Late last year my Mom mentioned to me that the writer of In the Heights, one of my favorite Broadway shows, was working on a new Broadway show about the founding fathers. So basically my two favorite things in one. In the Heights is known for it’s hip hop score and down-to-earth portrait of immigrant culture in New York City.

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Lin Manuel-Miranda applied a similar treatment to the story of Alexander Hamilton in his new show Hamilton. He read a biography about Alexander Hamilton during his run of In the Heights, and loved Hamilton’s story so much that  he bought the rights to the book and began consulting with the author to write the musical.

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Hamilton is technically Off-Broadway right now, but to say it’s getting buzz would be an understatement. If you tell any Broadway fan that you’re going to see Hamilton, the first thing they’ll ask is how you got tickets. The good news is that it just solidified it’s opening on Broadway on July 13th.

So the question is: did it live up to the hype? Of course! The contemporary interpretation meant a multi-cultural cast, a script written in modern American English, and a combination of hip-hop and more traditional Broadway music. Manuel-Miranda turned stuffy, historical caricatures from American history into accessible people with the daunting task of founding a nation.

Not only did I love the music, dance numbers, and hilarious characters; I felt like they were sneaking vegetables in my mac and cheese. I learned a lot about American Revolution history. I am a colonial era fan, and I love seeing more focused vignettes of the period because it gives so much more context to some of the larger events. Alexander Hamilton is big name because he’s on currency, but I doubt you know a lot about him. Go see this ASAP, and then you will!

PS- I cannot wait for the soundtrack to come out!!