Hamilton and Diversity

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and
stars in Broadway's Hamilton.Photo Credit: Denver Center

Hamilton is Broadway's biggest hit with tickets sold out from now until October. This show tells the story of one of America's Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.

Hamilton has already changed the way audiences view history in that the casting directors used colorblind casting. They looked past an actor or actress' race or ethnicity that would have hindered them in portraying a character. For example, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is Hispanic, plays Alexander Hamilton and Leslie Odom Jr., who is African-American, portrays Aaron Burr.

The show has garnered much success with ticket sales already reaching $40 million, according to Playbill Vault. If a show can tell a traditionally "white" story with mixed races and still be successful then why aren't other show following suit?

Broadway has been upheld as a community that accepts everyone, but for some reason there has been a high number of shows in the past where there is little to no diversity in the cast. It is hard for me, who has followed theatre for years, to think of more than one live Broadway show that used colorblind casting.

 The Little Mermaid swam onto Broadway in 2008 and was a smash hit. Families flocked to its theatre to see one of their children's favorite movies. Everyone enjoyed the hit songs, colorful sets and elaborate costumes.  But no one ever mentioned how diverse the cast was which I believe was another reason the show did so well. Many of the lead characters, who were portrayed as white in the movie, were played by African-American actors and actresses. Many people, including me, can appreciate showing the diversity and how it added an extra element to the production.

Not only has Hamilton taken strides to create a diverse show and experience, its writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, announced that he would love to have women portray the male roles in his show, according to USA Today.

I feel that as long as the story gets told and its impact is felt, it should not matter if the traditionally and historically white and/or male roles are played by actors of that race or gender.

I have the feeling that Hamilton has paved the way for many more shows and productions to use colorblind and gender-blind casting.