I had the privilege of watching the musical “Hamilton” on opening night last Sunday at the Solaire Theatre. It was the second time for me and my wife to watch this wonderful musical, and I cannot help but still be inspired by its story and message.
The first time we saw it was on Broadway in New York City, where the story is set. It gave it more meaning knowing that you were in the same city where Alexander Hamilton was over two hundred years ago. On the other hand, watching “Hamilton” in Manila gave it a different vibe, mainly because of the political overtones that made it less relatable once you stepped out of the theater.
Hamilton was one of the less-discussed Founding Fathers of the United States of America until the musical became a breakthrough success on Broadway in 2015. With the Obama administration in power at the time, diversification and equality were pushed, and culture kept apace.
American history, filled with white male characters, was given color to make them more relatable to the newer generations. Lin Manuel Miranda, writer and the first actor to portray Hamilton, is an American of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. He cast co-stars who were likewise of color, and the songs were rap and R&B. All these broke barriers and brought about inter-generational interest in a topic that used to be bland and boring. Now, the modern and hip songs from “Hamilton” are known globally, and interest in American history has picked up thanks to this cultural revisitation.
Watching this in the Philippines made it feel different. In the musical, they talked about writing and later revising the American Constitution — something that is taboo in the Philippines. Our Constitution came into effect in 1987, or 36 years ago. In Hamilton, they were in the process of writing the Constitution that went into effect in 1789, after their war with Britain. To compare, the Philippine Constitution was crafted to heal the wounds of martial law, whereas the American Constitution was to unite the states for a common goal.
Alexander Hamilton became the first Treasury Secretary from 1789 to 1795 under George Washington. To persuade Congress on certain bills, Hamilton was instrumental in transferring the US capital from New York to Virginia, now known as Washington, DC. This type of horse-trading is common in politics, even in the Philippines. This is something we can see happening now that it is budget season.
Perhaps it is because the structure of the US government is so similar to the Philippine form of government that makes it so relatable. During the second act, George Washington would hold Cabinet meetings in rap battles where Hamilton would do a battle against Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State. Another humorous line during the musical was when Hamilton told his wife that being Vice President was not a real job. The crowd laughed the loudest when this was uttered.
The biggest difference in watching it here in the Philippines was after watching the musical in New York, you would see how the place has progressed from over 200 years ago. Stepping out of Solaire after watching “Hamilton” makes you realize that we are not too far from what was depicted in the musical. Here, we still see political conflicts ending in violence, such as in “Hamilton.” It also feels like, in the Philippines, we are always in “building mode” at the start of each presidency. We have much more to achieve as a developing nation; what’s important is we keep working together towards it.
For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com