Musicals in History Class

I'll admit that I am a theatre enthusiast. (only wish my budget allowed me to see more productions that come to Southern California or take some weekend trips to NY just for fun).  But as a teacher, I am always looking for alternative texts and narratives that tell stories in different formats.  Students are inundated with texts - in class, in their community, on their phones, on television, at home, etc.  But very few of my students have the opportunity to experience live theatre.  Having participated in drama during high school, I developed a profound appreciation for the intricate details that go into a fully staged production.  Plays and musicals are more than just actors on a stage.

Sometimes a show is produced that has a profound impact on my understanding of historical narratives, whose story is told, and what that story means to us today.  In this post, I want to highlight four musicals that continue to fascinate me and renew my thinking about the past sneaking into our contemporary world.

Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda recently won the George Washington Book Prize for his musical about one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.  Miranda is an amazing lyricist who seamlessly tells the story of Hamilton's rise to being Washington's right-hand man, Federalist, and economic genius.  What will surprise most is that the story is told through music inspired by contemporary hip-hop, rap, and R&B.  Don't believe me, just listen to a song called "Cabinet Battle #1" where Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have a rap battle over Hamilton's economic plan for the newly formed United States.  The exchange of words is charged with emotion but brings political ideology to the underground rap scene.

The lyrics subtly weave Hamilton's life as an immigrant arriving to New York with the more recognized narrative about revolutionary thinkers fighting against the tyranny of King George III (who also makes several appearance singing about the woes of dealing with the rebel colonies).

Because the musical just opened on Broadway, there are not a lot of resource available.  I have been tweeting to @HamiltonMusical hoping they will organize a teacher seminar to study the show, the resources Miranda used, and the medium of live theater.  I haven't seen the show, but I have listened to the soundtrack so many times and I keep finding tidbits of history.  The lyrics are packed with historical connections that bring history alive in a way students rarely get to experience. 

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

I will admit that this show is not for the faint of heart (warning: tons of profanity).  This show, created as a kind of emo-rock concert, displays President Andrew Jackson in all his glory.  The lyrics and plot are definitely critical of Jackson's presidency and show some of the choices he made that helped him earn the title "King Jackson."  The opening number, "Populism" proudly announces "This is the Age of Jackson" and establishes the rise of the people's President.

The song titled "The Corrupt Bargain" shows how creative the lyricists were in capturing a pretty complex event.  All of the participants (Adams, Clay, Jackson, etc.)  insert their opinions in the debate over who would win the election.  The song highlights the problems politicians experienced in discussing how democracy can only work if politicians trust the electorate.  The lyricist explains his inspiration for the musical and his attempt at telling about the growing pains of the first democratic experiment.

Ragtime

 This might be one of my favorite musicals of all time.  It is based on E.L. Doctorow's novel of the same title.  There was also a film made in 1981, directed by Milos Forman.  The story is complex, emotional, political, and radical.  Just listen to the opening song to get the background of the plot.  In 1904, the white nouveaux rich, African Americans from Harlem, and newly arrived Eastern European immigrants converge on the street of New York City.  Not only the lyrics tell the historical narrative of the characters, but the music also reflects the emotion and background of their experiences.  If you have not read the original book, I highly recommend it.  It's a fascinating read about the Gilded Age.

I could go on and on about the amazing characters that live in this musical, but I will only highlight a few.  The character "Mother" (note that she has no name), experiences the posh life of wealth and privilege but is also affected by the growing women's rights movement.  She sings a poignant song titled, "Back to Before" that explains her sense of liberation in finding her own voice.  Emma Goldman, one voice of immigrants and labor unions, tells about her push to represent the working class in their fight against capitalism.  The character of Coalhouse Walker is a wonder representation of the issues regarding racism in the United States in the throughout history.  The questions he asks about privilege and injustice are still pertinent today.

Miss Saigon

I had the chance to see this musical when I was studying abroad at Oxford University in England.  At the same time I had been studying both history and literature and after seeing the show I was left with a few questions, particularly because I was an American citizen living in another country (though temporarily).  I have used the lyrics to one of the musicals most famous songs, "American Dream" in my class.  I used it when I taught the novel Of Mice and Men when we looked at different way of defining this dream.  I also use it when I teach about the Vietnam War through music.   

In a time where globalization and capitalism allow for the spread of American culture, what does the "American Dream" mean for people in other countries?   Considering the Vietnam war and the interpretation presented by Miss Saigon, what effects does the "American Dream" have on how people in other countries view themselves?   This musical should bring questions about the representation of racism and misogyny.  What role did the United States play in the Vietnam war and what does this show say about those intentions?   This musical has its fair share of controversy regarding casting (or not casting Vietnamese actors) and the story of white soldiers taking advantage of the Vietnamese.

There are, of course, many other musicals that could be used in history classes.  We can look at these musicals as texts themselves:  how do the lyricists and composers interpret historical events or how do actors/actresses portray historical characters?  How can we use historiography to explore the narratives told (or not told) in these musical interpretations?