Structure

The book’s overall structure is one of its most intriguing, engaging elements. Following an introduction to both the show “Hamilton” and the book itself, a structural pattern is established: each chapter contains an essay, by theatre critic / artist Jeremy McCarter, on some aspect of the development, rehearsal, and production of “Hamilton,” which is followed by an excerpt from the text of the show. Chapter by chapter, the scenes from the show are presented in the order in which they appear (that is, in the order in which the story unfolds): chapter by chapter, each essay examines elements related to that chapter’s scene. For example: in the middle of the show’s second act, a significant secondary character dies. The essay in the chapter that contains the scene dramatizing that death comments on ways in which the writing of that scene and the onstage portrayal of...