another political post
-- But this one is also about Hamilton, so that makes it better.
Hamilton v Trump: visions for America from a Broadway show -- and a showman
This is from the Guardian, and I really recommend reading the whole thing, it'll only take about ten minutes. Here are a few excerpts to entice you:
It was Monday and America was the country of Hamilton and Trump - the culture gap had never seemed so wide. There were the liberals who spoke for inclusivity, wistful feelings for the Obama years, and fear or panic of what might come next. Then there were thousands of the angry, the frustrated and the thwarted, putting their faith in a showman plutocrat and his promises to make America great again.
...Luis Miranda, a 61-year-old Democratic party consultant, also finds it “symbolic” that his son’s work has run parallel with the Obama presidency. “Here we were [at the poetry jam in 2009] and the enthusiasm and euphoria that represented for the entire country and for minority communities in particular,” he said.
“And then here we are, the last year of the administration, presenting a full musical of the story of this country told by a Puerto Rican, and portrayed by a multiethnic and multiracial cast with [portraits of] Martha Washington and George Washington on each side of the room, and President Obama sitting in the audience. It’s mind boggling. It’s mind blowing.”
"Look around, look around," goes one of the musical's refrains, "at how lucky we are to be alive right now." And I really believe that. This is a very interesting time to be alive, in that it contains both the capacity for incredible horror, and stunning beauty, and all sorts of things in between. But then again maybe that's just life, for anyone who's paying attention.
Meantime, listen to Hamilton! It will cheer you up, I promise.
Hamilton v Trump: visions for America from a Broadway show -- and a showman
This is from the Guardian, and I really recommend reading the whole thing, it'll only take about ten minutes. Here are a few excerpts to entice you:
It was Monday and America was the country of Hamilton and Trump - the culture gap had never seemed so wide. There were the liberals who spoke for inclusivity, wistful feelings for the Obama years, and fear or panic of what might come next. Then there were thousands of the angry, the frustrated and the thwarted, putting their faith in a showman plutocrat and his promises to make America great again.
...Luis Miranda, a 61-year-old Democratic party consultant, also finds it “symbolic” that his son’s work has run parallel with the Obama presidency. “Here we were [at the poetry jam in 2009] and the enthusiasm and euphoria that represented for the entire country and for minority communities in particular,” he said.
“And then here we are, the last year of the administration, presenting a full musical of the story of this country told by a Puerto Rican, and portrayed by a multiethnic and multiracial cast with [portraits of] Martha Washington and George Washington on each side of the room, and President Obama sitting in the audience. It’s mind boggling. It’s mind blowing.”
"Look around, look around," goes one of the musical's refrains, "at how lucky we are to be alive right now." And I really believe that. This is a very interesting time to be alive, in that it contains both the capacity for incredible horror, and stunning beauty, and all sorts of things in between. But then again maybe that's just life, for anyone who's paying attention.
Meantime, listen to Hamilton! It will cheer you up, I promise.