OK, so maybe some of us have been living under a rock, or, perhaps, need a little reminding about "Hamilton."
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Pulitzer- and Tony-winning juggernaut, which returns Tuesday to Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre for the second time, uses hip-hop, soul and Beatles-esque pop, among other genres, to tell the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The musical was nominated for a record 16 Tonys in 2016 and won 11.
Here are five things to know for those who are new to the show:
1. "Immigrants (we get the job done)": Miranda wrote the show's 46 songs and volumes of densely rhymed American history based on Ron Chernow's award-winning 2004 biography of Hamilton, who was born out of wedlock in Nevis, in the British West Indies. He emigrated to the 13 colonies before adolescence and fought in the Revolutionary War at George Washington's side. As the first secretary of the treasury, Hamilton helped create America's financial system. He also founded the Bank of New York and the New York Post, the oldest continuously published paper in the country, and one with a salacious streak.
2. "I probably shouldn't brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish": Hamilton's vision for America is multicultural and pluralistic, and Miranda's musical honors that by both saluting the Revolutionary era (characters don waistcoats, silk taffeta dresses and other period costumes designed by Paul Tazewell) and the present (actors blend rap, R&B and pop with musical theater storytelling). Thomas Jefferson was the era's rock star and his deep plummy coat and white ruffle shirt nod to the outfit that Prince wore in "Purple Rain."
3. "I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love": While the lyric is full of abuser menace, King George's jauntily tuneful song, "You'll Be Back," sounds like it could have been recorded at Abbey Road Studios by the Beatles. In fact, aesthetes and lovers of music will notice a vaguely familiar feel to many of the musical numbers in "Hamilton" because Miranda found contemporary style matches for the historical figures. For instance, when Washington says, "Dying is easy, young man, living is harder," he could've been quoting 50 Cent from 2003's "Many Men."
4. "I'm just saying if you really loved me you would share him": Angelica Schuyler says these words to her sister Eliza, Hamilton's wife. Whether or not Angelica and Hamilton had an affair is uncertain, but he had such a scandalous reputation that his political rival Aaron Burr reminds us in the show that "Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him."
5. "I'm not throwing away my shot": Hamilton's journey is one that embodies the ideals of America as a place where you can rise based on ambition, grit and wits. In the song, he refers to how he won't take life's "no's" as an answer. Ultimately, though, it's a shot in a duel with Burr that famously undoes him.
'Hamilton'
When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 1 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends May 6.
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $119-$349. hennepintheatretrust.org.
Lottery: Forty $10 seats will be distributed for each performance. Register at hamiltonmusical.com/lottery or via the official "Hamilton" app.
