Hamilton in Manila Tugs at the Heartstrings

Three hours is a long time to be sitting on your ass.

But with Hamilton the musical—winner of the Tony, Grammy, Olivier, and Pulitzer Prize— the time just whizzes by. By the time you jump to your feet for the guaranteed standing ovation, you’ll be swept away with the energy and adrenalin in the room where it happens, The Theatre at Solaire.

Also read: Watching Hamilton at Solaire? You Have Limited Time to Book This Exclusive Staycation Package

The story of the American Revolutionary War against the British is told in a language understood and spoken by the youth of America—and the world for that matter: hip hop. With a score that blends jazz, R&B, and Broadway with debates, duels, and get this, rap battles, it’s likely engaged more kids about American history than most history classes at school.

And what a history lesson.

In a nutshell, the musical revolves around Alexander Hamilton, America’s first Treasury Secretary. He was an illegitimate child born in the British West Indies, who migrated to New York after his mother died. A passionate and brilliant writer, Hamilton soon made a name for himself in the American military as an aide to George Washington, and later as a lawyer and statesman who helped draft the U.S. Constitution.

While some small parts of the show have used dramatic license to exaggerate, or even fictionalize certain events, such as the romance between Hamilton and his sister-in-law Angelica Schuyler, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has said he wanted the story to be “as historically accurate as possible.” Miranda wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the musical based on Hamilton’s biography by Ron Chernow.

What makes the show even more riveting is how Miranda cast actors of color to play characters who were historically white. In the international staging, we see a black George Washington (Darnel Abraham) and Aaron Burr (DeAundre' Woods), an Asian Thomas Jefferson (David Park) and James Madison (Shaka Bagadu Cook). And of course, we also have our own Rachelle Ann Go playing Eliza Schuyler to Jason Arrow’s Hamilton.

Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza Hamilton in the West End Production

Educators have used the story of Hamilton to teach their students not only about the Founding Fathers, but about other issues as well— the slave trade, immigration and tolerance, race and gender, banking and finance, and resolving conflict. Some teachers have even used Hamilton’s letter to his father after a hurricane hit their island in 1772 to teach kids about natural disasters.

Hamilton is the story of war and revolution, of courage and perseverance, of fighting for democracy and freedom. It’s resonated with audiences all over the world, and it tugs at the heartstrings here in the Philippines as well.

Ah, to draw from our youth and be enthralled with our own nation’s history, to bring them in with narratives of their forefathers’ own battles to uphold democracy and freedom. To bring to life even the most recent Philippine history, to make our next generations care enough about the past lest it be rewritten or revised by glib chroniclers with different truths.

Rise up, storytellers, and let Hamilton inspire you to write your own stories. 

The international tour of Hamilton is produced by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Michael Cassel. The Manila season is presented by Michael Cassel Group and GMG Productions. Through November at The Theatre at Solaire. hamiltonmusical.com/international-tour.