“If your friend had no idea who Alan Menken is, what would be the one song you’d pick to illustrate his work? Here’s my pick.”

“As Eliza, we see a committed and gentle heroine. Through Soo’s gorgeous vocals she creates a full and complete character as a woman, wife, mother, philanthropist, and storyteller.”

“Every show is different, performers can sing and act their lines slightly different because actors feed and react from and to each other, and also from the audience’s energy and reactions as well. Personally, that’s what makes live theatre so exciting to watch and the reason why recorded musicals can’t substitute theatre.”

“If you’ve seen 'Hamilton’ then I’m sure you’ve weighed in on your interpretation of Eliza’s gasp at the end of the show. I know I’ve got mine. But Mallory Ellis might have just stumbled upon the best one that I’m fine with accepting as the truth, whether or not Lin-Manuel Miranda admits it.”

“While many might dismiss #cancelhamilton out of hand as ludicrous, that would be unfair and would ignore some real flaws in the musical’s storytelling to what it ignores and how it depicts certain events. At the same time, I am more than skeptical of the intent behind the latest viral hashtag movement.”

“Sondheim’s influence on Brown’s compositions is quite thrilling to find, as are both their storytelling through beautiful, meaningful lyrics with multidimensional characters.”

“In case you needed a good laugh today, Weird Al delivers once again. On July 4th, the parody-song king posted a video to go along with his “Hamilton Polka”.”

“Without Elizabeth, much of the existing information regarding Alexander Hamilton might have been lost, and thus it is difficult to tell his story without telling a bit of hers. Even though Alexander is evidently the protagonist in the musical, one can speculate on the reasons why, instead of using his full name for the title, Lin-Manuel Miranda chose to use only his last name- the name that he shares with his wife, Elizabeth.”

“Despite an industry-wide call for producers and Broadway power-players to increase the production, representation, and employment of black artists, Scott Rudin is producing another show written by a white playwright, directed by a white man and starring a white man - a MeToo problematic white man at that.”

“The TikTok account “Disney.bway” features a man behind the piano playing showtunes and asking his followers to record duets with him. So far the account has amassed over 9,000 followers. What should also be known is that the man in the video is Justin Brown. Nine months ago, the Broadway pianist was arrested in an NYPD sting operation for allegedly trying to meet with a minor for sex on social media apps.”

In case you were wondering what Hamilton is going to look like on Disney+, here’s a quick clip!

“Theatre fans will celebrate the 4th of July in part by watching Hamilton on Disney +, and hopefully, non-theatre fans will give it a watch as well. It is a beacon for those that are looking for ways to explain history using modern music and diversity. But, when it comes to musicals that celebrate history, we shouldn’t forget 1776 either.”