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Home , Discovery Times Square, Eliza Jumel, Hamilton (play), Phillipa Soo, Ron Chernow, Thomas Kail

EXHIBIT REVIEW

Hamilton: The Exhibition ASHLEY ANN WOLFE

I got to be in the room where it happens. when it comes to strategically using theatricality and metaphor to connect visitors to an exhibit Well, the room where it happened, techni- and deepen audience engagement, particularly cally. I’m speaking of : The Exhibition, when it comes to the display of ephemeral his- the unexpected, brilliantly designed 35,000- tory and culture. square-foot cultural attraction inspired by the Some context for our non-American read- 2015 musical from Pulitzer Prize-winning cre- ers who may not be as familiar with the cultural ator Lin-Manuel Miranda that was presented phenomenon that is Hamilton: An American on ’s Northerly Island from April Musical: Based on the life of Alexander Hamil- through August of 2019. I use the vague ton, one of America’s founders who played a descriptor “cultural attraction” because HamEx, central role in the revolution and, as the first as it was dubbed by fans and the smart social Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, created the media team behind the musical, is a bit of an country’s financial system, the Lin-Manuel enigma to define. It’s not a museum, though it’s Miranda musical, inspired by Ron Chernow’s large enough to be one. It’s not a performance, biography , opened on but it certainly is theatrical. And it’s much more in 2015 to unprecedented acclaim, content-rich and substantive than those block- receiving a record sixteen nominations at the buster-type commercial exhibitions that are 2016 , winning eleven - including presented outside of museums (think of popular Best Musical. With a hybrid score of hip hop, installations such as Titantic: The Artifact Expe- rhythm and blues, pop, and traditional show- dition at the former Discovery in tunes and the casting of primarily non-white City). More like history-museum- actors, Hamilton portrays an America that is meets-immersive-theater, with a side of travel- more representative of its citizens and wel- ling circus? Miranda himself struggled with a comed a new generation of theatre-makers and definition of the exhibition: “I’m still wrestling audiences. Tapping into the popularity of the with the language to describe it... We kept musical and new found public interest in early- [coming back to], ‘Let’s do what only we can American history, members of Hamilton’s cre- do!’ Which is not put out a thing of artifacts, but ative team (led by its scenic designer David Kor- create a world that you don’t want to leave” ins and including music director Alex (Di Nunzio, 2019). And that they do. While it Lacamoire, director , producer Jef- may defy traditional definition, HamEx offers frey Seller, and Lin-Manuel Miranda) part- many lessons that museums can learn from nered with scholar Joanne B. Freeman, US

Ashley Ann Wolfe ([email protected]) is a theatre-artist and the Communications Manager for Slover Linett Audience Research, based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 Figure 1. Visitors observing the hanging-balance scale in the St. Croix gallery. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Hamil- ton: The Exhibition.

Historian and Professor of History and Ameri- was instructed that the audio segments would can Studies at , to create Hamil- be triggered automatically as I entered different ton: The Exhibition. galleries, and to keep an eye out for areas in each I should confess that I am, by trade and pas- room that offered optional additional informa- sion, the target audience for Hamilton: The tion and backstory with the click of your remote. Exhibition. Equal parts theater kid, history (This was a nice touch, but more on that later.) nerd, and political junkie, I found this cultural In the first gallery of the exhibition, a large- mashup of mediums relevant to so many layers screen film of Miranda and his Hamilton co-star of my identity that it was unlikely I would not welcomed us and primed us for what enjoy myself. That said, my expectations were to expect ahead: a deep dive into the history of high as I entered the hangar-like event facility Alexander Hamilton, the historical figure. While that housed the exhibition. I queued with others obviously inspired by the Broadway show, today’s in my timed entry group and was given a headset experience was not going to be about the musical with a remote-control. This technology differed but rather about the namesake founding father from typical audio accessories given at muse- and the events of his time. (So perhaps this is an ums, as the earpieces did not cover my ears but Alexander Hamilton pop-up history museum, rather sat about an inch away, allowing me to but at an unusually major scale?) move seamlessly between conversations with Lin and company weren’t lying. I turned other visitors and listening to the narration. I the corner to enter the St. Croix gallery and was

2 Exhibit Review: Hamilton: The Exhibition Figure 2. Barrels, clothing, and furniture fly through the air as visitors pass through the Hurricane gallery. Photo courtesy of the author. immersed in the life of young Hamilton. My orchestra performing a symphonic rearrange- attention was caught by a giant replica of a ment of the musical’s score, created exclusively hanging-balance scale, calling to mind the tools for HamEx. This ambitious decision paid divi- Hamilton used as a young barterer in the Carib- dends: the music evoked the emotions and bean, and more metaphorically the scales of jus- urgency of the Broadway show without hitting tice he would so frequently consider during the us over the head with the connection between early years of our new nation. On closer exami- those numbers and the themes of each gallery. nation, I discovered that the scales hovered over The underscoring had no lyrics, since those a pool of water, wherein old oak barrels would would’ve conflicted with the narration and with light up with facts of the time period; for exam- reading the wall-texts. This subtle use of music ple: “The unpaid labor of millions of slaves cre- got me thinking about how museums can do a ated the Caribbean economic powerhouse of better job tapping into the emotional aspects of the 1700s" (Figure 1). their content, rather than simply the intellectual. In this gallery and throughout the exhibi- This first gallery also set a precedent that tion, we heard ambient underscoring which, I would be followed throughout the exhibition: it later learned, was recorded by a forty-piece shed light on the liberties that were taken in the

Ashley Ann Wolfe 3 Figure 3. Visitors walk in Hamilton’s footsteps as they descend the ramp into the New York gallery. Photo by David Kor- ins, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibition. musical’s script, adding detail and nuance and The hurricane gallery is where museums correcting the facts where necessary. For exam- can take a valuable lesson from HamEx: The ple, those familiar with the show may assume theatrical, visual, and musical elements aided that Hamilton was an abolitionist. A framed the forward momentum of the intellectual and label on the wood-paneled walls informs us that emotional narrative in ways that simply display- this isn’t the case, but that “he did oppose slav- ing artifacts behind glass cannot. This is not to ery.” (Quite the important distinction, and typi- confuse theatricality with spectacle, which may be cal of the trust the HamEx creators place in the lavish yet lacking in ideas, creativity, and depth. intelligence of their visitors.) A major distinction between Hamilton: The Leaving St. Croix, I found myself in the Exhibition and other major commercial exhibi- midst of the hurricane that Hamilton survived tions was its ability to educate through the his- before writing his way out of the Caribbean. torical information delivered via text panels and This design element was particularly dramatic, narration while also inspiring complex feelings with exquisite lighting effects as barrels, desks, and even wonder through theatrical story- and gowns slowly twisted past me, evoking the telling. natural disaster that took the lives of so many. I turned a corner to enter the next gallery (Many, but not Hamilton.) What could easily and found myself “on the bow of a ship heading have been a simple hallway to the next gallery for a new land.” A wooden ramp led me down instead continued the story of Hamilton’s sur- into Hamilton’s New York. Of this gallery, vival. Fans of the musical will be reminded of an Lin-Manuel Miranda has said that “[w]e emotional number from the second act and feel wanted to recreate what it was like for me in the as if they’ve been sucked into its epicenter show, walking down the gangplank from the (Figure 2). ship into for the first time”

4 Exhibit Review: Hamilton: The Exhibition Figure 4. Statues of the players in Hamilton’s life await visitors in the Schuyler Mansion gallery. Photo by David Korins, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibition.

(, 2019). Dramatic entrance aside, this theme (“Why do you write like you’re running out gallery was probably the most comparable to a of time?”), but the beautiful weaving of language traditional history museum experience. Large and text in the exhibition will also resonate with paintings, documents, and maps hung on the those unfamiliar with the show. We observe walls, interspersed with touchscreens that replicas of the workspaces and allowed visitors to dive deeper into many facets Hamilton would have used, with illuminated, of this period of Hamilton’s life. At the center wall-size excerpts from letters they exchanged of this gallery was a sprawling model of the city leading up to the Battle of Yorktown. Simple, of New York as Alex would have known it. I’m yet stunning. always a sucker for a good city model, and the Next I was transported to the Schuyler juxtaposition of this slice of 18th century New Mansion, where the 1780 Winter’s Ball was fro- York in the center of this vast hall of history was zen in time as life-size statues of the players in particularly effective in evoking the complexi- Hamilton’s life linger, each seemingly eager to ties and challenges of the time (Figure 3). share their story. Deep blue walls and chandelier As we continued on, we learned more about lighting expertly balanced the room, allowing ’s army and the various the figures to stand out in an intimate manner. ways he leaned on Hamilton during the Revolu- This gallery was one of my favorite places to use tion. This is where we started to see another my remote to trigger those additional narration thread that I loved throughout the exhibition: segments on my headset. Each figure, voiced by the use of text as a design element. Fans of the either the original cast member who played musical will recognize the centrality of this them on Broadway or Historical Advisor Joanne

Ashley Ann Wolfe 5 Figure 5. A glimpse of opulence in King George’s hallway. Photo courtesy of the author.

B. Freeman, spoke a more detailed and richer Miranda talked us through the events of the history of their role in the narrative (Figure 4). Battle of Yorktown, where the colonies defeated An intimidating collection of cannons the British and won their freedom. Notably, pointed directly at an army tent housing the apart from the introductory film and a surprise next gallery, where we would witness the battle in the final gallery, this was the only space where of Yorktown. This was one of few areas in the guests played the role of passive observer, a nice exhibition where we were not allowed to take break from the level of interaction and immer- photos, and for good reason as we were treated sion elsewhere. to a dose of old-fashioned magic that would “What comes next?” Perhaps the starkest have been a bummer to have spoiled for the next transition within the exhibition, as we found visitors via social media exposure. Within the ourselves passing through an opulent hallway in tent, we sat on benches surrounding a table pink lighting, where a portrait of King George detailed with a map of the colonies. Miniature exuded the same sarcasm announced on the model ships, soldiers, and horses moved magi- neon sign beside him: “Awesome. WOW.” cally as Christopher Jackson, the actor who Obviously this is a not a literal quote from the played Washington in the musical, and king, but a fun easter egg for fans of the musical

6 Exhibit Review: Hamilton: The Exhibition Figure 6. Ropes yank and pull wooden carvings of the states to represent the forming of a new government. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibition.

—and a contemporary encapsulation of how the as I walked its path I felt myself called back to British crown might have felt about the break- the musical’s choreography, as if I had become away republic (Figure 5). Would a museum dare one of the cast members. I felt the grit of those to take such creative license? who actually pulled those ropes, physically and From there, we began to witness the post- metaphorically, during the founding of the Uni- war process of uniting the states. If I had to pick ted States. The wonder of the many moving a favorite room in HamEx, it would likely be pieces simultaneously had me feeling exhausted this large, brick-and-fencing lined gallery. and awestruck; the visual storytelling in this Here, the exhibition’s creative director David space clearly evoked the world-building of the Korins (who was also the Tony Award-winning early United States (Figure 6). set designer of the musical) continued to pull in The next few galleries walked us through visual elements of his Hamilton stage, specifi- the complexities of creating a new government. cally the theme of ropes and pulleys: America As the musical teaches, “Winning was easy, lifting itself up, country on the rise. Wooden young man. Governing is harder.” We were carvings of the states were pulled apart and awk- treated to a delightful animation depicting the wardly reassembled within the walls, reminis- conflict between Hamilton and his fellow Fed- cent of puzzle pieces that should fit together but eralist proponents of the Constitution, and which friction makes it difficult to connect. A Patrick Henry and those who vehemently large rope can be seen running in the floor, and opposed it. Another highlight of the exhibition

Ashley Ann Wolfe 7 Figure 7. A hallway of carnival games demonstrates economic hardships of the time. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibition. for me was the carnival-esque hallway of games: circular gallery with a cyclone of ballots flying “Step right up to play Economic Depression within a pillared rotunda – one pillar for each plinko!” (Spoiler alert: everybody loses) (Fig- then-existing state. Following the election, any ure 7). remaining kinship between Hamilton and Burr The creation of the National Bank, one of dissolved, as I read in a hallway lined with text Hamilton’s chief legacies, was demonstrated from letters the two exchanged leading up to through a room-sized ball-track contraption in their infamous final confrontation. Which of the form of a national sorting machine: Spin the course both history and the musical have told us wheel at your local bank (I chose Charleston) is coming: the duel. Along with statues of both and watch your “money” make its way through men hauntingly staged on a large plinth, guns the tubes across the ceiling before being depos- aimed at each other, a timeline projected on the ited in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve. wall depicted the events of the 32 hours that Engaging children and adults alike, this design Hamilton survived after leaving home for the element was a fun and effective way to visualize dueling ground that fateful day—and, in ironic the functionality of the new (and hotly con- parallel, the 32 years that Burr continued living tested) financial system (Figure 8). after that shared moment. This dual timeline The election of 1800, notorious for being was one of the most revelatory elements of a an electoral tie between and powerful gallery, and it included a handful of , was realized in a brightly lit, facts of which I was previously unaware—most

8 Exhibit Review: Hamilton: The Exhibition Figure 8. Visitors learn about the creation of the National Bank via a gravity powered ball sorting mechanism. Photo by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibtion.

interestingly that on the day Aaron Burr died in As we wrote our words on the post-it 1836, Hamilton’s son, Alexander Jr., presided notes, I couldn’t help but be moved by the over the divorce proceedings filed by Burr’s wife, central design element of this final gallery: Eliza Jumel. Talk about a nail in the not-so- a simple writing desk built on spirals of proverbial coffin (Figure 9). fabric containing Hamilton’s writings, which Nearing the end of the exhibition, we were flowed to the ceiling and over the entire confronted with what I believe to be the most space. This celebration of the power of the profound theme of the musical: the question of pen—bringing ideas to life and watching legacy. As we’ve learned both from the show them take root, flourish, and (hopefully) and the exhibition, Alexander Hamilton was become something bigger than us—to me, nothing short of obsessed with his legacy. To that’s legacy (Figure 11). quote the fictional Hamilton of the musical as As we handed over our headsets, we were he’s about to die, “What is a legacy? It’s planting given a pair of 3D glasses and led into a theater seeds in a garden you never get to see .” The pen for the final experience, a film of the opening was then put in our hands as we were invited to number from Hamilton: An American Musical, contribute answers to prompts such as, “How starring none other than Miranda alongside can democracy do better?” and “What is your members of one of the touring casts of the show. wish for America?" (Figure 10). For exhibition visitors who may not have had

Ashley Ann Wolfe 9 Figure 9. Statues of Hamilton and Burr mid-duel, with dualing timeline depicting the final 32 hours and 32 years of Hamilton and Burr’s lives (respectively). Photo courtesy the author. the opportunity to catch the creator himself in other U.S. cities. Sadly, HamEx closed in Chi- the title role while on Broadway (or his quick cago several months earlier than projected, and run in Puerto Rico), this was quite a treat. its subsequent tour was canceled. Of the change At the ribbon-cutting for Hamilton: The in plans, Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller said, Exhibition, Miranda was asked, “In the history “You can put it down to my naivete. I built of theatre, has there ever been any kind of an something that was too big, too beautiful, too exhibit like this one?” He responded, “I don’t gigantic, to move around" (Jones, 2019). That’s think so, but I’d love to walk around the Les not hyperbole. Per Korins, the exhibition would Mis exhibition one day!” (Hetrick, 2019). And have required 80 trucks to tour, as it contains wouldn’t that be great? I would be first in line approximately “25 Broadway sets worth of for any equivalently thoughtful and emotionally stuff.” Much like the historical Alexander, this powerful exhibitions derived from other major team certainly has no small ideas. But it’s also theatrical works, musical or not. I know there worth noting that, while figures are hard to are others like me, many of whom were no obtain, there were signs that the $13 million doubt eagerly awaiting their chance to visit the exhibition was not meeting visitation expecta- Hamilton exhibition on its planned tour to tions.

10 Exhibit Review: Hamilton: The Exhibition Figure 10. Visitors contribute thoughts on how to improve America in the Legacy gallery. Photo courtesy the author.

How do we make this kind of concept sus- education about getting to the exhibition would tainable? Why did an experience so original and have been helpful, or even a partnership with a exquisitely crafted not see the success that one neighboring cultural institution. would expect from a spinoff of one of the most Another issue may have been the cost talked-about pop-culture brands in years? What of admission. At $39.00, a full-price ticket lessons can future attempts at this theatrical was more expensive than entry to many style of exhibit innovation learn from HamEx? I museums, and while I’d argue that the wouldn’t be the first to point out that the loca- experience was well-deserving of that invest- tion of the exhibition was not ideal. While rela- ment (and significantly less than the price tively near Chicago’s museum campus, where of a Broadway show), it likely limited other cultural institutions such as the Field access financially. The producers eventually Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Plane- offered discounted tickets to the exhibition tarium stand, Northerly Island is off the beaten (an unexpected move given the popularity path and unfamiliar even to some lifelong Chi- of the musical, which still sells out nightly cagoans. Perhaps more advertising and in New York, London, and elsewhere), as

Ashley Ann Wolfe 11 Figure 11. Spirals of fabric containing Hamilton’s writings flow from a replica of his writing desk in the Legacy gal- lery. Photo by David Korins, courtesy of Hamilton: The Exhibition. well as free group admission to all Chicago so that the need for a strict definition no longer Public Schools students in grades four and exists. Perhaps then more people will have the higher. It’s unfortunate that more of those opportunity to be “in the room where it hap- students weren’t able to take advantage of pens.” END the opportunity due to the exhibition’s lim- ited run. REFERENCES I don’t have the answers, but I know more Di Nunzio, M. 2019. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s voice people deserve to experience this type of histori- speaks volumes at “Hamilton: The Exhibition”. cal and cultural engagement, regardless of how Accessed April 25, 2019. Retrieved from https:// we may categorize it. Theatre journalist Kris chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment-and- Vire, writing for Chicago Magazine upon the culture/2019/4/24/18621830/lin-manuel-mira announcement of the exhibition’s premature nda-s-voice-speaks-volumes-at-hamilton-the- closing, noted that many of the objects on dis- exhibition play were not authentic documents: “Visitors Hetrick, A. 2019. Lin-Manuel Miranda Shares a would be paying to see a collection of render- Look Inside Hamilton: The Exhibition. Accessed April 30, 2019. Retrieved from http:// ings, reproductions, and reenactments” (Vire, www.playbill.com/article/lin-manuel-miranda- 2019). While he makes a fair point, I would shares-a-look-inside-hamilton-the-exhibition argue that those objects, authentic or repro- Jones, C. 2019. “Hamilton the Exhibition” is closing duced, were not what folks were there to see. early in Chicago. Accessed July 29, 2019. Rather, they were paying for the immersive nar- Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune. rative experience, the living, emotionally com- com/entertainment/theater/chris-jones/ct-ent- plex history lesson—the human story behind the hamilton-exhibition-closing-0730-20190729- history. And that’s what theatricality allowed vhxnekcgjbf3biec6ykhko2scy-story.html Vire, K. 2019. The Hamilton Exhibition Was HamEx to do, and what made it different than Doomed From the Start. Accessed July 31, 2019. what a history museum might have done with Retrieved from http://www.chicagomag.com/ the same content. In this case, the theatricality arts-culture/August-2019/The-Hamilton- was brought to the exhibition by theater people: Exhibition-Was-Doomed-From-the-Start/ the creative team behind the musical. But museum people can also learn how to do this. These kinds of theatrical elements can help dust off and bring to life the museum experience, allowing visitors to become more fully engaged and immersed by taking a multisensory step back in time and into the story. “God help and forgive me, I wanna build something that’s gonna outlive me,” sings the musical’s Hamilton. My hope for the legacy of Hamilton: The Exhibition is that it inspires other practitioners and institutions to create museum-like experiences with such voracity and creativity that this style of innovation becomes part of the cultural vernacular, so much

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