Discussion Post 3 – Jayden Pooran

The musical production Hamilton has had an important impact on theater as a whole through redefining standards. I’m a fan of this musical because I appreciate how it catered to many interests in the form of having numerous music genres. It is about Alexander Hamilton, who was a founding father of America but it has a modern spin on it. The narrative is told using hip-hop, R&B, pop, and other types of music which makes it an engaging experience while watching this. As a whole, a Broadway production can tremendously impact someone through providing inspiration. For example, challenges faced by characters can make viewers aspire to make change in their own lives. The music on Broadway makes it especially enjoyable. The song, “Helpless” sung by Phillipa Soo (Eliza Schuyler) was my favorite because it blended elements from a R&B song with pop music. This was sung by Eliza when she expressed her love for Hamlton. The upbeat vocals and lyrics really shaped the play because it allowed the viewers to recognize what was going on, visually and audibly. Eliza’s love for Hamilton is reflected in Stuart Hall’s “Representation” because she used words in her song to show her love. According to Hall, “representation is the production of meaning through language” (page 16). I interpreted this as what you say represents who you are as a person. Eliza expressed her feelings through speech which therefore represented her intentions. She used modern expressions which is also major in making this musical suitable for modern day audiences. This also contributes to the fact as to why Hamilton is a huge success as a Broadway show. 

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