Lin-Manuel Miranda Responds to ‘Hamilton’ Backlash
Hamilton went live on Disney+ over the Fourth of July weekend.
Lin-Manuel Miranda was critiqued on some of the musical’s content, with some arguing it glorifies slavery.
Lin-Manuel responded to the criticism days later, saying everyone’s opinion is valid.
If you had nothing to do over the Fourth of July weekend (same) and are fortunate enough to afford a Disney+ membership (also same), chances are you were stoked to finally watch Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton in high definition. But as great as this is for people who have never had the chance to see the musical, some people voiced concern over parts of the production.
Lin-Manuel hosted a viewing party on his Twitter account to talk with fans while watching the movie. For the most part, people were really into it, but there was some backlash because some feel the musical glorifies the United States’ Founding Fathers and their slave-owning pasts. And on top of that, some critics said Hamilton doesn’t accurately portray American history.
Lin-Manuel briefly set his Twitter to private after his viewing party went south but responded to the criticism in a Twitter post three days later. Writer Tracy Clayton tweeted, “I’m late w the Hamilton criticism stuff & I’m clearly biased but…I really like that this conversation is happening. Hamilton the play and the movie were given to us in two different worlds & our willingness to interrogate things in this way feels like a clear sign of change.”
“Appreciate you so much, @brokeymcpoverty,” Lin responded. “All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5-hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game.”
Appreciate you so much, @brokeymcpoverty. All the criticisms are valid. The sheer tonnage of complexities & failings of these people I couldn’t get. Or wrestled with but cut. I took 6 years and fit as much as I could in a 2.5 hour musical. Did my best. It’s all fair game. https://t.co/mjhU8sXS1U
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) July 6, 2020
At the end of the day, let’s please remember that Lin-Manuel—despite being a fantastic playwright—is a human being who is subject to error like the rest of us. And critique can open productive discourse, which is ultimately great!
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