inspiring.”

Alisa Popple, Senior, Integrated Marketing Communications

“I love Hamilton for so many reasons. It is a fun way to retell such an iconic story. We all learned it all through elementary school, more in-depth in seventh grade and more in depth in 10th grade and further than that. So for a story that you’ve heard so many times throughout your life, this just brings a new energy to it. Also, I love the intensity of the fandom. People that love Hamilton truly love it. Like you meet someone and you find out you’re a fan, you don’t say ‘Oh I like Hamilton too.’ It’s ‘OH MY GOD I LOVE HAMILTON!’ People have such extreme reactions to it that you know they appreciate your love for it too.

“Plus Lin is a cutie. As evidenced by my shirt, I’m clearly a fan and love to be involved on social media in the fandom. It’s great. Yay Hamilton. #YayHamlet.”

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