An Exploration of the Relationship Between Musical Theatre and Popular Music: Hamilton and Hip Hop

Home , Cabinet Battle, Ten Crack Commandments, Ten Duel Commandments

Saskia Steene Faulkner

Student Number: 344506 Module Title: Commercial Music Research Writing and Revision Module Code: CMU6100-20

Word Count: 5592 1

Contents

1) Introduction 2) Literature Review a. The Origins of Theatre b. Operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan (1850- 1950) c. The Golden Age (1950-1979) d. The British Mega Musical vs Broadway (1980-1990) e. Disney and Jukebox Musicals (1990-2000) f. Turn of the Century to Present Day 3) Methodology a. Methodological Approach b. Data Collection / Selection c. Methods of Analysis d. Evaluation of Methodological Sources 4) Case Study: Hamilton and Hip-Hop 5) Discussion 6) Conclusion 7) Bibliography 8) Appendix 1

1. Introduction

In this thesis I am examining the relationship between musical theatre and popular music by comparing relevant arguments chronologically from Ancient Greece up until the present day, focusing on the period 1850 to 2020 and forming a case study using an example of modern theatre, Hamilton (2015). I will acknowledge and explore the changes of the musical genre, from Gilbert and Sullivan’s success, the ‘Golden Age’ of musical theatre, to the British mega musical, jukebox shows such as Mamma Mia (1999) and modern shows such as Hamilton. I will also compare these eras with their contemporary popular music trends from opera, to pop rock, glam rock, hip-hop and even more; to examine the complex relationship between popular music and the theatrical world. My case study focuses on

Hamilton because of the way it is revolutionising musical theatre by incorporating musical styles that have previously seemed impossible. By exploring this I will seek to establish whether musical theatre is evolving to reflect popular music.

2. Literature Review

a. The Origins of Theatre

Some theatre academics have discussed how musical theatres ancestry can be traced back to Ancient Greece and its two main forms of theatre, tragedy and drama, and how these have influenced the dramatic world. Kendrick (2010:18) explains that Greek dramas often included singing, chanting, and dancing as well as acting; ‘In short, the early Greek dramas were musicals’ (Kendrick, 2010:18). Famous composers, such as Claudio Monteverdi, have 3 used Greek dramas as a model for the development of opera. Therefore, contrary to the popular belief that musical theatre evolved from opera, the truth is in fact the opposite

(Kendrick, 2010:28).The world of drama mostly tries to avoid acknowledging the existence of musicals, so it is not surprising that academics avoid admitting that drama actually began as a way of expressing musicality (Kendrick 2010:19). The fact that musical theatre can be traced back to these ancient roots, and still be prevalent in modern society, is proof of its ability to mould itself and adapt to popular cultural trends and styles.

b. Operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan (1850-1950)

Most research suggests, as Kendrick (2010:13) illustrates, that the division between opera and musical theatre began at the creation of the operetta in Paris in the 1858. This was the year Jacques Offenbach premiered Orpheus in the Underworld (Orphée aux Enfers, 1858).

He began to move away from his previous operatic style after negotiating with Napoleon

III’s government to create shows longer than one act (English National Opera, n.d.) and paved the way for composers such as Sullivan to solidify the style. Whilst this evolution was happening in Paris, composers in America and England had also created different variations of the musical theatre genre. However, the most significant evolution came from the English pair W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, who consolidated this new transformation of the genre. This pair dominated the theatre market for the following quarter of a century, from

1871-1896 (English National Opera, n.d.), including hits such as Iolanthe (1882) and The

Mikado (1885) that are still performed by avid fans to this day (English National Opera, n.d.).

Istel (2003) argues that at this point musical theatre and popular music were synonymous, which was confirmed by Platt’s (2013) opinion that it was one of the most important 4 popular cultures at this time and played a vital role in maintaining the modernisation of theatre. Like most things, change and evolution are not always clean cut. Operetta and musical theatre existed harmoniously side by side at the beginning of the twentieth century, inspiring and working off one another; until musicals flourished and evolved into musical comedies (Kendrick, 2010). Composers would employ songwriters from Tin Pan Alley, the name given to the New York popular music publishers and songwriters (Colangelo et al,

2019), to come and work on their latest shows. In these musicals they merged the styles of

Jazz and Blues that were underpinning popular music of the time, with theatre. However, this collaboration was much more prevalent in America than in England. The new style was made use of by the American composers George Gershwin and Harold Arlen and also appreciated by English audiences. Gordon et al. (2016:14) comments that English composers took longer to catch on to this new style and it took British composers until the late 1950’s before they felt comfortable to employ this same modern musical vocabulary in their West End productions.

c. The Golden Age (1950-1979)

It is commonly agreed that musicals between the 1950s-1970s, the so called ‘Golden Age’, had a reflective quality to them. One example being Annie Get Your Gun (1946). At the beginning of this era shows employed outdated musical styles that had not evolved that far from operettas. The genre seemed stuck in the belief that ‘the really good stuff happened about thirty years ago’ (Kendrick, 2010:11). As a result, they often attracted an older audience who enjoyed the reminiscent qualities of the shows. Critics such as Gordon et al

(2016:116-117) argue that this is why it seemed like a ‘sudden and dramatic shift’ when 5

‘Innovative genres […] such as rock and roll, soul and, much later, rap, […] featured in musicals initially aimed at and featuring a younger generation’. Although in reality it was representative of musical theatre finally catching up with the gradual changes that had been occurring in popular music (Gordon et al, 2016:117). British music had evolved past the styles employed by people such as Lionel Bart, composer of Oliver (1960), once artists such as the Beatles, the Kinks, The Rolling Stones and others broke out onto the global music scene (Gordon et al. 2016:48). The impact of popular music inevitably drove change in the world of musical theatre, which had to adapt or be left at the wayside. Andrew Lloyd

Webber and Tim Rice ‘burst onto the scene’ (Gordon et al 2016:117) and brought musical theatre into line with popular culture with the premier of Jesus Christ Superstar (1970). This show was innovative in many ways. Firstly, it was released as a double album before it was staged; finding ‘a novel way for British theatre to present new musicals to the public’

(Gordon et al. 2016:142). This unique way of utilising the music industry by promoting the show on the back of album sales has set the precedent for cast recordings of shows.

Releasing the shows songs as an album to reach a global audience can be credited for a majority of contemporary musicals worldwide success. Secondly, they reintroduced the style of a ‘sung-through’ musical that is reminiscent of opera (Gordon et al. 2016:142). This was effective because of the way that they employed the album as a promotional tool as it allowed audiences to follow the story through the soundtrack and sparked a style that

‘dominated the West End for Decades to come.’ (Gordon et al. 2016:142); Miss Saigon

(1989) and Hamilton being two examples.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) employed the same idea from a different angle. The composer employed a glam rock aesthetic which ‘was at odds with the hard rock of 6

Superstar’ though it managed to reflect this other aspect of the popular music scene and reach a different audience (Gordon et al 2016: 120). The musical became a cult success rather than a popular culture sensation, but undoubtedly successful in its own right.

d. The British Mega Musical vs Broadway (1980-1990)

Gordon et al (2016:141) discusses the era of the ‘Mega Musical’; a phrase coined by

American journalists to describe the “British Invasion of Broadway” in the 1980’s. During which time there was an abundance of successful new shows appearing on West End stages.

These productions were lavish, and larger than life, employing the use of large set pieces and props, such as the chandelier that falls in Phantom of the Opera (1986) or the full-sized helicopter that descends on stage in the second act of Miss Saigon. Lloyd-Webber and Rice played a large part in this success, as did Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s partnership in shows such as Les Misérables (1980); the longest running musical on the

West End. However, this is also the period where Musical Theatre and popular music were furthest from each other; West End musical theatre had created its own genre and was thriving on it. Gordon et al (2016:68) comments that ‘The blockbuster British musicals of the

1980s from Cats to Miss Saigon were a product of the monetarism of the Reagan/Thatcher years in which British and American culture moved closer together’. Whilst this is in some ways true, Kendrick (2010:350) argues it was the British productions that were dominating at this time, having huge success on Broadway as well as at home. Meanwhile, after years of ignoring changes in popular culture, Broadway had become a small subculture routinely ignored by mainstream media and the general public’ (Kendrick, 2008:350). Whilst there is no doubt that Stephen Sondheim and other American composers of the time were 7 incredibly talented, their more mature approach that tried to broach difficult and complex topics, such as Into the Woods (1986) which is a dark retelling of well-beloved fairy tales, fell short when it came to audience and critical reviews. Kendrick (2008:357) commented that

‘[Sondheim’s] technique was at its sharpest, his work still packed with emotional depth and intellectual insight […] Lloyd-Webbers bombastic, sentimental style made no attempts at depth or insight, but it went down easily.’ The best example of this is the year that both

Phantom of the Opera and Into the Woods premiered in 1986 and were nominated for the

Tony awards. Sondheim came away with the Best Original Score award, but Phantom won the Best Musical honour. This clearly illustrates that popular music had made more of a connection with an audience than lyrical intelligence, proving the importance of keeping up with society’s popular trends.

e. Disney and Jukebox Musicals (1990-2000)

Kendrick (2008:362) discusses Disney’s move from movie musicals to the stage with an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (1994). Kendrick (2008:362) argues that ‘While such innovations may or may not be motivated by a desire to reap greater financial profits, commercial successes are what spawn new trends and styles.’ It is not unreasonable to say that Disney was hoping for commercial success when they decided to try their hand at this new medium. They already had a large repertoire of stories and the songs to accompany them; as well as a loyal global fanbase. Unfortunately, Beauty and the Beast was resoundingly unsuccessful and noted as a failed attempt at commercialising their films

(Wickstrom, 1999:293). Their second attempt came with The Lion King (1997). This was a global phenomenon and still tours and continues to run on the West End. There is no doubt 8 that Elton John, composer of The Lion King, is an incredible pop songwriter. Gunderson

(2013) states ‘the yellow brick road [has been] paved with gold since John shot to fame with Your Song in 1970’. Many successful albums followed, then film scores and musicals;

Billy Elliot (2005), Aida (2000) and of course The Lion King (Gunderson 2013). When the stage production of The Lion King was suggested the songs were already imbedded in popular culture due to the film’s success and John’s score. This was a revelation for musical theatre. The concept that well-known pop songs could be taken and recontextualised in a story onstage laid the groundwork for the invention of the jukebox musical. There have been many productions that have used this model since; Jersey boys (2005) and Rock of

Ages (2009) to name a couple. Istel (2003) Argues that perhaps the most successful jukebox musical is Mamma Mia. Premiering in 1999 it fashioned a score from the hits of the Swedish

Pop group ABBA. Hits such as Dancing Queen (1975), Mamma Mia (1975) and Money,

Money, Money (1976) have all been recontextualised into a story about a mother and daughter living on a Greek island and a search for a long-lost father. Istel (2003) comments that ‘Thirty years from now, don’t be surprised if Mamma Mia […] receives its due for putting the “pop” – as in popular-back into theatre music.’

f. Turn of the Century to Present Day (2000-2020)

Recent years have seen composers reverting back to the times when songwriters and theatre composers would work together and as a result the music is again in line with popular tastes. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2017) is co-written by Tom MacRae, a

BAFTA and Olivier nominated screenwriter and Dan Gillespie Spells the lead guitarist and singer of The Feeling, famous for songs such as Fill My Little World (2005). Everybody’s 9

Talking About Jamie contains ‘slip-down-easy fizzing pop as well as brooding soul ballads’

(Clap, 2017). This seems to be a theme, with many successful pop music artists turning their hand to writing for the stage. Shenton (2019) comments on Sara Bareilles musical theatre debut Waitress (2015). Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter famous for hits such as

Love Song (2007), who’s first musical contains a ‘series of gorgeous songs’ (Shenton, 2019).

This show opened on Broadway in the same season as Hamilton and as a result did not receive many award nominations, however Shenton (2019) comments ‘It is in an altogether lower-key, folk-rock register to Hamilton's blast of hip-hop energy, and an absolutely lovely contrast to it. There is, or at least should be, room for both’. This section would not be complete without Hamilton, arguably the most successful musical of the last five years.

‘With a score dominated by hip-hop’ and innovative use of ‘colour blind casting’, a phrase that means casting the best actor for the role, regardless of race, gender or body type and letting go of specific character descriptors. The founding fathers of America are now played by African and Hispanic Americans ‘offering an alternative history in which US citizens really were created equal’ (Lawson 2017). Lin-Manuel Miranda, the lyricist and composer, creates an invigorating new reality. This ‘use of rap, hip-hop and R&B becomes the ideal vehicle for exploring the birth of a nation’ (Billington, 2017). Miranda has also stated that he makes several direct references to rap and hip-hop artists throughout the show, including

Notorious B.I.G (Starling, L. (2016). The recontextualization of this historical story brings it into the modern world and makes it even more accessible to the youth of today. Watching

Hamilton is to be ‘in the presence of something extraordinary, a modern classic’

(Sammander, 2018).

3. Methodology

a. Methodological Approach

In order to understand the relationship between musical theatre and popular music I assembled a case study around one musical, Hamilton, and a relevant pop genre, hip-hop.

My aim was to compare the musicality of the two in relation to each other by collecting and analysing qualitative data. This approach allowed me to bring together detailed information, which meant I could explore the relationship between the two elements of my research question thoroughly, through musical and lyrical analysis and comparison. My aim was to examine the connection between these two styles, based on musical knowledge instead of opinions, either expert or public. This in-depth comparison reduces the opportunity for researcher bias by focusing on the musical and lyrical similarities; in this way I believe this approach allowed me to collect the largest amount of qualitative data.

b. Data Collection/Selection

To compile the data for this study I began with the Hamilton musical score as this was my basis for studying the lyrical and musical similarities between these songs and songs by relevant hip-hop artists. I also researched interviews and articles about Lin-Manuel

Miranda’s influences and found many examples. The article written by Wickman (2015) was key in compiling these references as well as interviews, such as the one conducted by

Starling, L. (2016) with Miranda. The Playbill of the original show, where he included a specific list of songs that he has referenced, was also integral here (Viagas, R et al, 2015).

From this list I began to compare the scores for each song from Hamilton with each relevant 11 hip hop track through the score (when they could be located) and otherwise compare through listening to the audio of the two pieces of music, in order to find the exact references and similarities that I could look into in my study. I wrote a list of all the references I had found and organised them in chronological order from the opening number of the show. I also included the few musical theatre references that Miranda included in the playbill list, for context. These are included in Appendix 1 of this thesis.

c. Methods of Analysis

To analyse the data that I had collected I worked through my list of references chronologically from the Hamilton score and then wrote in an essay form all of the references I found, using highlighted sections of the score’s when possible, to illustrate my point and draw more thorough conclusions. Through using these examples, I solidified my argument as there is concrete evidence that proves these similarities, leaving less room for argument and flaws in my study.

d. Evaluation of Methodological Choices

I believe that a case study was the most appropriate method for my thesis as it allowed me to get in depth and specific examples of what I was aiming to prove. As my study is looking into an already existing relationship between two musical styles it seemed to make most sense to study already existing proof of this to exemplify my point. I did consider Elite

Interviews as an alternative option at one point, but I thought the quality of the qualitative data I would be able to collect through a case study would provide a clearer answer from 12 my study as it allows for more factual information. However, some drawbacks of a case study over other primary data collection techniques is that it doesn’t necessarily add new information into the discussion, but simply collates what already exists to further prove a point. Although I still believe it is the most effective choice for my hypothesis because of the extensive comprehension of this relationship it allowed me to gain. There is also less opportunity for researcher bias as it is a study looking into musical and lyrical similarities rather than an interview, where questions would have to be carefully written to avoid misleading answers. This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship of musical theatre to popular music and how positive that connection can be when used effectively.

4. Case Study

Hamilton & Hip Hop

Miranda’s connection with the hip-hop genre is evident throughout Hamilton. He listed many reference tracks in the Playbill for the original cast run of the show and is vocal in interviews and on social media about how connected he feels to hip hop and that is was the perfect form to tell this story about American history as it is “the language of youth and energy and of rebellion” (Paulson, 2015). Hamilton has set in motion a new wave of theatre; open to colour blind casting and more naturally navigating different genres and styles of music into the tapestry of musical theatre.

The opening number, titled after the protagonist Alexander Hamilton (2015), includes not one but two contemporary hip-hop references. The rising harmonies on the line ‘in New

York you can be a new man’ ending on ‘New York’ on B and C# almost exactly imitates the same tonal shift from the song Empire State of Mind (2009) by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys where the chorus melody goes from G to A# on the same lyric ‘New York’.

Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton Score; page 7) Empire State of Mind (Jay-z and Alicia Keys; page 3)

The second reference in this song is the character Aaron Burr shouting ‘What’s your name man?’ at the end of the track. Here Miranda is employing a spoken word technique used by many hip-hop artists from Snoop Dogg, Rihanna to Jay-Z and more. For the sake of this study I have referenced Rihanna’s What’s My Name? (2010) as an example of this as it uses this so frequently, however this is sung and in most cases in hip hop this line is rapped as in

Snoop Dogg’s What’s My Name? (1993).

Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton Score; page 7) What’s My Name (Rihanna; page 1)

In the song Aaron Burr, Sir the character Hercules Mulligan imitates shotgun fire with the sound ‘brrah brrah’ a musical device used by many hip-hop artists but most notably in UKG’s Still on The Grind

(2009).

The first of the references listed in the original Playbill was the Notorious BIG’s Going Back to Cali (1997). This reference appears in the track My Shot when the four revolutionaries spell out A – L – E – X – A – N – D – E – R in the same manner as the reference track; ‘It’s the,

N O, T O, RI, O, US, you just, lay down, slow’.

My Shot (Hamilton Score; page 3 E-R

The other notable nod to the genre in this song is the line ‘I’m only nineteen but my mind is older’ lifted almost verbatim from Prodigy of Mobb Deep’s Shook Ones Part II (2013).

Miranda used Ruff Ryders style as a main reference for most of the military focused songs in the show. For example, another song listed in the shows Playbill was DMX’s Party Up in Here

(1999). This reference appears in the song Right Hand Man where the chorus repeatedly exclaim ‘what!’ which also appears in DMX’s track.

However, we cannot ignore that this is a piece of musical theatre and that Miranda has as much passion for this style as he does for hip hop and as such also included references to musical theatre shows in his work. The example in this number is George Washington’s line

“The model of a modern major general/ the venerated Virginian veteran whose men are all/ lining up, to put me on a pedestal.” This was Miranda’s attempt to improve upon the 15 line ‘I am the very model of a model major general, I’ve information vegetable, animal and mineral’ from the song of the same name from The Pirates of Penzance (1879) by Gilbert and Sullivan. Miranda stated in an interview that he ‘always thought that ‘mineral’ wasn’t the best possible rhyme’ (Wickman, 2015).

Modern Major General (Pirates of Penzance, page 1)

The women of Hamilton are heavily inspired by powerhouses such as Beyoncé throughout.

In Helpless Miranda employs an R&B ‘Love song’ style heavily influenced by Beyoncé’s song

Countdown (2011) which is another song listed in the shows Playbill. The half sung half rapped sections are a clear reference here. The line ‘two weeks lat-er, in the liv-ing room stressin’ where the score notates that ‘stressin’ should be spoken, this is followed by another line ending in ‘blessin’ scored the same way. This is very similar to the lines ‘lip lockin’ and ‘keep flockin’ in Countdown.

Helpless (Hamilton Score; page 6)

The other clear influence here is the repeated mentioning of time passing. Multiple phrases in Helpless begin with references to time ‘one week later/two weeks later’ and ‘down for the count’ very clearly influenced by Beyoncé’s track.

Helpless (Hamilton Score; page 6) 16

Helpless is a goldmine for references. Further examples include the lyric ‘the boy is mine’ which alludes to Brandy and Monica’s hit of the same name (1998). As well as when

Hamilton’s voice drops to a growl on the line ‘as long as I’m alive Eliza swear to God you’ll never feel so…’ being a tribute to Ja Rule’s romantic duets for example I’m Real (2001), as noticed by @BroadwayRedhead on twitter and confirmed by Miranda.

Helpless (Hamilton Score; page 12)

Whilst some of these references are subtle, others are clear homages such as Hamilton’s

Ten Duel Commandments and Biggie Small’s 10 Crack Commandments (1997). As could be expected this track also features in the playbill list of references. Meet Me Inside is another example where the line ‘meet em inside’ is clearly modelled on DMX’s Party Up in Here

(1999) which uses the same rhythm on the line ‘meet me outside’.

Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) is inspired by a real chant that English troops chanted as they retreated from the battle of Yorktown. However, it has been transformed by Miranda who used the chorus of Mary J. Blige’s version of I’m Going Down (1994) as inspiration for his interpretation of the melody of this chant.

Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) (Hamilton Score)

The other reference for this track is Eminem’s Lose Yourself (2002). Miranda included this song in his Spotify playlist of songs that influenced the show, and indeed it seems clear that the line ‘we only have one shot to live another day’ is Miranda’s ode to Eminem’s famous

‘you only get one shot do not miss your chance to blow’. The intonation of these two lines is the same, with ‘one shot’ being the key rhythmical connection.

Lose Yourself (Eminem, page 12) Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) (Hamilton score, page 14)

Whilst the majority of Miranda’s listed reference tracks here are hip hop the few musical theatre songs included deserve a mention. Say No to This includes a line lifted directly from

Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years (2001). At the end of the song Hamilton softly sings ‘nobody needs to know’ in the same melody as is sung in Brown’s song of the same name. Miranda himself commented on this reference, calling the original song ‘the ultimate infidelity jam’ (Wickman, 2015).

Nobody Needs to Know (The Last Five Years, page 12)

The Cabinet Battles are two songs that explore the beginnings of a new government structure. Miranda structured these songs after 8Mile’s rap battles; using the style to demonstrate the conflict between the members of the different political parties. In the first cabinet battle Miranda references Grandmaster Flash’s The Message (1982) with the line

‘ah ha ha ha such a blunder sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder’ his version of the original ‘its like a jungle, sometimes it makes me wonder, how I keep from going under/ ah ha ha ha’. And in the second battle Miranda references another song that was included in the Playbill list; Notorious BIG’s Juicy (1994); with the line ‘if you don’t know now you know Mr. President’ where Miranda added ‘Mr. President’ to the end of the line.

It is apparent that Miranda has an extensive knowledge and love of both musical theatre and hip-hop. By treating both genres with the respect they deserve he has managed to marry them into a piece of artwork that encapsulates all that musical theatre can be when it is allowed to evolve and transform, and as a result brought a new audience to appreciate hip-hop. His innate ability with language, musicality and social and political sensitivity has allowed him to master this medium and combine all the things he loves into a project that has transformed theatre, hip hop and popular culture in general.

5. Discussion

Taking into account the results from the case study there is definitely a direct relationship between these two styles in the current musical theatre world. The question is whether this is a newfound connection, or one that has transpired throughout all of theatre’s history; 19 essentially is this revolutionary or evolutionary? For many reason’s Hamilton is a good example to argue this because it employs many traditional theatre elements, and many new revolutionary ones as well. In 1850 when Offenbach premiered his first operetta, musical theatre began as an already evolving form, moving away from the rigidity of opera. And

Gilbert and Sullivan’s success can hardly be argued with; this was popular culture, and this was musical theatre. As these styles became outdated research seems to suggest a generational transformation of the genre – an evolution in order to maintain the livelihood of the theatre world. So perhaps Hamilton’s ‘revolution’ is simply the next interpretation of what musical theatre looks like, in a long history of transformations.

However, the changes in theatre styles are not quite so linear, it is possible for multiple iterations to coexist; opera’s still have an avid audience and there are many Gilbert and

Sullivan societies putting on productions to this day. Although these are definitely not trying to entice a majority of the public audience and may seem outdated. Les Misérables has been running on the West End with unrivalled stability for thirty-two years, the longest running show to date, showing that some shows can have a timeless ability to capture an audience. Hamilton’s many relevant references to hip hop throughout the score enabled this show to reach a different audience, younger or perhaps more interested in contemporary culture and creativity, one who perhaps the theatre world had lost during the years of the ‘Golden Age’ when most shows were considered outdated. Now that this new audience had been identified, many writers have begun to follow suit. Targeting a younger audience has reinvigorated and revolutionised the musical theatre world; it has once more become about the expression of the emotions of youth and not reminiscent of the past.

Keeping this in mind, Hamilton also puts into practice many successful theatre tropes as well as its many hip hop influences. The show is sung-through, a style that was taken from opera and re-introduced into musical theatre during the 1980’s when the British mega-musical was at its highest peak; Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera are examples of this.

Hamilton also imitates Jesus Christ Superstar by releasing the score as an album; employing famous hip-hop producers Questlove and Black Thought of the Roots (Petridis, 2017) to do so and going on to win Best Hip-Hop Album of The Year, regardless of being a piece of theatre. This approach meant that people who could not access the show for a number of reasons, for example economic, geographic or cultural, were still able to experience the story and the music in another format. By releasing the album, they emulated the frenzy that Jesus Christ Superstar created with this promotional technique and as a result the show was booked up for months before it even opened on the West End. Whilst Miranda clearly drew inspiration from successful musicals, he also rebelled against key elements of the

‘Mega Musical’ style. In contrast to their large complicated sets and props, e.g. the helicopter in Miss Saigon, Hamilton has a minimalist set that does not change throughout the show. Instead it relies on physical theatre and dance through the company, and a limited use of props. This leaves most of the environment that needs to be created up to the cast, a modern take and I believe an effective choice. It is clear through comparison and the results of my case study that there is a relationship between the two styles. I believe it is one that has been there from the beginning of musical theatre, evolving and changing just as we do as an audience. Hamilton is simply the latest evolution of musical theatre, one that has already begun to spark other shows to use elements of its success. Examples include colour-blind casting such as Frozen the Musical (2017) or a larger range of musical styles such as SIX (2017). It also has been revolutionary in the way it’s highlighted these issues in 21 the theatre world that have been prevalent for a long time; but at last we are overcoming them, because of the light Hamilton has shed on the industry. I believe that this has proven that musical theatre has always been and will always be a way to comment on society and improve it as long as it stays relevant. Where it has fallen flat is when it has refused to stay up to date with the contemporary society of its time. For example, if you went about a similar case study with a show such as Annie Get Your Gun, you would undoubtedly get a different outcome. Although this could easily vary depending on the style of music you choose to compare it to. For example, when compared to 21st century pop music there would not be many similarities. A more accurate comparison for this show would be with contemporary popular music of that time. I believe this would corroborate what I am aiming to prove here; that theatre evolves through its relationship to popular culture and always has.

6. Conclusion

In conclusion I believe my research has proven that there is a relationship between musical theatre and popular music, that has been there throughout history. The relevant arguments laid out in my literature review corroborate this by proving how popular trends consistently influence the changes in the form; from the invention of the operetta, the reflective nature of the ‘Golden Age’, the enormity of the mega-musical up to how Hamilton has transformed the genre once more in recent years. There have been times when the two have been synonymous, and times when they could not be further apart but at the end of the day

‘musical theatre can both reflect and challenge the predominant values of its time.’ (Gordon 22 et al. 2016:10) because it is a constantly evolving form that ‘has always been a hybrid’ (Istel,

2003). By studying the relationship between Hamilton and hip-hop I have been able to explore in great depth how effective the collaboration of genres can be when properly executed and how this show galvanised the industry and general public and therefore made musical styles and theatre more accessible to a broader audience.

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Appendix 1

Hamilton (2015) Tracks Chronologically Relevant Hip-Hop Influences

Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys Alexander Hamilton (2009)

What’s My Name? by Rihanna (2010)

What’s My Name? by Snoop Dogg (1993)

Aaron Burr, Sir Still on The Grind by UKG (2009)

My Shot Going Back to Cali by Notorious BIG (1997)

Party Up in Here by DMX (1999) Right Hand Man Modern Major General, The Pirates of Penzance (1879)

Countdown by Beyoncé (2011)

Helpless The Boy is Mine by Brandy and Monica (1998)

I’m Real by Ja Rule (2001)

10 Crack Commandments by Biggie Small Ten Duel Commandments (1997)

Party Up in Here by DMX (1999)

Yorktown (The World Turned Upside I’m Going Down by Mary J. Blige (1994) Down) Lose Yourself by Eminem (2002)

8Mile’s rap battles Cabinet Battle 1 The Message by Grandmaster Flash(1982) 28

Juicy, Notorious BIG (1994)

Say No to This Nobody Needs to Know, The Last Five Years (2001)

Cabinet Battle 2 8Mile’s rap battles