right. i just got the impression it was particular popular among the leftist crowd, e.g., HCR is now giving away 'free' tickets [1], and i thought it maybe had something to do with Hamilton's political views.
Well there are the pro-immigrant story notes, the race bending casting and so on - those things all played to social justice / left groups & probably helped win people over in marketing the thing (having the interest of the PoTUS does tend to help your production get noticed for instance). But none of that would have mattered if it wasn’t any good.
It’s pointless to try and ram the founding fathers into any kind of modern left/right axis - 300 years ago is definitely another country & they did things differently there. Trust me, if you haven’t heard it, get a hold of the cast album and give it a listen. It’s worth your time.
For those with Spotify, you can listen to the cast album here. The title track is arguably the most famous, but Yorktown (Track 20) is another excellent example of how the musical blends rap and musical theater tropes into an unforgettable combo.
Re: your point about the leftist crowd, the Clinton campaign giving away tickets is notable because tickets now sell on the secondary market starting at $1000+. (And 100% worth it.) The show itself does make you sympathize for a character who consistently advocates for a strong central government (see Cabinet Battle #1, Disc 2 Track 2), but that's an afterthought in the context of how groundbreaking the rest of the show is.
Eh, not really. I mean, I think (don't know) that Broadway shows and rap music are more popular on the left than the right. So, it's probably true that the show is more popular with liberals than it is with conservatives. But I don't think it has anything to do with the message of the show or Hamilton's politics.
It's not really an overtly political show, other than a few jokes about immigrants being effective. That is, the show covers highly political material as it profiles Hamilton, a Federalist. But I don't think the show itself has a strong political message it's trying to propagate, at least not in relation to current campaigns. You could argue the show is making the statement that the founding of the country and the founding fathers are history that belongs to all of us, people of color, recent immigrants, white descendants of the pilgrims, etc. – and that history needs to be told in new ways and understood by everyone.
But I think advocating better understanding of our history is something conservatives appreciate too, and in general, conservatives believe in self-reliance, accountability, etc., and should respect the self-made story of Hamilton.
I think HRC is giving away tickets just to piggyback on the popularity of the show and its recent Tony wins. Also, seeing as HRC was a Senator from New York (and I think currently resides in NY officially), it makes sense for her to associate with a cultural phenomenon from there.
That isn’t any kind of guarantee of success, but it’s a damn good base to start from.