"Hamilton," the wildly popular musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will likely win several Tony Awards this weekend for changing the form of musical theater from what most of us perceive it to be. He uses rap lyrics that challenge what we think we know about the founding of our nation.
A lot of us were first exposed to musical theater with teachers or parents who love the traditions of musical theater: soaring show tunes, a little camp, lots of sentimentality, and actors who break into song during an otherwise serious moment. Big soaring productions like "Showboat" and "Phantom of the Opera" are beloved classics that we want to stay.
But there's room for a fresh infusion of ideas that experiment with traditional forms of music and set and costuming and narrative that may resonate more deeply with today's America.
GUESTS:
- Forrest McClendon - Actor and singer. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in “The Scottsboro Boys.” He also teaches at the Eugene O'Neill Theater.
- César Alvarez - Composer and lyricist. He's an Artist-in-Residence at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and the artistic director of Polyphone at UArts. Cesar’s musical, “Futurity,” won the 2016 Lortel Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical
- Don Stephenson - Director of “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd” at Goodspeed’s Terris Theater. It runs through June 26.
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Colin McEnroe, Chion Wolf, and Greg Hill contributed to this show.
