Hamilton: The Revolution

by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter, and Jeffrey Seller

• ISBN10: 1455539740
• ISBN13: 9781455539741
• Publish Date: 12 April 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Grand Central Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Really interesting read that provides a look into the preparation and background of the people involved in making Hamilton was it has become.

[mbtc]

This was a really great book, perfect for a Hamliton fan. I borrowed both the audio and e-book version from the library and went through them at the same time. I think this is the ideal way to enjoy it for someone who likes audio books. If you only listen to the audio version, you will miss out on many of the notes throughout the book.

[Heather]

I probably would have never even heard of Hamilton if not for the rabid fangirls on Twitter.

I tried to listen to the soundtrack on Spotify once just to see what the excitement was about.  It was ok but I wasn't overwhelmed. I never made it all the way through. I did like the official website though that had historical notes along with the lyrics.

When the book came out I decided to try again.  I was interested in hearing the story of how the idea came about and how that idea was transformed into a hit musical.



The book covers the history of the show. It starts from an idea that Lin-Manuel Miranda had while reading a biography of Alexander Hamilton on vacation during a time when there was a lot of discussion in the theater world about the possibilities of using hip hop in musicals. It covers the next six years of writing songs and trying them out in front of different audiences and workshopping the show. Interspersed are the songs with the stories of their inspiration and the historical background to each one.



The people involved in the show are profiled. It isn't just the actors. Choreography, directing, set design, and costumes are discussed.



via GIPHY

I listened to each song on Spotify as I came to it in the book. I finally made it the whole way through the show.

Am I a lyric quoting fan girl now? I'm not nearly as obsessed as the people who introduced me to this show on Twitter but the songs do get stuck in your head.* I appreciate it a whole lot more now that I know more about the creation and musical influences and history. If you aren't sure what all the fuss is about, I'd recommend reading this book to get you up to speed.



*Ok, full disclosure, since I wrote this post:

• I've had songs stuck in my head at all times


• I bought the soundtrack


• I was drawing blood on a cat and heard an announcement on the radio that the tour is coming to town in 2017.  I immediately started making plans to get tickets up to and including buying a season pass to be guaranteed a seat.

This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story