Summary

Chapter 17, Introduction: McCarter refers to how two of America’s so-called “founding fathers” (Thomas Jefferson and James Madison) both hated Alexander Hamilton, and how intriguing the creators of the show found the idea of having both characters played by two of the actors who played Hamilton’s friends in Act One. Those actors, both African-American, comment on how, before they became involved in “Hamilton,” they both felt like they had run out of opportunities as black artists. They also comment on the opportunity to play the roles of powerful white men, one saying how much it would have meant to him, as a young black man, to see someone onstage doing what he’s doing now. Here again, McCarter draws a connection between the present-day stories of immigrants and rebels to the story of Hamilton.

Chapter 18, Introduction: McCarter discusses the relationship between “Hamilton” and...