"Hamilton" is like 6 years old now. I say that just because it means expectations for first time viewers are likely inflated.
Alexander Hamilton was a pretty well sidelined guy before Lin Manuel Miranda picked up his lengthy biography. He was in the history books, but sort of one of the "cast of others" hanging around George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson when we launched the nation. Some knew about his duel with Aaron Burr, but few knew what it was about.
White people have never been marginalized in the theater. The writers are usually white guys telling white guy stories to white guy audiences. The financiers and theater owners are usually white guys. The "important" figures in our history are, of course, white guys, so the subject matter created about them is abundant. In short, the White America voice in the theater has been, and continues to be, strong. Nothing inherently wrong about this, but it's kind of limiting.
LMM put together a real creative piece. There's a TON of words ("Guns and Ships" hits 6.3 words per second) coming at you real fast. The interplay is brilliant. Kind of like, but for different reasons, it's helpful to read Shakespeare before seeing the plays performed (it helps if your brain doesn't have to de-tangle Shakespearean English while enjoying it), hearing "Hamilton"'s soundtrack a few times leaves you freer to be in the moment with the production.
I mentioned "Hamilton" has been around a while. Like "Les Miserables", the theater world is pretty well sick of it. It's beaten to death. I don't know where it's still being performed, but there's a good chance the cast wasn't very peppy.
Now, we're all busy bashing "In the Heights" for not being authentic enough Afro-Caribbean.
