Who tells your story?

Marina Salandy-Brown

That question is a repeated refrain in Hamilton, the extraordinary musical that has taken New York and London by storm. The theatre production tells the story of the tumultuous life and legacy of West Indian Alexander Hamilton, who was born out of wedlock in Nevis in 1757, abandoned by his father at age nine and orphaned at 11 in the Virgin Islands, yet went on to be a founding father of the USA and architect of its financial system.

“History has its eye on you,” is just one line in the many memorable songs in the 2.5 hour-long, scintillating, multi-award-winning musical that charts the making of Hamilton’s improbable career to its too-early end in 1804. How will we be judged and by whom? The question rings in our ears that are deafened by the roar of the standing ovation from the full house in London’s recently and magnificently refurbished Victoria Palace theatre. Hamilton’s legacy is the leitmotif of the stage production and the audience knows that we are the beneficiaries of an inspired piece of storytelling that could easily have been lost in time had it not been for Hamilton himself, a compulsive writer, writing himself into American history as the originator and primary author of the Federalists essays, and for the assiduous work of his widow to prevent his legacy being erased by the controversies of his life. Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow’s
Alexander Hamilton, basis for the musical, had excellent source material.

From his unpromising origins Hamilton became an ambitious firebrand, fighting for American independence, a self-educated lawyer, effective politician, and major force behind the ratification of the US Constitution. He also founded and became director of the Bank of New York, modelled on the Bank of England. When in 1789 George Washington became the first US President, he appointed Hamilton the country’s first Secretary of the Treasury. His face is on the current US$10 bill in testament to his success. The rags-to-riches story is one of the very best productions one is likely to see. The music, lyrics, choreography, performances, soundscape, lighting, scenery and general staging are nothing short of breathtaking. To tell the history of the American war of independence and the messy creation of the USA in song and make it exciting, relevant and always clearly understood requires a demanding level of articulation and precision from all the cast.

Hamilton has played to hundreds of thousands of theatre-goers in New York, where tickets are changing hands for US$2,000 if you could get one, and now it is on in London where they cost around $2,000 at the box office for the top seats. I did not pay that price to see Hamilton last week because my great nephew is in the cast and I had the enormous pleasure of seeing him perform in the city’s premiere production at less than half that price. There is much I could say but I will concentrate on two points: the sheer delight of seeing a young person work to achieve their ambition, and about the power of telling our own stories.

Johnny Bishop

First, Johnny Bishop who always knew that he had to be on the stage. His parents listened to him and to all those in the Trinidad dance and acting fraternity who saw his prodigious talent, encouraged him and cast him in local productions. When he begged not to take up his place at CIC at age 11, they swallowed hard and sent him instead to acting school in London. He appeared in TT and the UK in Geraldine Connor’s Carnival Messiah and before long landed the child star role as Young Simba in London’s West End musical The Lion King. Sheer hard work and commitment, plus his commanding stage presence and innate performance skills led eventually to the part of Graffiti Pete in In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s previous Tony and Grammy award winning production, and now
Hamilton. The creative teams behind these productions are stellar and Johnny is emerging still more driven, propelled by the life-changing experiences.

Secondly, our stories. Biography is one of the most popular literary genres internationally, source material for films and theatre. We are overflowing with amazing but secret life stories in this little country but it is only by recording them would we take our place in history. Hamilton shows that there are ways to tell stories where form and subject fit: Miranda’s use of rap, hip-hop and R&B are the ideal vehicle for exploring the chaotic birth of the USA. Let’s start using our own multiple cultural forms as vehicles for sharing our many, still untold histories.

Editor's note: Look out for Marina Salandy-Brown's 600th column next week in your Sunday Newsday.

Comments

"Who tells your story?"

More in this section