By Abby Lass
On Feb. 15, Lin-Manuel Miranda was awarded a Grammy for his smash-hit musical sensation, Hamilton. While no one seemed particularly surprised that this juggernaut took home the prize, some think that this high-profile win alludes to a resurgence of musical theater in the mainstream media.
“Honestly, in the past few years I think musical theatre has gained a huge rebirth of significance,” said Hayley Goldstein, a theater major at Drew University. “It’s to do with the innovations being made by new shows—Fun Home, Hamilton—as well as just a spread of popularity in the mainstream.”
Indeed, it’s hard to hold onto the conception that Broadway is reserved for 1950s starlets singing jazz standards as African Americans spew lightning fast raps while portraying our founding fathers in Hamilton and children grapple with the very real struggles of identity and acceptance as members of the LGBT community in Fun Home. By incorporating modern themes and music, creators like Miranda prove that musical theater still has a place in the mainstream media.
“Whoever chose Hamilton to win knew that it’s very popular with the musical theater community and that it sounded current enough that it may be popular with the non-musical theatre community,” Newton North sophomore Ashlyn Kelly said. “It’s a win for both.”
With the inauguration of events like BroadwayCon, it is clear that there are still plenty of people around the country who believe in the modern American musical, but will this win attract new members to the community?
“Perhaps,” Goldstein said. “Mostly I think its exposure on the show will make it even harder to get tickets, and maybe convince the higher-ups in the TV world to actually film the full show.”
